I'm blessed to have a happy little band of colleagues whom I also count as genuine friends. We currently all work for different companies or on our own, but most of us have worked together in some capacity in the past. Since I work for myself these days, it is really nice to have trusted, smart people in the same field that are an email away. I depend on these clever women and it is a real pleasure to support them when I can, too.
So last week when one of them emailed our little group for suggestions of ornamental grasses with blue foliage, we sent back several suggestions and we even managed to avoid repetition. Someone outside the industry might think that's a great plant list, and coming from experienced industry professionals, our friend could use any of those plants with an expectation of success.
However, it illustrated the exact reason plant lists are only a starting point. I'm so glad she asked us for our suggestions, because that exchange helped clarify the language I’ve been looking for:
Plant lists are not shopping lists,
They are homework assignments!
We knew that she would look up each plant and figure out if it is appropriate for her application (in this case, a roof garden). She would find out each plant’s preferred sun exposure, the water budget, if the plants are invasive or native or have aggressive roots, if they'll grow in her specified soil and with the depth they will have, how long they live, etc. She's also going to decide if they'll aesthetically work for her plant palette and the design intent, do they need to be placed in some areas but not others, and will they be able to be maintained by whomever is responsible for maintenance. In top of it all, I’m sure she will consider fire; their flammability potential, their size, and their placement. She will research not only the cultivars and species we provided, but will probably also find others in her research.
When we made suggestions, we didn't give her the answer. What we did was give her a lot of work to do and we knew that. She did too, and it's a beautiful thing to help a sister out by getting her to that starting point a little faster.
When I see all the plant lists out there published by nurseries and well-meaning organizations for the public, I want to scream. They're not providing answers, either, but the public doesn't know that. The public probably thinks these lists are for shopping off of with a greater chance of success. The list should be a starting point for further study so that the investment made in a plant is a good one.
Without the investment of your time, the investment of money shopping off a plant list is a poor one.
