In this episode, Jim talks about learning from the challenges of the past with your landscape.
Podcast Transcription:
WRVO Producer Mark Lavonier:
This podcast is one in a series titled, From the Soil with Sollecito, hosted by lifetime senior certified landscape professional Jim Sollecito of Sollecito Landscaping Nursery, Hallock Hill Road, Syracuse. These commentaries focus on landscape management practices that use only natural products and methods, safe for the environment, and that bring beauty to the landscape. And now Jim Sollecito.
Jim Sollecito: I know a lot, and that's because I've made so many mistakes. As I am an aggressive learner, I try to learn as much as possible. I'm hungry for knowledge. If you're not moving forward, you're not just staying still, you're falling behind. Near constant improvement means letting go of what we used to know. No matter how far you've traveled in the wrong direction, you can always turn around.
As I visit people's homes, they often try to explain why they have continued to live with landscape mistakes instead of just pruning at ground level and starting fresh. And this brings to my mind fly fishing, because a fish that I pursue, fight, and land will be let go immediately—free to be living, growing, thriving in some other environment.
As I visit homeowners, they often ask, "What's wrong with this?" or "What can I do about that?" Well, by this time, the plant has often lost the ability to be tall, bark, and handsome. More than several times a day, I have to balance whether a particular plant just needs more time and nourishment or if it should be sacrificed so resources can be redirected towards a plant that has greater potential. My interest is in the future because I'm going to spend the rest of my life there.
Listening to certain friends who are once again single, I am told the person they married was not the person they divorced. I also suspect that feeling was probably mutual. Anyway, we're all surrounded by people and things that can age like a fine wine or turn to vinegar if not well-nurtured.
So be the confident captain of your yard. Look at that questionable plant in your landscape. If it was for sale, would you buy it? If yes, help it thrive. If not, then change it out. Don't be afraid to let go of things that served their purpose. If you hold too tightly to some things, you're just wasting energy that might be used better someplace else. If something doesn't add to your life, well, maybe it doesn't belong there. Because at the end of the day, it's all about moving forward with intent and knowing when to let go.
WRVO Producer Mark Lavonier:
From the Soil with Sollecito is a production of WRVO Public Media. If you have a question for Jim about your home landscaping, visit sollecito.com and click on contact or call 315-468-1142.
