‘The right plant in the right place’ gardening principle is all about choosing the right plant, that you love, and placing it in the right conditions (soil, wind, air, water, sun, temperature, etc), but also in the right place in the garden.
Our house renovations extend into the garden as the overgrown shrubs and trees were placed too near the house walls, windows, and doors years ago. Choosing the right plant for the expected mature growth is also very important. Yes, all the baby plants look tiny and darling when you first tuck them into their new beds, but oh how they will grow! The plants in our garden here are over 30 years old and many look lovely as a hedge border, but too many are sick because they are too near manmade structures and are not getting the proper amount of light and air circulation. House foundation and siding issues are common for old houses that have large, deeply rooted, plants too near the house walls. This week, we’ve been busy removing such large plants, but it’s sad to cut any living plant. For empaths, it hurts. It’s very important to choose and place your plants in a well-planned spot because they spend their whole lives striving, growing, and surviving the conditions you place them in, only to be cut down at their beautiful peak.
Everyone can design their gardens with the knowledge of plants so that we may look out the windows to admire them, sit amongst them with a cup of tea, take care of them over a long loving lifetime, and so they may proudly grow in beauty and age undisturbed. Research your plants before you add them into the Earth, move them, prune, or remove them.
*All ages enjoy Nature, gardening, and plants. Nature calms the nerves, solves problems, and restores us to our real Selves. This state opens our ‘Light of Love’ up to the knowledge of the Universe, and this helps us, here, in our daily lives. Be kind to your plants and they will continue to take great care of you, too. Live in Nature, where life makes sense…
Plants provide beautiful sound barriers as well as creating fresh oxygen for us all. They are dependable homes for all living animals and insects, and inspire us to live outside more. If you do have to cut branches, place them in the woods or in a spot in your garden to make a nice organic compost pile. This also makes a nice home for your garden dwelling wildlife. Today, we made a kind of burrow stack in the side woods and invited all of the animals and faeries to nestle in before Winter. Back into the Earth to renew and provide nutrients for a most precious gift, Soil.
How difficult are the roots to remove? Probably very as that is their beautiful design. Will everyone like the plants you’re adding? Yes, at some point, we all move on and new gardeners come in. It’s tricky to please everyone as plants keep our connections and memories, but if we let go and sense the plants as they truly are, we can appreciate them as they are, connected in Nature. We couldn’t help but notice that rhododendrons are tricky ones. Roots spreading sideways like walking trees…so many roots and shoots. These plants need space, so next to a house is not a good place for them, especially if left to grow into a hedge.
Our new garden plans are coming up so please stay tuned! In the meantime, take a wander outside into the botanical world and browse your library. Experience the marvels of Nature. You can save seeds and spread Nature everywhere again, while keeping in mind to preserve our silly manmade structures, so we use less of Nature’s resources to rebuild our neglected, non-living contraptions. Exploring how Nature grows proves human invention nonsensical. How truly smart Nature is…how she weaves all her creations together in such a harmonious world of inclusiveness. We are the ones who are getting in her way. Oh, how I wish I were the wind, a snail, a fox, or a more natural human…perhaps I once was and will be again…but for now, I’ll take care of her and us. Happy Nature Explorations! XOXO ~Amor Milagre
Many of our beautiful garden plants will appear in my upcoming children’s books, artwork, and stationery collections.
Coming Up: New Garden Beds and Planting Spring Bulbs and Seeds
New Home & Garden Renovation Design Diaries & Tips: More from this new series is coming up!
Music of the Moment: Scarborough Fair, Simon & Garfunkel