Garden Book Giveaway Day!
Somehow I have accumulated extra copies of a number of fine garden books. I have therefore decided to declare, until further notice, that every Wednesday will be Garden Book Giveaway Day.
Each Wednesday I will give away one book (free shipping included) to the person who provides the best answer to a garden-related question. Winners will be selected by a panel made up of Chicago aldermen not currently under indictment, plus Jared Kushner.
Contestants must be from the USA or Canada, because I’m not made of money, people.
This week’s giveaway is a hardcover copy of Garden Revolution, by Larry Weaner and Thomas Christopher.
According to Rick Darke, this book is “An essential reference for conservation-minded home gardeners and stewards of larger landscapes.”
And here is this week’s question:
How many times have you tried to grow a plant that kept dying on you? Name the plant, and explain if the effort was worth it.
Please keep it under 100 words. Answers must be posted by midnight on Saturday, February 24th. The winner will be revealed the following Wednesday.
gardeninacity 
Twice I have tried to grow Spigelia marilandica, in two different spots. Both times it has died on me over the winter and not come back. They say you’re supposed to try three times before you officially declare yourself defeated, but I’ve decided it’s just not worth trying a third time. It has an interesting flower, but it’s not a western native, so maybe it just doesn’t like the Pacific Northwest. I just don’t think it’s a worthy enough plant to try again.
Yeah, the Spigelia is fairly easy to grow here, as long as the soil isn’t too dry.
Only a few times have I tried a plant that died the second time. One was the Colocasia ‘Borneo Giant’ that I overwatered when it was still small. Apparently, that cultivar doesn’t like a lot of water when it is small. The second time I followed the rules and it was AWESOME. So, yes it was well worth the second time. I have lost only a few plants, usually when I was a succulent newbie, over the winter. On occasion I do grow a plant I know isn’t hardy in my zone just because I like it.
Too bad I’m too far away. But then again, unless my peach tree doesn’t come back this spring, I can’t recall plants dying on me. Usually, the more I leave them be, the more they thrive.
That’s often the case for me as well.
Great idea, a shame I can’t join in, but I understand. I’ll look forward to coming back to read some of the replies.
Excellent idea Jason. I don’t need this book as I have such a small garden but I like this idea of giving away a book to someone who wants it. I usually take my books to the library for their public sale. I often wonder how many end up in the dumpster. Much better them going to someone who wants to read them.
The library here isn’t taking books this year – no storage room due to construction.
Gee, why didn’t I think of doing a giveaway? Since I stopped growing orchids, I have donated by books to the library’s used book sale. As for perseverance, I cannot tell you how many butterfly bushes i have planted over the years, only to see them die the next year. I have now been here 45 years and last year I planted another one. We’ll see what spring brings me. Alas, I do not need another book, so good luck to whomever wins. P.S. Love the judges panel, lol.
Butterfly bushes have done poorly for me as well. It’s funny, because they grow like mad for a neighbor across the alley.
Oh I’m far too ruthless in the garden to replant something that died. One and done in my yard. But seed starting flowers? Well, that’s another thing entirely and I will buy the same seed packets over and over and over hoping that one year I will get germination conditions right for a whole month just to have a few cranesbill geraniums sprout for me.
Makes sense, given how seeds are so much cheaper. I like to be ruthless with plants, Judy is more of the “give them another chance” approach.
It might be more that I’m a glutton for punishment rather than logic! 🙂 My only “give them another chance” option is to chuck them up on the hillside where we’ve let nature take over. I did that with some native bee balm that always looks horrid w/ powdery mildew. I figured the bees like it so much the least I could do was re-home it somewhere I didn’t have to look at it too closely!
Incidentally, I think a comment I made on your blog ended up in your spam folder.
Thanks for the note- I approved it and it shouldn’t happen again! Sorry!
Not to worry – it’s WordPress, not you. They don’t seem to trust me.
Let’s see….we’ve lived in this house for 15 years, so I guess the number is about 10-12 times, and the plant is Foxglove. It grew like a weed for me in Pennsylvania, but I can’t get it to come back in Missouri, and that makes me so sad. I mean, I saw it growing in cracks in rocks all over Scotland. I guess we are just too dry.
It can be really hard to give up a beloved plant after moving to a new location that is not hospitable.
Only one plant? Over the years, I have lost so many that it’s hard to keep count—lupine, columbine, daisies, lilies. Oh, the list goes on. Mostly it’s because of my shady but dry yard. With the lilies, it was a combination of lily beetles, relatively new to Maine, and skunks digging up the bulbs. I have long, long litany of garden woes.
I live in dread of those lily beetles. No signs of them yet, knock on wood.
We didn’t have them in Maine until about nine years ago. Thank you, climate change.
Love this concept … and (as a Cook County resident) laughed out loud at the panel composition ! After a week of terrible US news, your post is a bright spot
Always happy to brighten someone’s day.
If there is one thing I don’t need it’s more gardening books, so I’ll let someone else have a chance. Great idea!
In this garden I am on my third continus…..maybe this time
I’m too new to gardening to have tried anything multiple times, but I did manage to kill a Japanese Holly by planting it in moist clay soil with very little light. I decided not to try again upon learning that it doesn’t like any of those things.
Sounds like a wise decision.