I’m passionate about gardening and the need for proper planting and watering.

Over the last year, I’ve made many house visits to check on ailing plants. I’ve seen far too many trees and shrubs that have died because they didn’t get the right amount of water. It’s such a shame. And so unnecessary.

I’m concerned about your plants and about your success in the garden. I like to think of plants as people. When a plant dies, you lose a friend.

This year my top objective is to raise awareness about planting and watering. I believe in this so much that for the first time since we started Merrifield Garden Center 41 years ago, I feel compelled to present a seminar on this topic. 

My seminar - “How to be a Successful Gardener” - will be offered twice: Saturday, March 10, at 10 am at Fair Oaks; and Sunday, April 22, at 1 pm at Gainesville.

In this seminar, I’m going to teach you the right way to plant and water your new plants. If you follow my instructions, you should never lose another plant. I know that’s a big statement, but it’s just that simple.

I believe watering is the single most important factor in successful gardening.

In my four decades in the outdoor beauty business, I’ve found that 98% of plant problems are water issues. Maybe 99%.

Everybody knows plants need water. The question is how much and how often.

We all want a simple answer. I wish I could tell you, “Water your plants every Monday morning.”

But it just doesn’t work that way. You don’t drink water on a schedule. You drink when you’re thirsty. Same with plants. You should only water them when they need water.

Plants need water, oxygen and a little TLC to thrive, just like us. I encourage you to start thinking of plants as people, as living organisms - instead of thinking of them as just a decorating accessory in your outdoor living space.

Plants speak to us. We just have to be observant. If their moisture needs aren’t being met, you may see their leaf color change slightly to a dull shade of green. Then they’ll let us know by wilting, yellow or brown leaves, and often dropped leaves. Some plants, such as boxwood or holly, have stiff leaves and twigs, so you may not see wilting. Their leaves just begin to fade and dry out.

The secret to watering is to soak the root ball and surrounding soil slowly, deeply and thoroughly. Then don’t water your plant again until it needs water. I recommend watering with a watering wand, which provides a nice, steady spray of water.

An accurate way to check if your plant needs water is to dig down about 5” and pull back a small amount of soil from the edge of the root ball for close examination. If it’s moist, it doesn’t need water. Cover the hole back up and check again in a couple of days. If it’s dry, water thoroughly.

After the first year, most trees, shrubs and perennials can take care of themselves in normal weather conditions. During a drought, you’ll need to water your plants.

I’ll go into more detail about all this at my seminar. Be sure to attend. This is the most important thing I can teach you about gardening.

Thanks for reading and happy gardening!

From Bob Warhurst, President of Merrifield Garden Center

 My daughter became so infatuated with a dark pink-flowered dianthus ‘Firewitch’ that we had to buy it for her. She insisted that it be with her during her afternoon nap, and then it joined us at the table for dinner. I love seeing her interest in plants continue to flourish. But I realize my free reign over the garden is now over. From now on, we’ll be sharing the garden.

 Design needs to be my focus this year. So far I’ve been building my garden on whims, only buying plants that I have an interest in. My wife has accused me of not liking flowers. Of course, I like flowers. But I don’t rely on them as a design feature. A plant’s form, foliage color and/or texture coupled with how it looks paired with other plants is most important to me, but I admit my garden lacks a little dazzle. 

 Now my plan, with the help of my daughter, is to fill the ground around the existing plants to tie everything together. To accomplish this, I’m going to utilize more perennials to provide some punch.

 Topping my list of must-haves are the ground-covering, mossy phlox. I’ve used them before to sweep around the feet of shrubs and provide a colorful carpet of flowers in the spring. I’m quiet keen on ‘Emerald Blue’ with its soft lilac blooms. But ‘Candy Stripe’ is equally attractive with a white stripe running down the center of its soft pink petals. 

 Likewise, the evergreen candytuft provides a great transition with dark green, glossy foliage erupting in the spring with white flowers. I’ve always like using candytuft in borders, and they’ve proven to be a reliable workhorse.

Hardy geraniums bring back fond memories of growing up in England, where it was used to edge a fieldstone path in our backyard. Just seeing one of these plants evokes warm childhood memories, so it’s an easy choice to include it in our garden. I’ve grown ‘Rozanne’ before, but last year it slipped away from me during our furiously hot summer. It’s a beautiful compact, repeat-flowering cranesbill that doesn’t need to be cut back.

Without a doubt, peonies are one of the best flowering perennials. They come in a wide range of choices. What type and what color is a matter of personal preference. I’ve got my eye on two of them. ‘Gay Paree’ features fragrant, two-toned flowers of raspberry pink ‘guard’ petals at its base topped with a fluffy white center. The other is the large, delicately bloomed tree peonies, particularly the Itoh hybrids, a cross between tree and herbaceous peonies. ‘Sequested Sunshine’ and ‘Bartzella’ are yellows that are catching my attention, though it’s hard to resist some of the others, too.

This promises to be an exciting spring as I re-acquaint myself with perennials and leave some of the decision making to our 4-year-old daughter. My challenge will be to work in her selections while maintaining the aesthetics of the garden.

It’ll be fascinating to see the sense of ownership grow within her as she tends to her new plants. I guess I better leave space at the table for our next dinner guest, perhaps a peony.