by Jack McKinnon

I watch a lot of movies. I get them through the mail, watch them and mail them back. I love it. Mostly, I watch documentaries, history, nature and biographies.

Most recently I watched Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts, about the composer Philip Glass. Several ideas expressed in the movie reminded me of gardening. This month’s tips will visit some of these ideas.

1. Allen Ginsberg told Philip Glass “first idea, best idea.” The theory goes that if you have an idea, it  is good to go with it. How does this apply to gardening? In the garden there are a thousand decisions to make. What do I plant? Do I prune now? Which do I cut first? What do I fertilize with? Try using the first idea that comes to mind. It will save time and it may very well be the best choice.

2. When he was composing and playing in lofts in SoHo, New York, Glass often had 25-30 percent of his audiences walk out. Did he stop composing? No, he kept on with the work he was doing and suggested they find their own favorite music. Do this in your garden, too. Your  garden is your living art and what others think is irrelevant. The important thing is to keep gardening.

3. Be a little “nudge.” Glass’s sister called him “a little nudge” when he was a young boy. A nudge is a bother, a bit of a pain. If you are a bit of a bother in your garden, it will show better results. Be picky; don’t put up with just any design or planting scheme. Be a nudge.

4. Do something completely  different. Glass said, “If you don’t need a new technique, then what you’re saying probably isn’t new.” In gardening, the techniques we use are those of design, planting, cultivating, pruning, watering, fertilizing and harvesting. Think about how you can do these differently to get different results. Ask yourself if you can change one thing to make a big difference.

© Sdenness | Dreamstime.com

5. Gardening is art, and art is different than farming or golf course maintenance. Art uses the part of your brain that knows what it likes without thinking about it. Art speaks from and to the heart. You can hear this in music composed by great composers like Philip Glass. Try to look at your garden with heart. Think of what plant would make you happy to see every day. Then find a way to get and grow that plant.

Good Gardening!

Jack McKinnon worked in the Sunset gardens for 12 years and is now a garden coach. He can be reached at 650-879-3261, on his cell phone at 650-455-0687, or by e-mail at jack@jackthegardencoach.com.