With garden success comes garden failure. I keep a list of my current plants, as well as all those that didn’t make it. To be a carefree gardener, one must learn to avoid the temperamental plant. My soil isn’t the greatest, temps and rainfall around here are unpredictable, and I don’t want to babysit my plants. (I mean you, Delphinium!) There are a few flowers that I’m willing to replace as many times as it takes to keep one alive, like lavender…which I finally found the right spot for on the fifth try… and buddleia, for all those butterflies. With other plants, one strike and you’re out. I feel the same way about shrubs, which can be temperamental, too. You can research a shrub well, put it in the supposedly right spot, and still get a poor showing due to bad weather conditions, an ambitious chipmunk den under the roots, or some mystery you can’t solve. Those little plant tags are not crystal balls. In general, learning what works in your garden can be a painful process, and you can’t take it personally. We are working with living things and there is always a chance for the unexpected, good and bad. The trick is move on, learn what we can, and keep a sense of humor.
If At First You Don’t Succeed…
May 11, 2010 by Cait
Cait's Garden 
I’ve been keeping a garden journal for a number of years wherein I keep track of what I plant when and where. I note the dates that various plants start blooming or when I harvest vegetables. I make notes for following years. I find it interesting and helpful to look back at the variations over the years. If I were ever to host an actual event in my yard, I’d be able to anticipate what would be blooming.
That’s an excellent idea. The bigger your garden gets, the more difficult it is to remember all the where’s and when’s!