Reflect & Resolve

No, “Reflect and Resolve” isn’t the name of a new variety of my favorite plant. It’s the topic of this month’s column, the first of the usual twelve I’ll write for this space in 2005. I promise you, the others this year and beyond will be about actual plants. But this month I’m taking a tack that’s a little bit different.

I’ve been writing this monthly feature for more than seven years now. Only once before have I deviated from the “Plant of the Month” format to offer a general reflection on gardening. That was in the fall of 2001, and it was titled “Peace in the Garden.” This month I’ve chosen “Reflect and Resolve” because that’s what many of us do in the early days of the first month of a new year. We consider where we’ve been and what we’ve done, and we make a list of things we’d like to change—or not. We might make a conscious decision not to change, and sometimes we learn that continuing on without change can require as much resolve as starting off in a new direction.

So my first resolution is to continue writing this column until WSU Whatcom County Extension and the Master Gardeners here cry, “Enough!”

My second resolution is to review past columns every so often and make note of information I’ve given that may no longer be accurate. Situations change, in gardening as in life. When I first wrote about Stevia rebaudiana, I had to let readers know that this plant simply was not available for purchase in this country. Now it’s a new feature in several 2005 catalogs. It’s only hardy to Zone 10, but you can buy it as a living plant, treat it as the tender herb it is, and grow it on your sunny patio in the summer. How sweet will its leaves turn out to be? That, I still can’t say.

I’ve learned since I wrote about Schisandra chinensis that all parts of this very attractive vine are edible—and rich in Vitamin C. Another of my early columns was about a wonderful plant, perfect for our Northwest gardens, named Euphorbia myrsinites. Not long after that, I extolled the virtues of Buddleia davidii. Both these plants have turned out to be too much of a good thing. They like our growing conditions a little too well and have become serious plant pests here. Today, I would not only not recommend them; I would caution you against adding them to your landscape. I take care now to add warnings in columns about plants with the potential to grow too enthusiastically here. Seven years ago it did not occur to me to check whether a particular plant is included on anyone’s noxious weed list but our own. Today I search global and regional listings with care.

My third resolution is to continue to take every opportunity to stay current about the marketplace and about the latest horticultural research, practice, and naming conventions. As a Master Gardener and a garden communicator, I have a responsibility to offer the public information that’s accurate, reliable, and up to date—the kind of information that will help them make sensible decisions about managing their home landscapes without causing harm to themselves, the people and creatures around them, or their environment. Our local Master Gardener program offers many chances to cultivate our own knowledge so we can serve the public well. The monthly programs offered by the foundation, the advanced training each fall, and the spring classes for new Master Gardeners are great ways to stay informed. We’re fortunate to have them available so we can learn alongside the scientists.

Finally, I resolve to continue to support our Whatcom County Master Gardener program in the ways that I can. Not all of us are able to work in the office on a regular basis, but each of us certainly has enough available time to keep our hours current and devote a few of our individual talents—whatever those might be—to serving the public. That’s our charge as Master Gardeners, and it’s our responsibility to fulfill it. Here in Whatcom County, it’s also a pleasure. Master Gardeners here really know how to have fun while they work. And what work they do! They offer clinics, make presentations, identify pests and diseases, provide sound diagnoses and solutions that work. And let’s not forget growing the best vegetables and fruit and flowers around—and contributing much-needed fresh food to local food banks.

Join me in taking pride in our work. Give a little extra time to the Master Gardener program this year. That’s one resolution we can all keep in 2005!