The long list of planting failures
Catalog season has arrived. It's wonderful to curl up with a few, highlighter in hand to plan for next season.
Last night I was looking through the Bluestone Perennials catalog and it occurred to me just how many plants I've tried to grow, but have failed miserably at.
It's a long list of humiliation, but I'm one of those annoying people who always looks at the glass as being half full. I figure some of the plants didn't have the sun they needed or the right amount of water. Maybe the sun was in my eyes when I planted them. One thing for sure, I'm always improving the soil with organic matter.
It's a good lesson for gardeners, this hobby is a combination of science and art.
One of my favorite garden saying is, "plants die." That's just the way it is, and I've proved it to be true over and over again.
After looking at the list below you might think gardening isn't for me, but it's just the opposite, I love it and have lots of successes.
Don't let failure stop you from gardening, it certainly hasn't put even a dent in my enthusiasm for growing things.
So with the Bluestone catalog as a template, these are just a few of the things I've killed or not been able to grow-
Achillea (not enough sun). I've got one plant out there, but it's not happy.
Hybrid Aquilegia or columbine (unknown problem as the wild varieties persist).
Asters (not enough sun? I've killed many).
Astilbe (not enough water? I've killed many).
Bergenia (water)
Shasta daisies (sun)
Coreopsis (sun)
Delphinium (water, sun)
Dianthus (sun)
Gaillardia (sun)
Gaura (hardiness?)
Heuchera and heuchaerella (water)
Hollyhocks (sun)
Ligularia (water)
Poppies (sun)
Primrose (water)
Black eyed Susans (sun)
Scabiosa (sun)
Viola Etain (water)
Hydrangeas (most have survived, but I've lost a few)
There are lots more, but that's part of gardening I guess.
Michael Jordan makes me feel better though with this quote, "I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I cannot accept not trying.
I'll keep trying Michael, thanks.