Five stages of fall!
The Garden Corner prides itself on being the top shop for hanging baskets. From the World’s Largest Hanging Basket spinning in the center of the store to the numerous cities that line the streets with our Passion baskets and beyond. With years of experiments and experience, we may boast that it is our right to claim ourselves as the Hanging Basket Experts of the West Coast. This self-proclaimed title is not something we take lightly. Even now, as the season winds down, we are looking forward to the future: how can we do this better, what will make the maintenance and care for a hanging garden even easier?
So far, we have created special designs to include a water reservoir allowing forgetful gardeners, such as myself, a buffer zone during these heat waves. Then, we took the time to curate the perfect cocktail of fertilizer and bug control to mitigate the external factors that could limit the quality of our beloved blooms. Finally, we took the time to create a four-page document that contains the most detailed and explicit instructions on proper care to make your baskets. Including minute minuscule details such as the exact amount of water a hanging basket requires. Our practiced care plan allows us the ability to enjoy our baskets through the end of October (that means after Halloween).
So, naturally, being the professional basket gardener I am, the baskets in front of my house started failing in August. I have no excuse, I did not follow any of the proper steps. I wish that I could blame it on the drip system that I have yet to install. Or even better, on the automatic fertilizer system that is sitting in my garage still boxed, waiting to pump all of that good fertilizer and bug control into my basket. Even a lack of beautiful weather would be a welcome justification. Sadly, this is one failure that I will have to confess is all my own. Even with all of the right tools at my disposal, it is time for my baskets to come down.
Before finally arriving at this conclusion, I went through a series of emotions. Rationalizing that even if my baskets were not crispy brown, I would still be emptying them into the yard debris, preparing my front porch for fall. It is not a failure, but rather a strong sign to change with the season. Knowing that these emotions just might strike a chord in someone else, I have decided to share and reference these mental gymnastics as the five stages of fall. They are as follows-
- Relief: the most immediate reaction is an overwhelming sense of release. Finally, there is one less thing to worry about. The stressors of keeping your basket alive (or the stressor of having a less-than-ideal basket hanging) are gone. No more last-minute watering, no more watching closely for signs of infestation. All that care is a thing of the past.
- Appreciation: there sense of cleanliness that envelops the space after that breath of relief. Then comes the moment that you can thank your basket for the season and the joy that it brought all those around you. The pots get stacked, the porch swept, everything once again tidy. It is at that moment I find myself saying “Man, that was a great basket!”
- Loneliness: then the orderly space starts to feel a little more vacant. Rather than an enjoyment of shipshape and fond memories of what used to be there, an emptiness starts to creep in. The lone hook stares at you with a feeling of longing. Maybe the siding on your house is not quite as beautiful as you remember. For some, there might be a coldness that borders their entryway, deeming it somewhat less welcoming.
- Excitement: this is the stage that is not experienced by all. This is the moment that the decision to put up new plants (or pick the colors for the next year). Preparing for the transition. Pumpkins, grasses, and mums oh my! Planters, pots, and baskets galore!
- Acceptance: the final stage is the calm that comes with the knowledge that all will be well. Summer is great for those large impressive blooms, and there is a time to enjoy them. For the time being, fall holds a special place in my gardening heart as there are so many more options for color and texture. Grasses, heuchera, and shrubs that choose to show off some exquisite coloring in the season.