A Rose is a Rose

Very few people are immune to the effect of flowers planted in a well-thought-out pattern, whether in a front yard, scattered among trees, or in clearly defined beds, where their colors blend in a most visually pleasing manner. To the casual observer, it would seem as if these patches of brightly-hued flora were capable of growing and producing blooms endlessly, with little or no help.

But appearances can be very misleading. A truly successful garden is simply not possible without constant attention and a real knowledge of what it is plants need to have in order to grow.

There have been flowering plants on this earth for a very long time. When they first made their appearance and began to thrive, humans were not the ones helping them out. There were no bottled fertilizers or plant food pellets at that time. But there were many animals, and the interaction between the animals and the plants points the way for today’s gardener.

Many animals have always instinctively buried their feces. Animals are particularly vulnerable during the process of defecation. So in those early days, mammals would seek out plants, with their camouflaging leaves and colorful blooms, and they would dig a sizable hole right at or near the base of those plants, where they would deposit their feces. Then they would dig quite energetically, still at the base of the plant, to cover any evidence of their presence.

A study of this digging behavior and the resultant benefit to the plant has led many leading horticulturists to develop the Mammalian Soil Exchange method of gardening. This method involves a total exchange of the soil from the middle of the underground roots to the surface with that soil from the middle of the roots to their ends. In order to do this, one must very carefully remove the top half of the soil and set it aside. Then one must remove the bottom half of the soil, being very careful not to dislodge the plant in the process. When all of the soil has been removed from around the plant, the soil from the top of the plant is placed around the bottom area of the roots This would be the time to apply fertilizer. The soil that was previously deep underground is then placed around the surface. This benefits the plant in many ways; for example, the surface soil, or “top soil,” is now available immediately to the roots.

While this process can be tedious, all serious gardeners are now incorporating it into their gardening routine. It is only necessary to do this five times during the plant’s heaviest blooming season.