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Bloom: Know your roots, know your plants
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Anonymous user Tue Apr 18, 2006 14:01:54 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments I am mostly German, with a dash of English, Dutch and Native American thrown in.
I drink French roast coffee made with Colombian beans and green tea from China brewed in an English stoneware pot.
My bubblebath is from Italy, my shirt is made in India and the style of my house originates in another land.
The fact is, I know my roots — and I am anything but unusual. As exposed as we are to multicultural influences and goods, it seems as if most people know their past; what they’ve got and where those things come from.
Except when it comes to plants.
Despite the worldwide trade in exotic plants that began in the last half of the 16th century, most of us don’t have a clue about the origins of the plants in our own back yards. Most would say they came from the nursery, before adding, “Who cares?”
But knowing your roots can save you money and transform a common, ordinary garden into a magnificent and productive showpiece. For starters, you’ll learn to avoid certain horticultural mistakes.
For instance, hanging on to those pathetic plants that detract from the overall picture. You know which ones I mean, we all have one or two dreary specimens that never quite produce or look like the pictures in the catalogs.
You have fed them, coddled them, given them extra water — you have even replanted them in different places in the yard.
You are feeding the stereotype that serious gardeners are dotty — or just plain imbalanced.
Or, you could take a good look at their roots.
Chances are good that those plants are seriously displaced, and you are just wasting time and energy by prolonging the inevitable.  
As an example, take the Primula malacoides, sometimes called the fairy primrose.
It is hard to pass up its delicate, pastel tones and dainty fragrance. Unfortunately, its glory is usually short lived here, as the March winds and slugs arrive just as they start to put on a show.
P. Malacoides come from a damp, fresh, temperate climate in China and are happiest there or in the mists of an English garden — or at least in coastal California’s fog belt. 
Better to plant Pacific giant primrose and add alyssum to give the lacy look.
The obvious plant choices, then, are species native to our region or to regions with similar growing conditions.
Look around the world for plants from climates similar to ours. One of the best sources for checking out those roots is the “Sunset Western Garden Book.”
It will show you what zone you live in and which plants work in those zones. If you want to learn more about the plants in your nursery and your garden, or what to do with them, you need a copy of this book.
Sure, you may take a step or two backward and succumb to an inappropriate plant, and you may love it so much that you are willing to work to make it succeed.
But for the most part, peace of mind will come when you stop battling — and start accepting — the nature of your place.
And as an unexpected bonus, since your plants will be in harmony with their garden conditions, you’ll spend less time in horticultural combat and start to enjoy your garden.
Sit in your garden with a glass of wine or a cup of tea. Once you start tracking down information on your plants, you’ll feel like you’re a child again: curious, hungry for knowledge and full of the sweet smell of the earth.
You could also start to question your roots and dig deeper into the rich humus of horticulture.
With luck, by the time you know your roots, you’ll have learned a few things about yourself.

Joanna Reed will write a regular gardening column for The Southwest Voice. She is the owner of Cricklewood Secret Garden on Brundage Lane.

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