As regarded novelties, his mind appeared to have lost its proper gripe and retentiveness. |
The statement occurs in a discussion of the idea of progress in which Santayana contends that progress is more about retentiveness than about change. |
The only answer is to beef up the moisture retentiveness of the soil as much as possible with leaf mould, garden compost or whatever you have available, and then choose your plants from a limited range. |