Patience, Dear Gardener

Mark Cullen and his son, Ben, urge gardeners, both the novice and the experienced, to have realistic expectations as we enter the gardening season.

Mark Cullen is an author, expert gardener and Member of the Order of Canada. Ben is a fourth-generation urban gardener and a U of G grad.

In an advice column in Burnabynow.com, the Cullens say gardening is the most popular leisure activity among Canadians. An important thing to keep in mind as we start the season, they write, is that once we prepare the soil and plant the seeds, the outcome has much more to do with Mother Nature than the gardener.  

The gardener is merely a moderator, whose job it is to “plan, prepare, plant, nurture and wait,” they add.

And it is good to keep in mind that gardeners learn best from their failures.