Another Side of Gardening: Loss, Solutions, Moving On
How does it go? If you're not killing plants you're not stretching your garden muscles? At least the old adage makes me feel better when I inevitably lose plants. The truth of the matter is that I lose a lot, probably more than I realize because certainly I have forgotten where I planted some fancy plant along the way, one that just never came back. Loss is part of the deal, in fact, and the sooner I make peace with that the more balanced is the whole experiment. The last year has been one of plant loss as well as acute observation prompted by weather extremes on both ends of the spectrum (we just hit the record for the longest stretch of 95-plus degree days), and I would like to lessen the heartache that extreme weather brings. That means paying attention to what will survive both ends and repeat. Still, it stings. Sometimes, however, a loss is an opportunity for a new experiment or strategy. Here then is a snapshot of some of the downs and (hopefully) ups at Chickadee Gardens
