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Gardens In A Box

With all that we do, perhaps it's smart to survey our pre-packaged options

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COURTESY OF WHITE FLOWER FARM "Hummingbird" is packed with pink, red and coral flowers to attract hummers. COURTESY OF WHITE FLOWER FARM "Pastel Patio" is one of White Flower Farm's most popular collections, with fragrant heliotrope and felt-leafed Helichrysum petiolare, designed to fill a 14- to 16-inch pot. COURTESY OF WHITE FLOWER FARM "Jester's Jubilee" is a collection of mostly foliage annuals to be grown in a container. It's wise to remember the photos show a summer's worth of growth; this pot begins with just six annual starts.

THERE'S NOTHING shameful about shortcuts. If we buy cake mixes and outfits with matching pieces, and order the movies Netflix recommends, why not accept a little garden packaging? Experts (or should I say marketers?) are trying to simplify our gardening lives with everything from lettuce mixes to borders in a box.

At first blush, prefab seems the antithesis of gardening. Most of us tend to be individualistic, self-reliant types who grow trees from seed and concoct our own soil mixes. But how about those who are busy with full-time jobs and kids but still want attractive, functional gardens? And some people actually enjoy another hobby or two besides gardening.

The research says that Gen X and Y aren't looking to study the Latin names of plants or spend every weekend weeding. They favor easy maintenance and instant effect. I worry younger gardeners will miss great joys and satisfactions, yet I admire their perception of gardens as outdoor living rooms rather than science projects.

In this spirit, let's consider the advantages of prefab. Plant packages are skillfully selected for certain objectives or situations, are usually less expensive than buying individual plants, and often come with a ready-made design. They inspire confidence while speeding up the process of garden-making. Even hard-core gardeners might consider incorporating a few packaged elements, giving their backs and knees a break while freeing up time and energy for growing bonsai, pumpkins, prize lilies, whatever.

Perhaps prefab is the wave of the future both indoors and out. For houses, this means mass-produced, well-designed modern homes manufactured off-site. For gardens, it could mean buying a container already planted, or a combination of bulbs that bloom in sequence, or a pre-planned herb garden. I like the idea of relying on someone else's knowledge for some parts of the garden so I can pay closer attention to the parts I love most.

Although Googling "prefab gardens" brings up only sheds and "modular gardens" that look like giant strawberry pots, take heart. Many local nurseries offer well-designed containers, with flowers and foliage selected to harmonize with pot color and shape. Beats hauling home plants, soil and pot and putting it all together, especially if you're in a hurry or can't picture what you want.

Years ago when I was new at this and faced with a raw, empty garden, I ordered a collection of daylilies from White Flower Farm. It seemed extraordinarily expensive to me then, but I was captured by the thought of plants chosen to bloom in sequence in complementary colors and sizes. Turns out the investment paid back by elevating the quality of that corner, carrying the garden until I figured out what I was doing with the rest of it. Years later, I've just ordered a long-blooming mixture of sunflower seeds that includes many types I would never have thought of planting. We more-mature gardeners tend to believe those Gen X- and Y-ers could learn a lot from us. Maybe when it comes to the idea of prefab gardens, we could learn a few things from them.

Valerie Easton is author of "A Pattern Garden," www.patterngarden.com. Her e-mail address is valeaston@comcast.net.