Try, Try, Again.

How can your neighbor grow fantastic roses and you can't?  Chances are, there is a micro-climate at play.  Everything contributes to the climate of your yard, the position of your house, the trees, the way the sun moves overhead.  There are so many variables.  I don't believe there are any gardeners with a black thumb, just gardens with bad conditions.

Take my yard for example.  I have one garden spot that I can't grow anything in.  It has a weird light situation, but the soil is good.  I know because I've amended it myself.  It's been through countless plants.  The latest victims are 3 variegated dogwood shrubs and a groundcover sedum.  The seasoned gardeners are gasping right now since sedum goes by the common name "live forever", and it's known to be indestructible.  Leave it to me to find a place where it will not grow. The only thing that is still up there are some daffodil bulbs and two little sprigs of mint.  Gasp again, gardeners, because you know that mint is often invasive.  I have a container of mint that I planted 3 years ago and it's still coming back each Spring without skipping a beat (by the way, this is a great way to control mint).

In the back of my house and one side, I have so many ferns growing, it looks like a miniature rainforest.  They are so thick you can't see through them.  They look fantastic.  I decided to try and spread the love to other parts of my shade garden and I can't get them started.  What is it about being near my foundation that they love?  Some of them are in the ground and some are in raised beds.  Two different light and soil conditions and both groups are thriving.  But the minute I move them away from the foundation, they struggle.

I did some transplanting over the weekend to try and find suitable homes for some things that aren't doing well where they've been living.  Some of my favorite plantings are the result of several transplants.  As long as you move the plant in suitable weather, and keep it watered, theoretically you should be able to move it as often as you like.  There are some exceptions, of course, like peonies and iris don't bloom for a few years after they're moved, and some other plants like baptisia and butterfly weed don't transplant well because of their deep root system.

So the moral of the story is that you should keep trying different types of plants in your yard in different locations, until you find something that works.  It's expensive and time-consuming, but nothing worthwhile is ever cheap and easy.