The Impermanence of Plants

Wild comfrey (Cynoglossum virginianum)

Plants don’t live forever; that’s probably not a shocker to anyone. Annual plants have the shortest lifespan, one growing season, but we know that when we plant them and set our expectations accordingly. Woody plants can have the longest life, and we hope for that when we plant them. 

But plants don’t always live as long as we want, and this is perhaps the mostly likely time of year when we realize that a plant that we had has vanished or is just dead in place. My wild comfrey, shown here in 2012, faded away within a year or two.

Each spring we discover what comes back from winter slumber, anxiously looking for that first bit of green as a leaf emerges on a woody twig or an herbaceous plant puts up that first stem or fiddlehead (in the case of a fern). Each green discovery is a joy and, to be honest, a reaffirmation of my talents as a gardener. Until I find the one that didn’t make it ….

A ladyslipper (2011); it bloomed for several years then faded out

Sometimes I might not have realized something was gone until I discovered the old plant tag sticking in the ground. I pull it out and save it for potential reuse but the pile of ‘dead tags’ builds up over time. Or I might not remember that I even had the plant until a friend says “Remember that plant we got at Cullowhee, how’s yours doing?” Then I realize that I’ve lost it at some point: a sad moment of realization.

Storms come and knock plants down – I lost a big pine tree last year; unfortunately it took several other small trees (like 10!) with it. It’s just part of natural change and opens up the area to more sun and gives different plants a chance to grow until the canopy fills in again.

I bid a final farewell this year to the azalea shown on the right: Rhododendron x 'Milleneum' was tortured by deer and then shaded out by a blueberry that was growing ever larger. The azalea was no more than a dead stick with a tag at this point. I am really happy with the blueberry (Vaccinium elliottii) that has taken over the space; it is much more productive for the bees than the azalea was.

So to garden is to experience change and that’s no different with native plants. Plants come and go either because of their life cycle or some other reason. The garden is different every year in some way; and I guess that keeps it interesting.