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| General care card inserted into flower pots at garden stores |
Two years ago when I started working at a garden center, I didn't know the first thing about plants and taking care of them. I gave out a lot of bad advice and the plants I thought I could care for ended up in disaster. I never understood the science behind caring for the plants, therefore, it resulted in senseless losses and wasted money.
As another year passed and I learned from customers and our garden specialist about the care of plants, one thing became clear to me... a plant responds and grows around the environment it lives within.
Ever wondered why plants do so well at the store but dies days or weeks after you get it home? Or you wondered why your neighbor's plant is doing much better in her yard than in your yard even though you have the EXACT same plant? In my theory, this is because we pay too much attention to books and care cards and even other people's advice on how to care for the plant. In all seriousness, the best way to care for the plant is to pay attention to its environment.
Perfect example, at the garden store that I work at, our full sun plants receives over 10 hours of direct sunlight. If a customer buys the plant and plants it in an area which receives a little over six hours of sunlight, the plant will eventually have to adapt to its new changes which may result in changes in the number of blooms produced per day and so on.
It is okay to follow a care card for it was designed to give the gardener a general idea on how to care for the plant but don't rely on its words religiously. Listen to the plant and use your instincts. They can take you a long way.
