Gardening: Putting numbers to work in the garden

That bright yellow orb that appeared last Friday was a shock to my system. After two weeks of gray, my eyes had a hard time adjusting to the bright light. Such is our winter this year. However, for those of you who are thinking we might skate by with a mild winter, let me remind you of the winter of 1989. That winter started out like our current one until the beginning of February when, on Feb. 2, an intense arctic front took our temperatures down to minus 11 with a 40-mph north wind that made the wind chill something like minus 43 degrees. So, hang on, we aren’t done with winter yet.

With little to do outside and it being too early to start seeds indoors, I’ve found myself rummaging around on the internet rabbit holes just for fun. It beats cleaning out the kitchen cabinets. On of those rabbit holes took me to an AI entry roughly titled gardening by the numbers. Yes, you can use your high school math while gardening.

Often, gardening by the numbers comes down to working with ratios of plants to space in a bed or growing techniques and timings. Nothing really complicated but in the end these measures are very useful in creating beautiful gardens and growing healthy plants. Here are a few.

The rule of three in garden design often focuses on plantings odd-numbered clusters of similar plants (three, five, seven) to create a natural, dynamic and balanced display. Planting even numbers of similar plants in groups ends up looking stiff and too symmetrical in a natural setting.

The 60/40 rule, or golden ratio, calls for placing a focal point element such as a unique shrub, rock, garden art or structure to the right or left of the center of the bed (a 60/40 split) which creates a more dynamic, natural appearance.

Then there is the three-year rule for perennials, which says the first year you plant a perennial it will “sleep” and do nothing while it grows its root system. During its second year in the ground, the plant will slowly grow and expand in its space. From the third year on, the perennial will “leap” to its full size. That means you need to be patient until that third year to see the full potential of your plant.

When it comes to native plants the 70/30 rule for natives kicks in. To create a sustainable, eco-friendly bed, plant the bed with 70% native plants and 30% nonnative ornamental plants from similar environments. I call these allied plants as they have the same growing requirements but come from some other dry climate.

Last is the three-hour rule that says to avoid gardening between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the summer as this is when plants are most stressed and UV rays are strongest. During this time, plants are struggling to stay hydrated and are prone to damage if their roots are disturbed. It’s also hard on the gardener.