Nothing lives forever and that includes your plants. Each death can be a learning experience to make you a better gardener.
A while ago I came across a quote that said something like, “If your plants aren’t dying, you aren’t planting enough.” I have tried for days to find that quote but I can’t track it down. I’ve probably got the words mixed up but the sentiment is the thing! (If you know this quote and attribution, please let me know in the comments!)
When I read this I felt a wave of relief. I had planted more than ever before and the losses were heartbreaking. It wasn’t my fault! It was part of becoming a better gardener.
Some of my losses were due to a 2 year drought. Not long as far as droughts go, except that I live in a subtropical climate zone. We’re not supposed to get extended dry periods. Our hot, hot summers are supposed to be broken by frequent storms and rain. Even the trees in the state forest, along ridgelines, were dying off. The collective sigh of relief when the rain returned echoed through the community.
So, what did I learn from the drought? We needed to store more water. We got a couple of extra tanks. We needed to water only when necessary, conserving our dam water until plants really needed it. At one point our dam got so low that we didn’t want to pump from it and I was carrying buckets up and down the slope every couple of days. My upper body strength improved, but the plants were too used to being watered regularly and most of the ones along our boundaries perished. Less watering conditions plants to conserve water, and while an extended drought will slowly condition them, if we had more water to give them infrequently more may have survived.
Some of my losses have been due to the wrong soil or the wrong position. I know this now, but before that I didn’t really understand what I was doing. The upside is that now I think more carefully about placement. I am also better at recognising the wrong position for plants and I transplant to a better location before they die. Could I have researched this? Possibly, but I plant so often and so many different species that it would be very time consuming. Also, I grow a lot of Australian natives which aren’t well researched. It can be very difficult to find the right information.
A few years ago I didn’t really understand microclimates, much less how to identify what was happening in different parts of my garden. Now, I know more. I can make educated guesses about the microclimates across my 3 acres. A permaculture course helped with this too.
Plants produce lots of seeds. Anything else in nature that produces lots of offspring expects some to perish before maturity. In “The Hidden Life of Trees”, Peter Wohlleben tells us that each tree in natural conditions will only produce one more mature tree. The rest of its offspring are eaten, die from germinating in unfavourable conditions or aren’t genetically viable. If Mother Nature loses her plants, what chance do mere humans have? By the way, if you love plants, read or listen to the book. It’s mindblowingly amazing.
Experience is a great teacher and plants are so complex that we can’t always get advice specific to our location, soil types and microclimates. So if your plants are dying, don’t despair. Look at the conditions, move it (or buy another if it’s too late) and try again. Build a library of plant information in your head. This is the way to garden glory.
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