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

Photo 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!

---