Garden Tips

By Jonathan Ya'akobi

More and more people are aware today that the attitude we hold towards something we do, determines to a great extent the results that actually take shape. After over 20 years in horticulture, I can trace my own professional achievements and failings to my mind set at the time. I've also, by casual observation of many home gardeners, learned to see where certain attitudes lead and the effect they have on the garden. Without a doubt, a grateful, appreciative attitude tends to lead in time towards a harmonious, balanced garden, whereas the grumpy scowl of the permanently dissatisfied usually has the opposite effect.

*Patience is a typical characteristic of a grateful person. It is not possible to have a fine garden without it. Patience allows us to plant bushes at the correct distances from each other, while we wait a year or two for them to grow in. It means we will consider including some slow growing plants in the composition. Due to impatience, many excellent species are ignored in favor of entirely unsuitable ones. I remember an art lecture I attended once, when the speaker pointed out that the space between subjects in a painting is as crucial to the composition as the subjects themselves. Relaxed, patient people are more likely to appreciate this when looking at their plants, whereas the impatient tend to be irritated by "holes" in the garden, and are forever stuffing in more and more plants.

*A responsible attitude goes hand in hand with a grateful one. The most precious, irreplaceable item in a garden is the mature tree. No other garden element comes close in its power to move and inspire us. Just think of a great tree you once saw in a park, a wood or maybe one you grew up with. Is there a sculpture in the world that compares to its magnificence and grandeur? In a park or garden, the great tree you see, planted perhaps 150 years ago, stands there at least partly, because of the sense of responsibility amongst the generations of staff. Pruning was carried out meticulously. The workers could have been slovenly, brutal and lazy when removing limbs from the plant, but if they had, the tree would not be standing today, rot and decay having caused its early demise. The tree is our gift to future generations. Which mind set permits us to see that and be able to give and which attitude is liable to blind us?

*Self esteem is another quality related to gratitude. Those with a healthy attitude towards themselves are more self reliant and less dependent on the approval of others for their sense of well being. The syndrome of "the other man's grass is always greener", or of jealously wanting what the neighbor has, leads directly to the big spoiler of gardens - FASHION. Not appreciating what we have and always demanding more, pushes us in the direction of the latest "in" plant. But plants are not blouses and trousers which can be discarded at any time. An ill-advised choice of tree, prompted by the need to be fashionable, can ruin a garden, while some spectacular flowering plant, recently introduced by a local garden center, could turn out to be a dangerously invasive weed.

*An attitude of gratitude makes us see the garden as a place of opportunity. It probably has greater potential than is at first realized. An ordinary bush can be limbed up into a small, sculptural tree, or you suddenly notice that the dappled shade from a shrub forms an interesting silhouette on the wall. Ralph Waldo Emerson is quoted as saying; "The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common". All this does not mean that there can be no room for some dissatisfaction. Things can always be improved and upgraded. However a critical eye and a desire to get more from the garden, should preferably be coupled with the humble recognition that to own a garden is an incredible privilege, one we should be deeply grateful for.

About the author - Jonathan Ya'akobi. I've been gardening in a professional capacity since 1984. I am the former head gardener of the Jerusalem Botanical Garden, but now concentrate on building gardens for private home owners. I also teach horticulture to students on training courses. I'd love to share my knowledge and experience with you. So you're welcome to visit me on http://www.dryclimategardening.com
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