Published: October 01, 2009 06:33 pm      

Attitude is everything in the garden

EDMOND — Since having a little girl four months ago, I have learned so many things. Most of those lessons have no place in an article about gardening. But one particular morning something appeared very clear to me, and this revelation came by the way of a message on my daughter’s pink and purple bib.

I have been contemplating a complete renovation of my main flower bed. I’ve just gotten tired of the plants that are in there. Some of the selections are struggling to the point of decline and others are thriving to the point of invasion. I also have learned that a 4-month-old requires a great deal of attention, and she doesn’t quite understand or care for that matter, that the nutsedge and crabgrass need to be weeded out of the flower bed before the neighbors begin to question my career choice.

There are days when I get a bit stressed out about this flower bed. It is going to be a lot of work and is requiring a great deal of planning for it to be executed well. But there are also days that I get so excited about what this planting has the potential to turn into with some time and effort. As I was thinking about this flower bed in my rush out the door one morning (yes, that is often when I am thinking about these things) I noticed the bib snapped around the little one’s neck. It said “Attitude is Everything!”

I said out loud, “Isn’t that the truth?” This flower bed can either be looked at as a huge project that is taking up more time that I don’t have, or it can be something to enjoy in the bits of free time that I am able to carve out of my schedule. And that is what gardening should be — something to enjoy, not dread. It just comes back to the attitude that it is approached with. While the bib provided sound advice, there are just a few other things to remember when digging into your next garden project.

It is important to find what you enjoy. There are several avenues to take in horticulture. So make sure that you are taking up a sector of it that you will get rewards from. For instance, I really enjoy the planting and weeding aspect of a vegetable garden. But I don’t like harvesting the vegetables. I know, that’s weird. Luckily, my husband likes the picking and is pretty good at keeping up with it. But if it weren’t for him, my time would be much better spent on plants that were more just for looking and didn’t require a daily picking.

Setting the pace of the project also is important. There is no sense in working yourself into the ground — literally. Try to avoid the pressure or sense of urgency that a big project can sometimes entail. Break it up into small manageable projects that allow you to do things correctly, rather than hurrying through leaving a trail of mistakes and sloppy work behind you.

Finally, seek out some sound advice. I’m not saying that it has to come from the OSU Extension Office, though that isn’t a bad place to start. There are lots of great garden centers, books and Web sites that can prove to be helpful depending on the project. Like they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And in landscaping, the “cures” can often be time consuming and expensive.

Fall is one of the best times to tackle larger projects in the garden. It is a great time to plant trees and shrubs, and it isn’t bad weather for digging either. Attitude may be most everything, but keep these other tips in mind to keep your gardening spirits up where they belong.



SAMANTHA SNYDER is a horticulture educator for the Oklahoma County OSU Cooperative Extension Service.