Gardening Leave

April 15th 2020

In week 4 of lockdown – an unprecedented national diktat - combined with fine weather most residents of the UK blessed with outdoor space have turned to gardening – or are still considering it from their deckchairs.

My garden is too big for me. It is long and thin partitioned in to several zones which has both benefits and detractions. If you don’t go in to a zone you don’t see the creeping problems, so you can just concentrate on the zones you like. Since we moved here the aim has been to simplify for easy management. Clear the lawns and trim the trees for easy mowing, focus on perennials with constant colour in the hedges and edges.

But .. I do love the unexpected iris popping up, the cornflowers and hollyhocks caring not a jot about plant food and fresh compost. Roses and vines rambling and scrambling up the brickwork.

The physical rhythm and repetition of weeding, digging, clipping is meditational and set me thinking.

Marketing IS very like gardening. Or gardening is very like marketing… Balance and planning are needed in equal measure with creativity and vision.

Four musings follow:

1. Planning and big picture…

And as I weed, pull up roots, try to tease a lawn through moss, revel in the spring blossoms and bulbs, and wait for the appointed wildflower meadow to surprise us each year, I hadn’t thought through that the first overall impression – the view from the gate or the back door, sets up my mood instantly.

I acknowledge my amateur status and occasionally google, open a book or call a more horticulturally informed relative for advice. But that tends to be plant by plant – not schema. (And how many echos of that are in marketing initiatives … must just find out about Google Ad words, or radio advertising..)

I just opened “The no work garden” by Bob Flowerdew. (The title and authors name provided an exceptional hook (good branding!.)

Bob makes the point in the introduction that from the start – you need to decide what you want your garden and plan accordingly. Is it a peaceful refuge or a source of food, a recreation area or a view? Rushing in, tilling chopping, planting a changing can be a lot of work for an unsatisfactory result. Is your marketing plan aimed at generating leads, improving loyalty of existing customers or building awareness?

If you are just artful and experimental … it might work for a year. But without long term planning, the plants rot or grow woody, soil gets tired. A good garden takes time, and thought.

2. Don’t make it too complicated or costly

If you get over ambitious and put too much in to the garden the cost of plants, equipment, fertilizers and the time needed for maintenance become horrendous. Perfect beds and perfect lawns require full time gardeners and keep of the grass signs. Extensive communications programmes especially digital - require full time staff.

Don’t go overboard on tools you don’t know how to use. It’s a waste of money. Bedding plants provide colour but mostly need replacing within 3 months.

Experimentation on a small scale is a good starting point. All communications ideas can be tested.

3. Cover the basics well

Some things just need to be done regularly like mowing the grass or clipping back creepers and bushes and provide basic blocks of your garden view.

Customer satisfaction is like the grass. Keep a constant eye on customer feedback and repeat business avoids the costs of having to find replacement customers.

Read up on your fruit trees and vegetables. What do they need to generate a good crop, and how do you avoid waiting 6 months to get a limited return?

4. Know your environment

Bob informs me that your plants and plans should adapt to the soil, weather conditions, water supply and wildlife. Know your environment and plan and plant for the long term. Recognise the cycle or seasons. Sometimes there’s no growth or no planting or sowing to be done. Sales and marketing calendars need to align to market rhythms.

He’s quite disparaging about quick fixes and weekend makeovers. Painted wooden furniture peels and rots if it is in a damp environment. Creeping vines creeps back unless the roots are dealt with. Decks and patios can become slick and dangerous in the wrong location. Marketing budgets can evaporate with short term advertising campaigns or shiny new initiatives.

Bob was almost lyrical about the help worms provide to lawns and beds and compost heaps. It set me thinking about the parallels in corporate life and how your plans are helped by colleagues in other departments but also compete for resources with slugs, rabbits, moles, voles, rats, mice and birds. The challenge is inevitable – so what protection do you put in place?

Be more like Bob.