Re: What to Plant When

**K* M* <k*@iol.ie>**

Its been my experience that local garden centres are not the best place to ask about when to plant, or about what will grow locally. Some are great but many seem only too happy to succumb to temptation to sell too early so that the customer won't go and buy elsewhere. This was a favourite theme of my late father in law who often found that this was the case - he'd advise the customer to wait another week and they'd go and buy elsewhere and plant immediately. And of course one can often get away with early plantings - planting dates are an average so in many years you'll be lucky and not lose the plants. So the customer would decide he was an old stick in the mud and not come back and therefore never notice that the plants bought a week or two later caught up and often thrived better because they hadn't had any checks

kathryn

On 20 Mar 2010, at 02:40, Donna Dawson wrote:

> Thanks so much for all the input into this...and really just as I thought.
> It is a matter of a gardener paying attention to how their own garden
> responds that determines when to plant.  Sure, you have an idea by visiting
> the local garden centers and talking to your neighbours, but even that can
> change because of where you are situated in relation to where you garden.
> On a hill, in a valley, in full sun or partial shade, by houses, in the
> open, near water, near driveways, in containers, greenhouses, you name it.
> It really is by trial and error that you learn to garden.  I also believe
> that garden clubs and master gardeners play a huge part in education...we
> learn by listening to others, and if we are lucky we have wisdom behind it,
> to also tell us that all these things play a part in learning to garden
> where we live. Now, we just have to teach them to take the time to listen to
> what their garden is telling them :)
> 
> Donna Dawson, Master Gardener
>  
> Director Region 7 Garden Writers Association (Canada & International)
> Affiliate Member Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors 
> Member North American Travel Journalists Association
> http://www.ICanGarden.com 
> http://www.gardeningtours.com 
> http://twitter.com/icangarden
> 2010 Garden Tours - Ecuador, India, Chelsea Flower Show London and Blooms
> Tour
> 
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