Hi! I just received my contract for next year - big pay raise after getting tenure (well - big for me! LOL) And mother's day is coming, and then my birthday . . .
I want to be prepared. Say you had $150.00 or so to spend - what would you recommend I suggest to DH for a combined mother's day/birthday present?
I was thinking of that seed sowing rack that a I read about in a thread (uses baker's rack, florescent lighting etc.) But you may have other suggestions that would prove more useful.
Most useful garden item?
If you have a basement you can set up a seed starting system for thousands of seeds with sawhorses, 4 x 8's and lighting and I doubt if it would cost $150.
I guess it all depends on what you love doing best. If your joy is in the garden then maybe a nice bench, a lovely arbor (with roses or clematis or both), something that will thrill you each time you see it - whether it's a tree, a piece of art, beautiful containers - the list is long. Enjoy whatever you decide on and congratulations on getting tenure and the happy pay raise.
Congrats, Seandor. I wouldn't attempt to answer that one. It's so individual. Look at your overall plan and see what bigger items are in your dream. As a newbie, avoid the temptation to go crazy adding gazillions of plants, especially smaller ones. If you plan on adding any trees and large shrubs, I would concentrate on that first. Same for hardscapes, structures such as arbors, trellis and benches, etc., and new beds and paths. Think big to small, unless none of these things are in the plan and you have all the beds you need.
Hi Victorgardener . . . as to having all the beds I need . . I have all the beds DH can cope with at the moment. He generously cut into his lawn to build the fragrance garden. I think I will have to wait a year or two, before I can work on him to tear up more of the lawn for a full sunshine garden. :-) (Working on it though).
I really like the idea of germinating things - and giving them away. I know I can't have every plant - but I can try to germinate every plant and find homes for them. As I have said elsewhere - I live in a terrific neighbourhood. There are 88 homes in total. I am sure I can find homes for just about everything I try. :-)
In my dreams, these two blocks become one extended garden - overflowing with flowers. We also have a big, largely unlandscaped terrace to work on.
I want to try roses, and shrubs, and annuals, and perennials, and stuff for pots and stuff for baskets. Just for fun.
I figure if I get good at this, I can ask people to donate one bag of seed starter (about $2) and a small bag of potting soil (about $3) in exchange for plants - minimize the cost to me - lots of little plants for them.
Is this a dumb idea? I know it won't happen over night - but I expect I will live here for another 20 years, and a person can accomplish a lot in 20 years, taking it one step at a time.