Horticulture is about manipulation. Pruning, watering, feeding, grafting, creating microclimates or overwintering to produce the desired growth at the desired time. Plant breeders create larger blooms or more drought resistant cultivars or subtle variations of green in leaf colour. Sometimes a plant is too large in its natural form so is 'downsized' to suit home gardeners with average sized yards.
On gardening shows, mothers of the Bride give out their daughter's wedding date, wanting to know when to prune in order to coincide another flush of rose blooms in their front garden with the happy occasion (I've heard 6 weeks and of course only going into late Summer or Autumn AND dependent on ideal growing conditions).
A generous gardener (are there any other type?) lent me a book on dahlias and having been written over 20 years ago when water storage levels were not of grave concern, suggested that dahlias benefit from the wasteful act of spritzing. The books suggests applying water '...to the foliage while the sun is shining on them; in fact, a light spray of water overhead during and after a very hot day is most beneficial to them, as it reduces the rate of transpiration. The water applied must be just enough to dampen the foliage and soil surface. It cannot therefore be considered a watering as it does not penetrate the soil to the roots of the plants.' (Growing Dahlias, Gayner W. Parker, Kangaroo Press, 1986).
But this is the essence of gardening. We try to use our resources more efficiently these days and increasing replace ornamentals with edible plants but we still spent our weekends and free afternoons digging, mulching and observing the things that grow in our gardens. We experiment with new plants, techniques or products, always in the hope of a delightful result, results which are oftentimes transient. Blooms which last one day but are enjoyed because they are prolific (and perhaps are edible, like Daylilies) or flowers whose colours pop, like annual plantings. A lot of the time, it's the fleeting nature of plants and their flowers which draw us in, allowing us to savour the sights and smells for a few days or weeks before their decline for another season. These are the times when I dash out to take photographs before a windy day or a sudden downpour should prematurely end the show.
Sometimes without our intervention, plants give us something surprising, like the roses that are still budding and blooming as we come to the start of winter. Mothers of the Bride celebrate and so do I.
