Monday, April 12, 2010

Am I the only one who does this?

Ok please be honest with me...do you do this too or am I a complete nut case?

You’re planting a new plant. You set it down, pot and all, and check the placement. Move it a bit one way or the other and decide ok, this is it, looks good. You dig and plant and stand back and then realize that you’ve created some unfortunate paring with another plant, they’re equidistant apart creating some strange headlight effect. They’re lined up perfectly and it looks dumb. So you dig it up and move it.

OR

You notice (after planting) that “it” would have looked so much better just 5” or 8” or 10” to the left. It would tie in so well with that other plant that you hadn’t even thought of, so you dig it up and replant it inches away. But it’s better.

I did this twice yesterday. I don’t have any pictures to illustrate the point because I moved the plants in question as soon as I saw the error. But then I got to thinking about it. I know I can be a bit of a perfectionist…so maybe it is just me, or maybe not. Do you do it too?

11 comments:

  1. i "stage the plants." but i do not move them after they are in the ground. i have about a 10 percent survival rate, so if it was not perfect the first time, the "whole" gets filled with something better suited next time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I call it "planter's regret", but my solution is more often to rush out and buy a few more of the thing, or just wait for it to grow into the space and spread out a bit. I wish I were more of a perfectionist, because it shows to great advantage in your garden.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nope. Never do this, Loree. Never lie either. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.............

    One of the reasons I have so many container plantings is because of this malady I call ANALYSIS PARALYSIS. I figure eventually my brain will start working again but until then at least the plant is being taken care of.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have been known to do this, but usually it's because my digging aim was crummy and I didn't realize the finished hole was fractionally "off" the location I wanted for the plant.

    More often I'm trying to convince myself that there really is enough room for a plant where I've dug the hole, so it's unlikely I'd move a plant closer to it's neighbor for good effect - swallowing effect would be the result!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh yes, I've moved plants 10 inches to be in a better alignment or more perfect spot, except the plants I have moved are huge shrubs, or in one case a 4 foot tall limber pine. The doublefile viburnum I moved was 3 feet high with a 6 foot root spread, but I got it scootched 18 inches forward in my garden. I can fully understand your obsession with placement!

    ReplyDelete
  6. oh yeah...all the time. I think we just end up leaving it and try to learn for next time, and keep on planting. Matti

    ReplyDelete
  7. I even do this with trees and shrubs... like days later!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Is this your first ever post without photographs? I find I have more of a problem planting things centered in pots. No matter how many times I make sure it is centered before filling in the dirt, it always comes out crooked!

    ReplyDelete
  9. no, in fact I read this yesterday, then went home and transplanted some Kale into a 5 gallon nursery bucket.....then 30 minutes later realized it would have been much better to put the parsnips in there instead! :/ but I was too lazy to change it :p

    ReplyDelete
  10. All, it's not just me! Thank you! Jane and D+N I think you're on to something...that is another issue with me my "digging aim" (well put!) and centering. And Laurie...you've got me beat, way beat....I've never moved anything that large!

    ReplyDelete
  11. You mean gardening is not all moving things that are in the wrong spot?

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Comment moderation is on (because you know: spam), I will approve and post your comment as soon as possible!