As I was searching for quotes to begin this message, I found one written by Janet Kilburn Phillips- “There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments.” Perhaps that is one reason why we join a garden club- to experiment, observe, and to learn.
In my mind, creating a garden over time is comparable to writing a novel. For those of us who are not novelists, the garden is our story. Each spring presents a potential new chapter in the garden. Just as the writer’s novel evolves over many chapters, often over much trial and error, the gardener will amend the soil, transplant, prune, and yes, experiment with new plants, all the while hoping that last year’s experiments reappear after a long winter.
For those of us interested design, the floral arrangement, in a manner of speaking, is a painting. In creating the floral arrangement, we experiment with color, proportion, and texture. The design is our painting, whether or not the judges deem it to be ‘first place”. To our club’s credit, many Cape May visitors enjoyed talented “paintings” at our recent flower show. All of the entrants should be proud of their work. Creating a design is an experiment, and we are all the better for accepting the challenge.
My hope is that we continue to exchange ideas as there is a great deal of knowledge among our members. Hopefully, this year we will continue to share our expertise through our plant sale, involvement in community gardens, and opportunities to work with young people. Our goal is to continue to experiment and learn. After all, there are no gardening mistakes, only experiments. Let’s enjoy experimenting together.
Fondly,
Lynn Kurz