My herbology teacher and I got into a debate about growing non-native plants in our gardens. Not about growing nasty invasives, cuz' we don't do that, just useful plants that didn't evolve here in the New World tropics. We have different Philosophies of Gardening.
Her opinion was that the non-natives should be thrown in the garden and left to live or die under natural conditions. If they didn't make it, it wasn't meant to be, and if they adapted, all good. She doesn't like to garden much. I love to garden and so I took the opposite approach. Give the non-natives tender loving care and observe them for awhile before making a decision on whether or not to cultivate them long-term. I mean, with the crazy, non-traditional weather we're all having, maybe that's an approach for the natives as well. She strongly disagreed. Her point was that the human gardener is only a temporary advantage and eventually any plant outside will have to live on its own, without assistance. Long-term, she's got a point there. On the other hand, my sand dune will be underwater in about 10 years, so that long-term view isn't particularly relevant except in the case of seaweed and seagrass....
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| Beauty Berry, a Native |
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| Passionflower, Another Native (But don't grow it on the beach.) |
Natives like Beauty Berry and Passionflower don't need any particular care. They're easy-peasy.
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| Gynura procumbens, a Useful Non-Native |
Gynura procumbens, an Asian medicinal plant, is a non-native, non-invasive, but grows splendidly here. Or so I thought until the Siberian Express showed up. We actually hit the freeze mark this morning. We'll see if my non-native, tropical medicinals survive. What do you think about taking special care of useful non-natives? Do you think they should "sink or swim"??
I'm on the side of your herbology teacher. I just throw everything in the garden and wait to see if it can survive our natural conditions. I've got enough plants to take care of in the greenhouse, without pampering the outside plants. Come to think of it, the grow-or-die approach is pretty much what I use in the greenhouse, too.
ReplyDeleteHmm...glad you chimed in, Ellen! After being in the hospital unexpectedly for awhile and unable to care for plants at all, I'm starting to agree with you all.
DeleteI'm a "grow-or-die" gardener too, with the exception of the bamboo. I am told not to worry about bamboo in the PNW and that they will soon take over everything. Nevertheless I go out every day to see how they are doing. I even fertilized them last summer!
ReplyDeleteWell, I mean, it's bamboo, right? I love bamboo, too!
DeleteMarla, sorry to hear that you were in the hospital! I hope it was nothing too serious, and that you're in good health now.
DeleteGail, you're still experiencing the bamboo "honeymoon". Just wait until it starts really spreading!
I guess gardening in the PNW is more about controlling overgrowth than about encouraging growth!
Yes, too much bamboo can really get a gardener down, but it's such wonderful stuff. I particularly love black bamboo. It's very dramatic. And you all live in such a gardening paradise that it is more about "curbing the enthusiasm" of your plants than coaxing them to grow!
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