ONE – Gardening is not a race!
There is no beginning or end to the garden path, you can jump onto it, at any time and develop your knowledge and skills as little or as much as you like. Even after decades in the garden, there are new things to learn and new plants to perfect, it is one of the great joys of doing it.
A great way to get your basic skills underway is in the productive garden. Growing a little food can help you understand the foundational skills required for growing almost anything. Even to grow something as simple as lettuce, you will need to master some fundamentals.
You will need to investigate and understand your soil – the key to every garden.
TWO – Plants want to live
One big tip for new players is not to put too much pressure on yourself. Plants want to live; they were growing, flowering, and fruiting before we got involved so in most cases, they will work with you! If you can provide the basics, the chance of success is good.
A plant label will give you some information about a species or cultivar, its ultimate height or form, a basic soil preference, and whether it wants sun, shade, or something in the middle. But it is always worth digging a little deeper. Learning where a plant occurs in nature and its natural conditions can help you to recreate them in the garden.
Millie is growing climbing nasturtium Tropaeolum tricolour. While it is related to the warm climate annual nasturtiums many would be family with, it is a completely different plant. It comes from high altitude parts of Bolivia & Chile. They grow and flower through the cooler months, dying back to their tuber to survive the long dry summer. You can easily mimic these dry, summer conditions in a pot. Stop watering completely in summer and if it’s wet, tip the pot over to stop the rain getting in. A simple solution to successfully grow an exotic beauty.
THREE – They will also die!
Killing things is one of the greatest gifts of garden-learning, and everyone does it. The professionals kill more than most, but that is where all the learning is.
Millie planted some Leptospermum ‘Burgundy’ in a cool season potted display, and some into the garden, about 12 months ago. She is also growing another similar cultivar of tea-tree, ‘Copper Glow’. While they both grow strongly in the warmer months, the ‘Burgundy’ got cooked by the cold weather. In the pot, the tips all burned, while in the garden where it was even more exposed, the whole plant was destroyed. By losing these plants, Millie learned the hardier cultivar for the climate.
FOUR – It is OK to change your mind.
Admitting you were wrong is tricky in many parts of life and in the garden, it can be gut-wrenching! A few years ago, Millie undertook a big veggie garden renovation, excavating the soil and installing a geotextile fabric barrier underneath. It was an attempt to stop the adjacent elm tree roots from invading and competing with the vegies for water and nutrients. For the first year, it worked well with the vegies growing strongly, but after a few years, smaller feeder roots have made their way in. This took lots of work and utilised a high-quality, UV-stable product, made from recycled material, but ultimate it hasn’t done the job. Coupled with Millie’s changing feelings about such a high-tech, synthetic intervention – it’s time to admit she was wrong and find another solution.
FIVE – Push your luck
Even after 25 years as a professional gardener, Millie still regularly pushes her luck! Once you learn the rules, it is always worth experimenting and even breaking them.
Featured Plants:
CHILEAN NASTURTIUM – Tropaeolum tricolor
2020
TEA TREE ‘BURGUNDY’ – Leptospermum morrisonii cv.
TEA TREE ‘COPPER GLOW’ – Leptospermum polygalifolium cv.
2018
WOLGAN SNOW GUM – Eucalyptus gregsoniana
Filmed on Taungurung Country, in Central Victoria
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