To be a successful gardener you have to be environmentally literate. The landscape about us tells us a great deal about it if we look at it closely. I define a plant community as an area that nature finds out what grows well and uses lots of it. Very unscientific but to the point. An ecological pulse is the rate with which a landscape changes. A rainforest is relatively stable but very active. A tree falls and the hole in the canopy fills very quickly. Growth and change is fast when disturbed.
The Pulse of a Hummingbird
We need to think of a garden as having a garden ecology that is greatly influenced by what we do with it. A classic example is the garden design that is based on maximum plant diversity. A garden show installation transplanted to your garden. Within months it is chaos as plants overtake each other. It is like a fast boiling pot of water. Perennial borders, or rock gardens can have the same attributes. It takes a lot of work to maintain the illusion.
By contrast a garden which is sympathetic to its context will have a slower pulse. A Mediteranean planting in a Mediternaean climate is a good example. This is not to say that you only do certain kinds of gardens in various settings. My point is that you have to realize and balance the degree of instability with the resources you want to expend on the garden illusion.
The Pulse of a Sea Turtle
The pulse of the your garden is also influenced by your selection of plants. Plants that spread of their own volition such as seed, or Rhizomes or bulbils create their own dynamic. In designing the garden you use them carefully or let them loose with intent.
An example of a problem plant would be the New Zealand Feather grass. It quickly spreads by seed and what is initially a wonderful soft beige feather duster becomes a mass of confusion. It can be used very effectively if contained.
Water is a loaded gun. I see more problems in existing gardens from over watering than any other single source. Water is also our most precious resource. If water is applied year round by definition you have turned up the flame on our Mediterranean context. You not only foster growth of everything including weeds, you shorten the life of many plants. Plants such as lavender or Rockrose are short lived under the best of conditions in captivity. You can extend their life by pruning seasonally after flowering but you still need to think of them as 5-7 year plantings.
You also have to assess the cost to the existing landscape when you change the garden dynamic. A good example is using lots of water under a mature Quercus agrifolia (California Live Oak). You will shorten its life dramatically. It may take a number of years but you will hasten its decline. A young Live Oak will be far more resilient and can grow successfully with more water. You will also shorten its life. But in this case it may not be evident for years.
You must learn to prioritize your horticulture. The intensity of the horticulture or rapidity of its pulse should be carefully assessed relative to the degree with which you interact with it. Thus plantings should be more rich and involved where you spend time to enjoy them.
When you begin to feel the pulse of your garden it will add greatly to your appreciation of it. That is what excites me. It is to feel your garden. Your garden should not be a burden but a joy. If you see it as living and evolving you will truly understand the nature of a garden.
