I Want a Tropical Paradise...

You know it is really refreshing to work with a landscape design client who actually gardens. So, I was very excited about this new project. The client wants wild abandon and color everywhere. Brilliant color too because her significant other is color blind. Totally my cup of tea you know.

So after many hours of layout and several on site meetings at the new home under construction on the waterfront and golf course. I have developed exactly what she has instructed me she wants out of her yard. She wants something different than what everyone else in the entire area has.

No areas are completely without evergreens. There is tropical foliage, grasses, flowering trees, shrubs and perennials threaded through the entire scope of bed layouts. A huge rose garden and don't forget the annuals. The client is ecstatic when looking over all the photos of the plants and reviewing which ones are in what bed.

The majority of the planting was completed a month before cold weather set in. A handful of perennials were completely unavailable until spring. She was absolutely in love with her yard the day the last of the season's work was done. A gardener always thinks they have found heaven when everything comes out so lovely from the plan.

Don't ask me what happened over the winter to this person who has gardened for years farther north. I was totally caught by surprise when she called in February to say,

"There are so many blanks spots in my planting beds. Why aren't there more evergreens?"

My mind froze. Like did she really just say this? Did she expect Elephant Ears and Canna Lilies to stay for her to admire all year long in zone 7? She knew what would disappear last summer before it was planted. Before I could utter more than,

"Um..." I was blasted with yet another zinger.

"I am having a huge party on March 29th and I want all the rest of the perennials planted, these dead ones must be replaced by 2 days before the event. We can't have you people in here with all the other setting up that must be done. Oh yes, and we need to plant the Impatiens and the rest of the new annuals when you come to do the other work before the party."

What does one say to someone like this? This is not zone 10? Have you lost your meds? I mean it could snow tomorrow if Mother Nature felt like throwing us a curve. The last threat of frost is like on April 15. Better yet, none of these plants will be available until maybe early May. The gardener client is telling me her perennials are dead when they are dormant! Deep breath here ...

"The Elephant Ears are not dead, they will be back when the weather warms up enough in June. In fact none of those plants are dead, they are sleeping until warm weather. The amount and placement of evergreens was approved by you last summer. We can plant winter annuals for the party but they are an additional cost over the installation contract price as they are not part of that planting list or item pricing."

Well, this did not go over real well.

"I do not want all these holes in my landscaping! No one else has them, why must I?"

One gets the feeling she would have liked to been a gardener prior to building this house but she has perhaps not ventured past drooling over magazine photos. No, I know she actually does play in the dirt and can identify and converse about certain plants - both woody and herbaceous. Perhaps she is sleep talking?

After a few more minutes, I finally managed to make her understand that party or not, the weather was not ready (inside or outside a greenhouse) for the plants she wanted to be planted before the first of April. Was she happy about the situation? Of course not! But I am not God and there is no heating system installed in her soil to wake them up faster than nature.

Just because the house looks like it was built in Florida, it actually sits several states north of there and hours from the Keys. The real pip in the winter woman is that she did not want evergreens everywhere when she was the summer woman who approved then entire project.It isn't like she bought the wrong shoes to match her suit and can return them for a better suiting pair!