Dans Papers - May 25, 2007 - Garden Malleability

What a wonderful month May is - the world rekindles itself on the East End. They say that April is the cruelest month. Perhaps so, but then May has got to be the most compassionate. May is a time of rapid renewal, when plants and animals celebrate having made it through the winter. Trees are leafing out, perennials are sprouting, and the over-wintered tropicals are putting forth new leaves. There is a sense of relief, energy and excitement at "having made it once again."

What a lot of work it is to garden. I feel like Sisyphus pushing his rock uphill, just to have it roll down again each year. Such is gardening! It is something you do over and over again.

I spend all my time on weekends, and as much of my money as I can, tending to the garden. I wonder sometimes why I do it every year. I suppose it is because it provides me with the feeling of creating, of making something out of nothing. Gardening kindles the creative spirit and invigorates the senses.

Some gardeners like consistency in their gardens such as evergreens, bushes and trees - some like perennials, or even a few colorful container plants and very little else. This type of gardening, of course, reduces the effort of gardening. I am amused when people say they want to plant perennials so that the garden "just takes care of itself." (Nothing is further from the truth.) There is, of course, something good about knowing the clematis will bloom where it always has and that the roses, rudbeckia and hollyhocks will provide that tinge of color and fragrance at the appropriate time - just as they always have. Like "pork and beans," perennials provide a staple one can live by.

However, if you believe gardens reflect the gardener's shifting moods and feelings and express the evolution of the gardener himself, then the malleability of the landscape is important. Designing gardens to vary the palette and reflect a variety of themes also reflects the gardener, though it increases the associated labor significantly. Oh, this type of garden can still have its staples, but it is an evolution of taste and color and, of course, what is new.

I like our flowerbeds to vary year to year. In this approach to gardening, perennials have their place and provide a new perspective every year based on the complimentary colors they are paired with. In one year they may be predominant and in another they may be contrasting commentary on the plants around them. Green leaves and textures dance and play or have a sobering effect against a play of colors.

What a joy to see the garden, one year doused in red, another in blue, and still another in white. This year, Rock Cottage will have a theme of mostly white and purple. This will create an experience that pops out morning, noon and night, and also reflects the excitement of the hybridizer by including new cultivars. The nicotiana sylvestris, with its lime-green leaves and lovely afternoon perfume, will play an important role, as will verbena, impatients, and dahlias. The velvety purple of petunias will stand out in this environment and provide a rich texture that will add suppleness, which might disappear otherwise. There is even a white caladium that is streaked with green, which will fill in shady nooks. All this, spread against the backdrop of textured green and an occasional black hollyhock and conehead, will provide a scintillating environment of stark contrasts and rich colors.

Even birds will play a role in this garden! As they go about their business, the red of flickers and cardinals will present streaks of red across a green and white backdrop. I am especially fond of the brown/blue catbird, with its shiny black eyes and bill. It is omnipresent - so afraid it will miss out on something. It chances getting near enough to me while I am digging to grab found worms and grubs (we have an understanding of such things and a trust between us.)

You can trust the honesty of gardens where things are what they seem. The malleable garden is, of course, hard work. However, it reflects the spirit of all that is wonderful in the world, and all that can be good about mankind.

You can contact Lance Brilliantine with any questions or comments at GardenLance@yahoo.com.