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Gardening Tips: Don't Be Afraid to Change Your Mind

7/16/2013

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PicturePhoto by Metric x/Flickr
Last year, I grew a bumper crop of morning glories on my porch railing. They grew up the twine trellis and tried to escape to the roof, but the roof is metal and they couldn't get a foothold to climb it. The result?  Lush green foliage twisted into a mass at the top of the porch with brilliant blue and scarlet morning glories all competing for attention.

This year, I decided to grow nasturtiums on the railing, because they don't grow as tall and prefer similar lighting.  I planted my morning glories in window boxes and set them in front of the lattice work of the deck, thinking they would climb to the second story and create a dazzling display of color on the wall. I t was a great idea, but it failed. You see, the sunny wall I wanted to grow them on doesn't get any sun at the soil level where the seedlings are. I held out hope that once the seedlings grew a foot or so they would have all the sun they needed and quickly cover the wall. I was wrong.

I've babied these seedlings for weeks and the tiny vines are so thin and weak that I finally gave in today and moved them. Which brings me to the purpose of this post. Once I accepted the fact that there would be no vine-covered wall in my garden this year, my decision was easy. Getting to that point was not. You see, I dreamed all winter of morning glories on that wall. It would have been a striking display of color and foliage. 

This morning, I noticed that the few morning glories I had tucked into my hay bales were thriving and decided to tuck my window boxes between the bales in the hopes that they will take off and cover the fence with blooms sometime soon.

Sometimes, when plants fail to thrive in the location you have chosen, the kindest thing you can do - for both you and the plants - is to move them, even if that means transplanting them out of season. Gardening is not an exact science. Seasons vary. Plants are finicky and sometimes we simply overlook their needs when we make our plans. Moving them a better location gives them what they need to thrive and eliminates the frustration of trying to meet their needs when it simply can't be done where they are. 

Perhaps next year I'll attach boxes to the lattice and elevate them to the proper height for the seedlings to thrive . . .


                                                                         Until Next Time . . . HAPPY GARDENING!

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  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • About Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • How to Grow a Pomato Plant
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
        • Turnips vs Rutabagas
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
  • Garden Pests
    • How to Control Japanese Beetles
    • How to Control Blister Beetles
    • How to Get Rid of Colorado Potato Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables