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The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Perfection is a total waste of time, not to mention an unattainable, energy-draining goal that leads to nothing but frustration. It is also, I am positive, one of the things that keeps more people from loving gardening. How daunting it must be for someone just starting out as a gardener to see those perfect images in Fine Gardening, those immaculate instant landscapes on HGTV, and, dare I say it, even some of the photos we present on our garden blogs, showing our blooms at the peak of their beauty, the veggie garden only after it's been thoroughly weeded, the perennial garden only after all of the toys the children have strewn there have been picked up (yes...I'm talking about me. I've done all three of these things in the last week of blogging alone!) In the end, it looks so much easier to leave the box-sheared yew bushes, the huge swaths of lawn. At least those, you can't mess up, right?

No one likes to fail. The problem is when we let fear of failure (otherwise known as "perfection") get in the way of trying something new. Gardening is not about the end product. It's about the experience, the process of caring for a garden. Everyone plants things they wished they hadn't. Everyone puts together plant combinations that just stink. Everyone has weeds, and everyone forgets to water once in a while. Some of the most devoted gardeners out there have brown lawns right now, and in my case, that lawn contains almost as many weeds as actual grass. But if we only focused on these so-called shortcomings, and allowed them to keep us out of the garden, we'd miss the glorious moments that occur in all of our gardens. We'd miss those accidental plant combos that end up singing, the lavender playing host to more bumblebees than it seems it can provide for, the sheer joy that only someone who has grown a plant from seed can really understand.

In the name of doing my part in encouraging new gardeners, I'm going to post three photos from my garden this morning. We'll call it "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" (not original, but perfect for what we're doing :-) ) I'll start with the ugly. The point of this is full disclosure. I don't always know what I'm doing, and my garden does tend to get away from me. Perfection is stupid, anyway :-) Okay. Here goes:

The Ugly


I hate, hate, hate this area of my yard. Unfortunately, it is the first thing you see as you head into the back yard. First of all, as you can plainly see, it just plain looks like shit. I scattered a few zinnia seeds there, but it doesn't really get enough sun for that and I've been a very, very bad waterer. Behind it is a lilac bush that will need to be moved, because by next year it will be too big for that spot. I hate the edging...I put it there to keep the soil from washing out onto the path, and I haven't replaced it yet. It's not even mulched. Pathetic, eh?


The Bad


Is this not the most pathetic hanging basket you've ever seen? I read a book over the winter that suggested growing morning glories in a hanging basket, because they'll "twine around the hangers and spill over the sides of the pot, providing you with beautiful trumpet flowers..." Well. Maybe it worked for that particular writer, but mine just looks stupid. Not something I'll ever try again. Oh, yeah....and I have three of these....


The Good


I smile every time I look at this area of my yard. This is near the entrance to the side yard. It has been a little something different every year. We've tried it as an annual bed, but it doesn't get enough sun. It's also been a butterfly garden...but there's not enough screening from the wind, and the neighbor's driveway is right there....so this year, I threw a mix of wildflower seeds all over the area and didn't really set my hopes too high. But now, it's a mini meadow, and the butterflies and bees are spending a lot more time here. That's a black pussywillow shrub there, which we moved this spring and doesn't seem to be too happy. But with all of the wildflowers there, I hardly even notice the shrub!


There. I've done it. Now here's my challenge to you....if you're brave enough to accept :-) Post your own good, bad, and ugly photos, and let me know you did so in the comments. Sometime next week, I'll do a post linking to all of your posts. Remember, this is all in the name of encouraging new gardeners! It's for a good cause, and I don't doubt that it will make many of us feel better about our own mishaps as well.

Show us your garden uglies!
Posted by Colleen Vanderlinden Comments: (31) Trackbacks: (0)

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  1. Robin (Bumblebee) said,

    Monday, July 9. 2007 at 18:22 (Link) (Reply)

    You had me laughing out loud when you said "oh I have three of these" morning glory hanging baskets. Whoohoo!

    You're so very right about the pressure to be "perfect." One of the reasons that I love reading garden blogs is because these are REAL people and REAL gardens. Many of the gardens that we see in magazines have been dressed up for the photo shoot and have full-time gardeners to keep them looking at their prime.

    I have plenty of ugly along with the good, so count me in. I have never shown my dark side...

    Robin (Bumblebee)
  2. Colleen said,

    Monday, July 9. 2007 at 19:35 (Link) (Reply)

    Hi Robin :-)

    We all have a dark side ;-) Can't wait to see your post! (Oh, and I forgot to mention....that's the best of my three crappy morning glory baskets....)
  3. Kim said,

    Monday, July 9. 2007 at 20:26 (Link) (Reply)

    I am with Robin--one of the reasons I love garden blogs is because we get to follow along with each others' experiments, see what works in "the real world," etc. (And no matter that some of us live on opposite sides of the globe.)

    As far as posting my own "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly," though... I'll have to work up to that one! :-) (By the way, that was always my dad's favorite movie. I was the oldest, so I used to tell my brothers that I was The Good, and they were The Bad and The Ugly, respectively... terrible older sister, wasn't I?!?!!)
  4. Carol said,

    Monday, July 9. 2007 at 23:25 (Link) (Reply)

    Colleen, I posted but only included my "uglies". I try to show the good in all my other posts! http://maydreamsgardens.blogspot.com/2007/07/encouragement-for-new-gardeners.html

    Carol at May Dreams Gardens
  5. healingmagichands said,

    Tuesday, July 10. 2007 at 08:09 (Link) (Reply)

    I was sent here by Carol at Maydreams Gardens, and I'm glad I stopped by. I will be accepting your challenge today. My place has plenty of spots that are eligible for The Ugly award, and strangely enough they have never showed up on my blog. (!)
  6. Colleen said,

    Tuesday, July 10. 2007 at 08:34 (Link) (Reply)

    *Kim*---That is the fun of garden blogs, isn't it. If you can work yourself up to it, I'd love to see a post...although I have a sneaking suspicion you have fewer ugly areas than I do....

    Too funny about you and your brothers! I love it :-)

    *Carol*--I just peeked at your post. You're awesome. And it just goes to show that everyone has these areas, because to be honest, I was sure for some reason that you (along with Kim) would have trouble finding unattractive spots in your gardens :-)

    *healingmagichands*--I can't wait to see your post :-)
  7. Kylee said,

    Tuesday, July 10. 2007 at 12:18 (Link) (Reply)

    Okay, Colleen, you're on! I'm going out to photograph the bad and ugly today. I'll get back with you...
  8. Gloria said,

    Tuesday, July 10. 2007 at 13:23 (Link) (Reply)

    Excellent post brave woman.
    Does the post I just did on the buggy yellow coneflowers left to fend for themselves count? If not I have plenty of options...LOL.
  9. Kylee said,

    Tuesday, July 10. 2007 at 13:52 (Link) (Reply)

    Okay...here you go...

    http://ourlittleacre.blogspot.com/2007/07/bad-ugly.html
  10. Beth said,

    Tuesday, July 10. 2007 at 14:42 (Link) (Reply)

    Hi Colleen --

    Believe me, I have numerous examples of "bad" and "ugly" in my yard and garden. In fact, I have a whole "Problems" category on my blog. But to meet your challenge today I wrote about just one -- and what I did about it -- in a post called "Sometimes Subtraction Adds Value."
  11. Colleen said,

    Tuesday, July 10. 2007 at 15:12 (Link) (Reply)

    Hi Gloria :-)

    Your buggy yellow coneflowers count :-) Of course, if you'd like to contribute more examples, I'll welcome them with open arms!

    Thanks!
  12. firefly said,

    Tuesday, July 10. 2007 at 15:16 (Reply)

    Ooh, what a great idea. I'm happy to say that this year there are fewer bad and ugly things noticeable in the garden, but I'm sure I won't have any trouble finding photos.

    Don't feel bad about the morning glories. I love them and grow them every year, and every year I have to rediscover how dimwitted these plants are. I have to train them where I want them to grow repeatedly (this year they grew backwards, away from the lattice where the sun was, and latched on to a nasty, rusty bit of fencing from the previous owner). Because they twine, it's a real pain to patiently untwine and retwine without snapping off the growth point. But oh, those flowers ... !

    Speaking of seeds, I was meaning to ask how the winter-sown stuff like butterfly bush is doing. I've always been curious as to how old the shrublings from the nursery are, so how big are the seedlings now?
  13. Colleen said,

    Tuesday, July 10. 2007 at 15:17 (Link) (Reply)

    Kylee and Beth---I just checked out your posts. They're perfect! Thank you so much for participating :-)
  14. gina said,

    Tuesday, July 10. 2007 at 22:13 (Link) (Reply)

    Colleen - speaking as a new gardner I'd like to say thanks for doing this. I needed it!
  15. jodi said,

    Tuesday, July 10. 2007 at 23:33 (Link) (Reply)

    Colleen, you have just that quickly become one of my hort-heroes! Bravo, bravo to you for writing this brilliant post, and for showing off the less than ideal parts of your garden. In my writing and speaking about gardening, I do this, confessing ruefully to my inability to grow hollyhocks or ripen tomatoes or do any of a gazillion other garden things perfectly--that way I encourage others who have less than perfect results too. We need more of this, inlcuding in our magazines, where we will
    probably never see less-than-perfect gardens. But thank goodness we have bloggers who are honest about things. :-)
    I will do this myself, maybe tomorrow after I finish my deadline dance--though how will I show the divots in the 'lawn' made by Jennymanylumps, the donkey-from-Mars?;-)
  16. Connie said,

    Wednesday, July 11. 2007 at 01:24 (Link) (Reply)

    Thanks, Colleen for posting this...it is an encouragement to all of us who have our own bad and ugly spots in our gardens. This, precisely, is the joy of gardening....every year is a chance to make changes and improvements, learn what doesn't work and try again. My garden will always be a work in progress. I am rather busy at the time, but if I get a chance I may just snap some photos of a few of my less than lovely areas to show and tell. :-)
  17. Rosengeranium said,

    Wednesday, July 11. 2007 at 05:22 (Link) (Reply)

    Heh. I wrote my post this morning. Turned out I had a lot of uglies and quite a few "babies" that haven't decided yet. I love the idea!

    (And if you can read swedish I doubled the post in my native tongue in Indoor Gardeners mother blog Parkettodlaren http://parkettodlaren.blogspot.com/. I promise to post a note here if the meme catches on in swedish garden blogs too.)
  18. Colleen said,

    Wednesday, July 11. 2007 at 08:01 (Link) (Reply)

    Hi firefly :-)

    Thanks! Let me know if you end up posting. I totally agree with you about morning glories....they need to be trained properly, and I definitely haven't been doing that. I tried them in baskets because I have very few spots in my yard that are sunny enough to keep them happy...and I want those gorgeous flowers!

    As for the wintersown butterfly bushes.....not a single one made it. I had decent germination, but after I uncovered my containers, many of them were destroyed by my evil squirrels. I'll try them again this winter. I'll just have to figure out a way to keep the squirrels away from them. I may do some kind of "cage" out of chicken wire or something over my ws containers.

    Thanks for stopping by!
  19. Colleen said,

    Wednesday, July 11. 2007 at 08:10 (Link) (Reply)

    *Gina*--You're welcome :-) It's been a lot of fun, and I think it's been good for some of us not-so-new gardeners as well!

    *Jodi*--Wow....now that's a compliment I'm more than happy to get! Thank you! I'm so glad you make a point of telling your audience that, even as a professional garden writer, you don't have a "perfect" garden. That's something I would like to see from more garden writers, and something I've (obviously :-) ) decided to do as well. If you can manage a post, let me know!

    *Connie*--Absolutely! And it's a whole lot of fun when, eventually, one of our "ugly" areas finally works, and we can compare before and after photos. I love the experimentation that comes with gardening...trying different plants in the same spot, moving things around until they work. It's fun:-) Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you can manage a post!

    *Rosengeranium*--I'm about to take a peek at your blog right now...thank you so much for participating! And, if this catches on in Sweden, I'll be amazed!
  20. healingmagichands said,

    Wednesday, July 11. 2007 at 22:05 (Link) (Reply)

    Colleen, I have now posted my "Good, Bad and Ugly". http://healingmagichands.wordpress.com/2007/07/11/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/ Enjoy.
  21. OldRoses said,

    Thursday, July 12. 2007 at 01:46 (Link) (Reply)

    My Good, Bad, Ugly post is up. I have to warn you, though, it's not for the faint of heart!
  22. Robin (Bumblebee) said,

    Thursday, July 12. 2007 at 08:23 (Link) (Reply)

    Finally posted my good, bad and ugly.

    Don't think too badly of me...
  23. jodi said,

    Thursday, July 12. 2007 at 21:11 (Link) (Reply)

    I've finally got my post up...entitled The Good, the Bad and the Goutweed. Need I say more???

    I'm adding you to my garden blogger links, too, oh Hort Hero. :-)
  24. David said,

    Thursday, July 12. 2007 at 22:13 (Link) (Reply)

    Colleen,

    I've posted my "Good, Bad, and Ugly!" Thanks for getting this together as a "group project. You gave me some direction for an idea I had been working with but didn't quite know how to write about.
  25. Vonlafin said,

    Friday, July 13. 2007 at 00:46 (Link) (Reply)

    Colleen,
    My 'ugly' post is up. Thanks for reminding us that there is no 'perfect' garden.
  26. Connie said,

    Friday, July 13. 2007 at 01:03 (Link) (Reply)

    Colleen, I posted my garden uglies this evening. I feel better already...confession is good for the soul, ha.
  27. Colleen said,

    Friday, July 13. 2007 at 09:01 (Link) (Reply)

    Connie, Kelly, Jodi, David, OldRoses, Volafin, and Robin----you guys are awesome! I've been to all of your blogs, and your "Good, Bad, and Ugly" posts are fantastic! Thank you so much!
  28. Kathy said,

    Saturday, July 14. 2007 at 19:27 (Link) (Reply)

    Here's my contribution:
    http://www.coldclimategardening.com/2007/07/14/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
  29. Molly said,

    Sunday, July 15. 2007 at 01:11 (Link) (Reply)

    I've long felt a bit guilty about all the weeds and ugliness I routinely crop from the photos that I post.
    I'll be posting my bad and uglies tomorrow.
  30. Beverly said,

    Sunday, July 15. 2007 at 01:58 (Link) (Reply)

    Great Idea! count me in;)
  31. Colleen said,

    Sunday, July 15. 2007 at 08:33 (Link) (Reply)

    *Kathy and Beverly*--Your posts are great! Thank you!

    *Molly*--I'll look forward to seeing it :-)

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