Gardener's True Confessions

I saw this suggested on the Canadian forum, and I couldn't resist - especially since being chided for fussing over my winter-sown seeds.

Anyway, 'fess up. To what extreme measures have you gone to protect a plant/garden?

Well, I don't think this qualifies as extreme but my son was nice enough to bring me home some burlap bags so I'd have something to store my onions and potatoes in and when he wasn't home, I cut them up to cover my rosemary in a desperate attempt to overwinter them. The next time I saw him a gave him a weak smile and a shrug! He was fine with it but I haven't seen another burlap bag! (I'll have to resort to blackmail-homemade peanutbutter cookies may work! lol)

Ok, now lets hear some good stories!!!
Sue

I don't think I have anything very extreme. I do snowblow the snow off the shady area of my lawn that is last to melt in late winter. It helps it dry off better and take the wear and tear from the kids.

Well I did once read that deer are frightened off by nude gardeners, so...

Victor! What are we going to do with you? Such a role model...........

Do the plastic bags over the tops of the tree roses count as being OC?

I use stockings to protect my paw paw fruits, but I would hardly call that extreme. Of course, I also use stockings for 'leggy' plants.

When I was very young and DH and I lived in a very small 2 room basement suite, I rented the suite across the hall (one room furnished suite) as a place to grow my plants :-)

Victor, Is that why we didn't have the deer problems in the seventies?! Maybe we ought to get streaking back into the forefront again!lol!!

Victor, You have a paw paw?! I tried one at my old house and it didn't make it and I've been thinking of them since, How does it grow? Do you have it in sun or under big trees?
Most important, do you know that " you don't need to use a claw when you pick a pair of the big paw paws" ?

Hey Dave - I have two growing in full sun in my pool area. Doing well - though most of the fruits come from one. Last year I had about 10 or so. Unique taste and texture. I like them. Very sloppy eating though. I like the look of the trees as well. Very tropical looking leaves.

I found the thread that we had last year that seems to tie in well with this theme. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/582669/ Another "true confessions" of the OCD green thumb.

We all miss Dena - she was the perfect straight man(woman). I did have to put the heater back out by my tubers on the porch today in fact as some cold and windy weather is coming.

does having 6 miniature roses, 2 clematis, 3 flats with growing seeds growing inside my bedroom count as extreme? my bedroom is not really warm (61 right now) comfortable ... well to me it is...
and how about having 3 flats with newly planted seeds in the bathroom around the heater??? well, they are protected there...

I am new so I have not done many crazy things yet...

Victor, if naked gardeners will keep deers away I should schedule times for my 3 nephews to go outside...

I heard that human urine will keep scank aways... I wonder it would work against other creatures too...

Scanks? What is a scank? Is it anything like a skunk? or is it like a newt?

Not exactly protecting my garden, but I did embarrass my family by deadheading at the Roger Williams Zoo (DAD!! Please!). Most interesting was when I removed the dead flower stalk from a rather prehistoric looking plant that turned out to be fake.

i've seen a lot of scanks in my time, but never in a garden! i'd have thought they were more of a city street problem...

; )

amy

I think those were skanks - that's the name brand variety.

Dave - I think I might be siding with the other 47's on that one.

Good one Dave - deadheading a fake plant!

My family will never forget it, or let me.
It was a dinosaur exhibit within the zoo. Large fake tropical mixed in with real vegetation. Next thing I knew I had a 3 foot fake stalk in my hand that I had just detatched from the plant.

Dave47 - I just bet you that the dinasours were fake, too! Shame on the zoo - trying to trick the public. Did you call Heraldo and report them?

I think it's hysterical, Dave, and applaud the zoo for having such realistic foliage.

Pirl, That is a very nice, polite way to put it!

OK, now. This is supposed to work like this: I told you an embarrassing gardening moment, now you are supposed to share one of yours...

My entire life is an embarassment! Do you want me to start at the beginning or do you just want the highlights?

Is that how it works Dave? Keep going - I'll think of something eventually.

Other then thinking running over the plant supplies and plants last weekend ( a total meltdown).

My very 1st garden I bent over to pick a weed. Just as I did my husband pegged a rock
( tiny one) and hit me in the hiny. At that point my hand was just at the weed and I got hit with the rock and about a half foot away from my hand was a snake. 2 1/2" feet long snake brown and yellow. I think a garter but a big garter.

Words were flying all around and I looked and acted like Red Skelton - Clem Kadiddlehopper......

Funny Clem K. story!

OK, Dave, you asked for it: I wanted three clematis for my magnolia tree to keep the exact same colors going and believed the colors on the outside of the cardboard paper box...... that faced west.....in September....at the end of season sale at Agway. It bloomed purple and is 'The President', not at all the ultra light orchid (which isn't even part of a magnolia flower but I thought it was!).....but the other two a pink and a white do keep the color going.

Now that's better.
Al, don't worry. I think most of us remember so many of your embarrassing moments.

I'm waiting for the creator of this thread to fess up!

I did! Look! 7th response from the top :-)

Oh yeah. That was pretty hardcore.

Ok...I'll fess up on ONE of my bad garden moves.
We had a tree snap during a bad storm one winter, so when spring came I had it removed. The guy got most of the roots out w/the stump but did tell me some broke off. Knowing this, and wanting to put a flower bed where the tree had been..I began digging the rest of the roots up. I was digging and pulling at the roots as I unearthed more and more roots. I got hold of one root and it was trailing onto the lawn. Well I couldn't get a grip on it as it had a lot of mud so I took my gloves off and grabbed and started pulling like a mad women. I got it after an hour and 25ft of root, but it wasn't tree roots I had been pulling...it was POISON IVY. That was a costly mistake as I ended up at in the E.R and was miserable for quite a few weeks!

Oh Lord!

I really feel your pain Pixie. Before I got into a garden, my husband would go to work on Friday evenings in 2004. He said - Pick Those Weeds, Then Pick Those Weeds. I picked the weeds.

The second week after picking weeds - the itching started. I ended up in the ER also, not once, but twice. My husband felt really bad as I carried out his command. He did not know it was posion ivy, nor did I and he still feels bad.

I did not deal with a root. I delt with weeds (there was runners or roots that I pulled). If it has 3 leaves - get the heck out.

I'm itchin' to hear more stories!

Oh Dave!

My last bad experience.

I got the new garden 48' by ? , last year. On a hot summer night I was sweating my butt off. I had to sit down.

Must of been brain dead, as I sat on a metal little fence protetcing the garden - thinking it was a wooden bench.

I sat. The little metal fence gave way. I was on the ground. I could not move. I could not roll right or left as it had enough force to keep me on my back. I could not go forward as the land grade would not let me. "IF" I rolled backwards I would of ended up head over heals down into the wetland with the frogs.

All I could do is yell for HELP. My husband did come and pull me up and everyone that was in the yard was LTFAO. It was like an out door Movie Theather, and I could of charged everyone for what they saw. I would be a millionaire.

Now that's a good story!

Remember the old commercial or was it saturday night live?? "help I've fallen and I can't get up" LOL

One more confession......

I AM NOT THE EASTER BUNNY
but I'm gonna pretend! Like my feet?? This is gonna be a bit tricky...DH still has to drill holes through them and put the velcro on them so I can strap them to my boots. We have 12" of snow (maybe less now that some has melted) and a smart 8 yr. old Grandaughter. So DH & I thought we would make Bunny Feet so she doesn't see my boot imprints in the snow. Now the little one is almost 3 but I don't think she would catch it. What do ya think???

This is what I have to tromp through the snow to hide.

A closer look at some of it.......