Some Hard Truths About Gardening

I am a hobbyist gardener, but I've also worked as a professional estate gardener and on farms as a flower-harvester, arranger, and grower. I love gardening, but I'll tell you what, sometimes it's not easy! Here are some gardening truths I've learned:

Failure: One of the hardest things to grapple with when it comes to gardening is failure. If you're starting from seed or nurturing a plant you've bought, there is always the risk for failure. Sometimes things are fixable, but sometimes it's just out of our control!

Critters: No matter how many precautions you take, animals may still find a way into your garden. They can swoop in with wings, burrow underground, or find another conniving way in. Sometimes you're lucky, and sometimes you're not. Animals can do some serious damage!

Discomfort: If you want things to look nice, sometimes you'll be pulling pokey weeds in the hot sun, crawling on hands and knees spreading mulch, or just sweating your little buns off. And if you don't have a handy pair of gloves, expect a healthy dose of dirt under those nails.

Elements: Sometimes there's not enough rain, there's too much! Sometimes there's too much sun, here's hail, or lightning struck a tree and it fell on your garden bed. Whatever the case, expect some funky weather here or there, and plan accordingly.

Expenses: If you invest in perennials, you can have a garden that comes back every year (if voles don't eat your plants), but if you want annual plants, expect a yearly cost. Other costs can include fencing, soil, fertilizer, stakes, seeds, netting, gloves, and more plants

Confusion: What plants go where? Who needs full sun and who doesn't? Why does my plant look sad? What do I do about these aphids? Gardening takes time, patience, and a bit of a learning curve, but with careful research (or experimentation), all these questions can be answered!

Heartbreak: Sometimes failure doesn't come right away, sometimes you'll have a beautiful purple liatris that has been multiplying and looking more beautiful each year, and then suddenly, it's gone. It can hurt to lose a plant you've loved, but such is life.

Do I want to disuade you from gardening forever? Absolutely not! But I want people to know that it's not always as romantic as it seems. If you're willing to face the hard truths, you can one day enjoy beautiful blooms and a bustling ecosystem of birds, frogs, and pollinators.