Fall Into Spring

Love the fall colors.

Here is a leadership lesson, from my plants. Yep, nature can teach us if we listen...

This weekend is fall back... you get a free hour and I will admit that I slept in a little. I will be honest and say that I don't see today as a "free hour", but as a reminder that how you use time today impacts your tomorrow. Good leadership lesson, and a more importantly a great gardening lesson.

I like to teach with analogies... I teach leadership, and I like gardening so this is a good fit. Each year since getting our house I post photos of my flowers, plants and landscaping changes. I don't, however, write a lot about what it takes to make them look so nice. I was thinking earlier how much gardening is like leadership, you get back what you put into a project, and you have to trust, follow directions, and be patient.

Fall is when you start prepping for your plants for next year. I learned a lot of lessons my first couple years with certain plants, when to prune, how to prune, cutting back in the fall, mulching before winter, etc. 

Over the past few days I have been prepping my plants. I dead headed the Hydrangeas, cropped back the daylily plants, cut my decorative grasses, and gotten plants ready to survive winter. I still have to put some winter fertilizer down, mow the grass nice and short, and put some mulch and fresh dirt around a few of the plants.

Still next season hydrangea flowers.

I learned the hard way that you have to follow the right steps and to be willing to ask questions and look up information. Not using good dirt means the plant won't grow, or putting them in a less than ideal spot for the sun they need they won't flower. I also learned not to lose faith, some plants I nearly lost, but with some time and patience came back and flowered for me. I also under estimated some plants... I planted some too close together thinking they wouldn't go that fast and then had to thin them out.

It is just like people... don't give them what they need, they won't bloom. Don't listen to what they need, you won't get what you expect from them. Sometimes the right things will happen, but you have to be patient and get results on their timeline, not yours.

Yeah my plants are smart and excellent teachers.

I love my plants, I love the zen feeling I get out there weeding and mulching and the pride I get of posting great flower photos. Hopefully winter behaves, and I have prepped the correct way so spring will be beautiful once again.

My 2013 Flowers: Album