PERFECT IMPERFECTION

We strive for a certain aesthetic, but in nature’s view weeds and insect damage are part and parcel of beauty

THERE IS A LONGING for perfection in the human heart. Every gardener knows this feeling. In our mind's eye we see the plant perfectly placed in the garden or landscape, its satisfaction with its spot written in the happy toss of its leaves and its thrifty demeanor, the beauty of its flowers and abundance of its fruits.

We plant our stock with such hope and expectations, but there almost always comes a reckoning.

This strawberry may be unscathed, but that strawberry, growing next to it on the same plant, has been half eaten away by...what? Pillbugs? Earwigs? Turtles? Yes, even turtles. I grew up on a five-acre piece of property mostly covered with wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana), and it was always a race to see who got to the ripe berries first-me or the box turtles.

It seems that disappointment always accompanies accomplishment for plant lovers. On my Pennsylvania property, I planted 'Alden' grapes on a wooden fence. Black rot took all the fruit and Japanese beetles ate the leaves. I never did get to taste a single grape. I also planted two apricot trees, a 'Goldrich' and 'Moorpark'. Never got to taste a single fruit due to brown rot.

The fungus could have been controlled with fungicides, but we were rearing two kids at the time and didn't want them exposed to agricultural chemicals. My personal rule became: "If insects or diseases prevent me from successfully growing any plant, rip it out and try something else."