I learned that community gardens are only as good as the community.
When I saw a rat in my tomato bushes, eating my tomatoes, I ran like hell and never went back!
I tried to tell myself it was a very ugly squirrel, but I knew better.
Bottom line, the community garden was too far away and too gritty for me to keep up with it.
On the other hand, at home in the butterfly garden, I learned that not pruning the butterfly bushes (Buddleias) makes for bushy, unkempt plants that are covered with blossoms and the butterflies love them!
I had maybe a dozen tiger swallowtails and monarchs at one time, throughout the summer, not to mention countless smaller butterflies and solitary bees (bumblebees, blue faced bees and the like). I have planted perennials for them to sup on throughout the season.
I learned that you don't need honeybees to pollinate if you have enough solitary bees, and so the butterfly/bee garden actually benefitted my fruit trees.
I learned that I really, really need to spray for brown rot.
I learned that a rampant butterfly bush will smother a brand new cherry tree.
I learned that variety does matter in fig trees, as the newest variety produces in abundance where the earlier three will not, and I learned that my memory cannot be relied upon to remember varieties, so I really, really need to keep a diary or diagram of what was planted where. (Celeste? LSU Purple? At any rate I know the ones that do NOT produce are Brown Turkey.)
I learned that it is possible to prune grape vines too hard so that they produce nothing but vine -- at least, that's what I think I learned about that.
Oh, and if a bumble bee decides to live under your front stairs -- you need to step lively going in and out! |
