Kind of like eyes bigger than stomach?

Well, after being gone over a month - trying to get settled into my new house, I have come to the realization that my aspirations and purchases exceeded my ability to plant everything.

I weeded until my hands are permanently brown, mulched, put in over 20 hostas, dozens of impatiens, petunias, geraniums, etc. I'm tired. I still have about 25 hostas to go - hopefully today, maybe a hundred MG seedlings, a bleeding heart and a half dozen sweet peas. I tried a bunch of seeds that didn't work outside (maybe snow in May is counter-productive).

Has anyone else ever dealt with the guilt of - ohhhhh, one more packet of seeds, or a flat of dejected looking plants that were gorgeous (errrr, two weeks ago), bags of "almost forgotten bulbs" - and just not had what it takes?

Maybe I'll do the perennials this fall. I think next year, I will buy as I can plant - and not buy things in advance, but only buy what I think I can plant that weekend. Unfortunately, this Spring, knowing I was moving into a new house - I bought and bought and bought - high aspirations, not realizing the first month would be weeding, mulching, tilling.

Anyways, thanks for the opportunity to rant and whine.

(20 minute later update)

OK, now I'm chuckling a bit at myself. Reading all the posts, seeing the pictures, what people have accomplished - I'm ready to head outside again (the rain just stopped) and I'm feeling motivated again.

This message was edited Sunday, May 26th 11:40 AM

Oh, SBarr, you made me chuckle at myself, too! I do the same thing ~ and every time I vow never to do it again ~ then I do it again... :-O!

I do this to myself every year. I keep saying next year - I'm not going to start so many seedlings... I'm not going to buy anymore new plants.... I'm not going to trade for so many things. You think I'd learn after a while - but NooOOoo!!! I just can't help myself.

Every spring I kick myself over & over.

I think it's the common pitfall of gardeners, our optimism gets the better of us. Yes, I too have had my share of neglected-until-they-died annuals, bulbs that dried out waiting for me to plant them, and even seedlings that I didn't tend as carefully as I should have, and had to dump them on the compost heap.

Over the years, I've gotten a *little* better about buying only what I can take home and plant right away. One exception was the wildflower co-op I did: my beds won't be ready until fall, so I've potted everything in big pots, tucked them into flats, and set them on a bed of straw under a maple tree. I rationalize it's killing two birds with one stone - it's hardening off these perennial plants AND smothering the grass in this area so I can put in a bed when the plants are ready to move out.

But I still have lots of tomato seedlings to get in the ground - my excuse? It's been too wet and until last week too cold to put them in the ground!!!