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Gardening With Confidence

© Jane Hollis

"You'll never guess what" an acquaintance whispered excitedly "my geranium cuttings have rooted!" Apparently, after years of buying new plants every spring, a neighbour had persuaded her that it was easy to take cuttings and overwinter them. She had a go, resigning herself to failure and was amazed when they were a success. In fact, she confided that she keeps going to look at the cuttings to make sure it wasn't a dream!

I recall another acquaintance at horticultural college when we were being given a demonstration of pruning. The lecturer showed us how to prune back some Penstemons and then asked the students to have a go themselves. Despite having just seen how to do it, one student was so nervous that she would only have a go if I helped her. We then proceeded onto a bed of Hydrangeas where the same process took place. This time I refused to help and she had to try on her own. After a few snips with the secateurs a large smile spread across her face and she announced "It's all quite simple really, isn't it?"

Both anecdotes are examples of how so many people limit their horticultural horizons by lack of confidence. They just can't believe that tasks like pruning and propagation could be easy. Perhaps it is the fault of the experts who make everything sound so complicated. But at the end of the day you have to remember that most plants want to grow. A good example is the pruning of roses - experts have laid down step by step instructions on how roses should be pruned. But a recent trial showed that roses pruned with a hedge-trimmer bloomed just as well as those pruned the traditional way. I'm not suggesting that you attack your roses with a hedge-trimmer because it doesn't give a nice shape to the bush, but it does show that you don't have to be frightened of trimming your roses without consulting a textbook while you are doing it!

Of course a little knowledge can help things along. It is very useful to know what conditions specific plants like - full sun or shade, acidic, neutral, alkaline, well-drained or moist soil. Then it helps to realise what plants can be problems in the garden - invasive, perhaps, or poisonous. For these purposes it can be helpful to invest in a good plant encyclopedia - I find the RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants to be invaluable.

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