Is your gardening hobby confined to one space in the house, all neat and tidely arranged? Or have you come to realize that you have everything, everywhere? Does your family get on your case about it? I'm not going all Dr.Phil on ya, lol, but for comparison purposes I'm curious to see if I'm the only one that has gardening-related items all around.
My sister came by for a visit and being the organized neat freak that she is, quickly pointed out that I have a problem. She then systematically went from room to room and noted:
~Kitchen: potted plants on fridge top and some seeds starting up there too
rooted cuttings crowding kitchen window sill
plant association newsletters all over kitchen table (where do you eat Erynne?)
BIG bag of Pro Mix in kitchen corner (is that soil I see on the floor, nag nag nag)
~Laundry Room: plastic trays on top of washer and dryer (why bother having appliances she says)
wall to wall shelving with grow lights (he he he, my fave when I saw her face)
computer desk serving as another grow station
fertilizer, little bottles of potions everywhere (hey plants need stuff too!)
laundry tub full of pots that are being soaked (ok, they've been there a while)
more Pro Mix and yes more soil fell on the floor (here's the # for Molly Maid)
Living Room: plants basking all along the 8ft window sill.
more plants along the wall (hey its a good spot to overwinter)
plant stands that I got at an antique market that will go outside (maybe)
Kids Room#1: plants on window sill (this was not intentional but hey it's a window sill)
Kids Room#2: more plants on window sill (sister says, you wait they're gonna knock them over)
Bathroom#1: okay, 1 plant, not bad but holy moly gardening mags (do spend alot of time in
here she says)
Bathroom#2: 2 seed trays sitting on vanity (it's dark, and unused, perfect for starting a few things)
My Bedroom: ugh, more plants (of course I wouldn't sleep without my plants!!!!)
Bsmt Family Room: gardening books/mags galore (I told her it's a very nice spot to read)
Computer: Oh it figures she says that your home page is DG and your desktop is one big flower!
Garage: one very messy work station for all outdoor garden activities (it's outside, it's okay!)
Greenhouse: and of course you just had to have one of those contraptions didn't you Erynne? Shaking her head my sister remarks that I can't even keep that tidy. I'm still learning how to organize it, is all.
When she was done her ranting, she went downstairs to get pop for us and then I heard her shouting again, "why on earth is your fridge full of trays?" Because I have a problem, I told her.....
Erynne
How Much Room Do You Consume?
Erynne,
ROFL! I cannot stop laughing! What a hoot! It must have been hilarious to watch your sister's expressions as she passed from room to room.
My clutter consists of the bottom half of the fridge with a big box of seeds. My computer room is filled with gardening books, garden plans, sticky notes, cattys etc..
I don't have a grow light system because I only do wintersowing now but I have a large area in the backyard filled with milk and water jug containers.
Oh yes, I also have 2 corners in the dining room with bags of Miracle Grow and 3 large garbage bags in the basement filled with milk jugs that I am saving for more wintersowing.
Michelle
You girls sound pretty normal to me. It's only what's to be expected in germination season in an obsessed gardeners home. If it becomes a problem for other people, just don't let them in your home. Family members can be sucked in with this obsession before they know it. Erynne you are doing it right, teaching your children what's important as they grow up.
Just one word of caution. Washing pots/cell packs in a sink can be disasterous if any amount of the residue goes down the drain. I speak of this from recent experience. ProMix and Draino do not make good companions.
erynne
you have painted a wonderful picture!
Thanks for the chuckle and you are not alone
Ann
oh my im still laughing,Erynne you sure we dont live in the same house ,my wife sayes she afraid that someone is going to hall her out thinking shes a weed.
Michelle, you just reminded me.....she never entered my craft room where I do my polymer clay work because she would have died if she saw the stacks of containers I'm saving for next year's WSing. Anything that looks good for winter sowing, stays!
Needless to say, my sister was horrified because her place is spotless and she even has an 11 month baby.
The one person who has to live with my gardening clutter on daily basis, that never ever complains, is my hubby. Nary peep about it ever and for that I'm grateful. Actually, he encourages it by hauling stuff wherever I need it placed. He even peruses my gardening mags over dinner. What a gem!
Brenda, I'm so glad you described us as "normal" and I'm trying so hard to get the kids interested & appreciative of plant life. I don't think they teach as much about it in schools as they used to.
Oh and um, you're warning about the Pro Mix and the drain.....toooooo late, lol. I think that stuff expands or something when it gets stuck in there. Live and learn!
Ann & DD, I'm glad I could bring a laugh, because it is a quite laughable situation considering that all I had when I moved into this house on July 29/05 was a hand trowel and dream!
Erynne
I love that phrase - "...a hand trowl and a dream!"
Do you notice people's eyes beginning to glaze over when you talk to them about gardening?
When they make the mistake of asking "what's that flower?" and you give them the common name, the latin name, the cultivation instructions, the fascinating history of the plant, your personal experience with it.....and then run inside to get a magazine with an article about those to show them...and your DH whispers into your ear as you zip by - "I think you may be telling them more than they want to know, dear!"
2zeus
Oh I know that feeling well. That is why I love the gardening forums because it is my proof that I am not the only plant nut in the world!
Michelle
I'm so glad to see this thread. Count me in, i"m just as normal as the rest of you when it comes to planting things, having them laying around, stacks and heaps of pots and bags of mix/compost and oddles of potions. My partner doesn't complain much at all, cause it does end up looking nice, and she gets lots of enjoyment out of the gardening that i do. It's good for when the neighbours all come by and ask "what's that?' or where did you find that? it makes for a happy nieghbourhood. I met most of my neighbours because of being out in the yard and garden. This afternoon, I'm planning on cleaning out the front gardens against the house, enhancing the soil with some compost and throwing in a bunch of hostas. It doesn't really get much sun at all as it faces north, but it's the least pleasent part of the yard, so I'm going to green this year. Will also redo the stair boxes, replace the old soil, put hte primulas from them intothe garden and put brilliant red gerainiums in them with a couple of draconea spikes. I've got the spelling wrong, but I think you get the idea. All of this will be done with the assistance of Cooper, the 8 month old black Lab. He's such a helper in the garden "not!"
Linda
Hmmmmmmm you might hav hit the nail on the head there 2zeus.
I've knoticed that my friends seem to stay away this time of year,
and that could be the reason,will i say to them get a hobby and see who chates my ears off lol
Linda, you mentioned dracena spikes - what do you do with yours at the end of the season? I've got one now that is almost 3' - was a 4" pot at the start of last year, and in the fall, for curiosity, I plunked it into the ground, and it lived...
Anyone?
Hi 2zeus,
Yup, that's literally what I had coming in here and I'll never part with that little hand trowel. I bought it back in 2000 to use in the garden that never "got to be". I had another home at that time and then things fell apart the following year. I was then forced into apartment living with virtually no possibility to garden. I remember walking by so many gardens in the 3 years that ensued, sometimes nearly in tears, wishing I could I have the space to plant. Maybe I was being a suck or feeling sorry for myself, but once I was bitten by the bug so to speak, it was very frustrating. I think that's why I've gone completely gung-ho in such a short time, haha.
And yes, I'm sure I bore some people I know to tears with my "plant talk". The only people that seem to get it, are the folks on here and my grandmother (boy could she ever garden when she was able).
Linda, it really makes a wonderful difference when you have a supportive partner doesn't it? If my DH started complaining or anything, it would really cramp my style. He even signed us both up for the family membership with the Ontario Rock Garden Society. And to top it off, he wants to go to the next monthly meeting they're having. I'm sitting here shaking my head and starting to wonder what he's really after, lol. Could it be possible that I'm rubbing off on him? Hmmmm, I even caught him topping up the water for my coleus cuttings......this is scaaarrry!
Erynne
Enjoyed your description. I'm not so bad simply because i haven't started any seeds yet - but this weekend it starts. I have some lights and managed to kill off a lot of the violets that usually live under them with an unsuccessful battle with aphids (why do I bring plants in from the garden?), but it means I'll have space for some seedlings.
Ann
Be c-a-r-e-f-u-l!!!!
I started out like this & lo & behold have now been operating a nursery (albeit a "micro-nursery" - I refuse to expand to hired/non-family personnel) for 10 years now. Be careful what you wish for, LOL!
This year we are actually taking a hiatus & I am feeling rather lost & even kind of guilty WITHOUT (literally) thousands of seedlings everywhere. But our personal garden has been dreadfully neglected & we are going to tackle getting our own yard area back in order (EVERYTHING needs to be re-dug & de-quackgrassed - we have way too many flowerbeds & we aren't getting any younger, sigh ...)
Anyway, I'll add another vote to "normal". Take your sister a big bunch of flowers now & then & she'll get over it!
Erynne, you are completely, 100% normal. lol
The little seedlings, dahlias and caladiums are No. One right now in this household. Even some houseplants are delegated to the sidelines. I've got clip-on light fixtures attached to just about anything near the windows.
Would love to have a greenhouse. Ah, sweet dreams.
Joan
Hi All,
I am Erynne's little sister Rhonda.
The best part of Erynne's hobby (addiction) is that I will benefit by getting a ton of flowers and plants. Then when she comes over she starts planting everything and before I know it I have got a beautiful garden. I stand back and don't get in her way while this goes on.
I have been telling Erynne she needs to look into opening her own nursery since it is her passion.
Welcome Rhonda! Every cloud has a silver lining, even plant addictions! Nice to see another potential addict here :-)
--Ginny
Welcome Rhonda, and having gardeners in theh family are alwats a good thing.
Would you look at that, she fills in the zone finally but manages to wipe out where she's from. Silly girl.
I did do some gardening for Rhonda last year before I actually got my house and would be more than happy to add some more plants BUT she's gonna have to get her hands dirty this time!!!!! Artemesia does spectacularly in Rhonda's garden....big, pouffy bunches!
Erynne
Yup, you're normal. I have cold frame filled with seedlings, houseplants in my bedroom, in the living room and invading the spare room, Caladiums under the end table in the living room not to mention a hosta in the LR as well........oh yeah....and lily scales in the closet. At this time of year I don't shut up about gardening(sometimes my famly tells me too, most of the time they listen though) and I have to go outside many times through out the day to check the garden, even though its the same as it was 15 minutes ago! Sometimes I stand there gawking at it, and the neighbors must wonder what I'm doing... And Zeus, I know JUST what you mean! We just can't tell people what it is and move on.....oh, no....thats just not possible. A true plant nut understands a true plant nut. People who arn't as crazy as us just might not understand why WE HAVE TO HAVE THAT PLANT!
Steve
My all-time favourite neighbour comment was years ago when I lived in a small fishing village north of here, and was asked:
"Why do you want another Clematis, don't you already have one of those?"
More seeds started every day. And more germinating which means I'm moving them around to keep those that haven't germinated under cover. My husband is also afraid they are taking over.
Ann
Zeus, that is too hilarious.!!! LOL LOL LOL!!!!! I can almost hear your neighbor saying it!
Steve