Plant Again!

“There will be many times when a planting does not work. That happens to every single grower. The best growers are the ones who respond to failure by making adjustments and planting more. When a planting doesn’t work, there is always a reason. You may not figure it out the first time, but you probably will by the third or fourth. Just keep planting and sooner or later you’ll be so glad you did.”

This is an excerpt from Akiva Silver’s book ‘Trees of Power’. This is a book I turn to often—when I need a reminder to tend to the trees I’ve planted, inspiration to continue to plant more, or practical information of when to plant and how to plant. I was listening to his book as I worked recently and these words resonated. I think I liked that his thoughts capture a sense of reassuring relatability, but with an expectation to keep going, to do better next time.  

It is easy to get dismayed by failure—deer chewing on the woody perennials, aphids having a field day on the lupines, a favorite flower that flourished last year and struggled to survive this year—but we can learn a great deal from the adversity. Maybe we learn that our fence isn’t high enough, that we didn’t water quite enough in a certain bed, or that weather is getting increasingly unpredictable. Whatever it is—whether it’s in your control or not—we can take notes, make changes, plant more. 

And when what’s not working feels overwhelming, take time to look around at what is. This season, I found joy in the smell of roses mixed with lavender, as both thrived in the greenhouse; how euphorbia delightfully volunteered throughout the garden; how the boxwood, against all odds, thrived after being moved from the greenhouse to an outside bed. Celebrating the successes, however small they are, can make the struggles just a bit more palatable. 

So, when you look around your farm or your home garden and you reflect on what flourished and what floundered, I hope you stay inspired! Here is a nudge to not just move on from the (inevitable) adversity, but to learn, to adjust, to adapt, and to plant again!