Are you over the gardening edge?

A year ago my favorite palm tree started talkin' back to me, getting mouthy and whatnot. So I started giving it more water than it could take...it knew what I was doing but it couldn't stop me. It got sicker and sicker and finally died. I put it in an old rocking chair in an unused back room, facing a window with curtains. After a few months, my neighbors smelled it decaying and called the cops on me...but I had already buried it in the backyard flowerbed, beneath the roses, whose fragrance hid the stench of the palm tree corpse from the cadaver dogs. I've got a new palm, but now it's started to complain about neglect.

Before I get banned, I should say that my entire post was a joke, and in no way serious, nor an endorsement for 'planticide'.

I had to vote other. I was torn between these two options:

I am positive I am already 'over the edge' with my plants. Although I do plan vacations around my plants, the adult kids and grands are so used to it, they don't even think I am 'over the edge'.

They always have to give me two weeks notice to come visit them as it takes me that long to get everything watered outside very well and fill all reservoirs on the inside for wicking and setting the timers on the lights.

A lot of the options did apply but the one that really stood out is checking the garden before family! LOL!!
It is the last thing I look at in the morning before driving off and the first thing I am checking out when driving up. I sometimes think the door could be off the hinges and I would never see it..... but let that plant get trampled and I will notice.
Oh, and I walk throught the house and out to check the parsley, dill, and other host plants for caterpillars I am raise too. Right now it is Black Swallowtails in my 'nursery'.

I picked #3, for the fact that I actualy do go into a mourning period after the first frost that lasts most of the winter :) I could have picked at least 3 of the answers though.

Steven.

lol@peaches

I actually postponed a trip to Denver for my dad's 65th birthday in March--that's prime planting season here! Can't miss getting all my little veggie seeds in the ground, right? And besides, he'll have another birthday next year...

My hub's calls me "The Ninja Gardener" because he says he can be looking at me while I garden but he he turns away for just one second I disappear into the surrounding.*G*

P

When I get home, I grab the dogs and we run out to the yard,and the cats go to the back porch,they check out their spots and I check on mine,just starting to get serious on the yard,the house took the first few years when I bought it.And thanks to the great people on here,at the Waxahachie R/U, I have more new plants to look at.
And,I had a serious coop month,waiting to get outside,now hostas,sedums,clematis and more to grow.Becki

It's my place of solitude. I go there w/ a cup of coffee just to sit & 'reflect'! :D

I used to be the only one with 'plant fever', but now in our 2nd year of gardening, even MrHenani goes to the garden before he comes inside to see me (I work at home) and we peruse the beds in the mornings together, and even do 'slug patrol' at night together...LOL! So be careful, it IS infectious :D

How I wish I could check "disappear into the garden in the morning and reappear at sunset..." One day, that WILL be me (or maybe us...ha!)

I take pictures of my garden at various stages from starting seedlings inside right through to harvest. My garden is caged to keep critters out and I can't wait to get in the garden first thing every morning as soon as the sun comes up. I love being in there while everyone is still asleep. I read about gardening when I can't garden in the winter and I draw out my garden in March. I plant more veggies than I can fit...and yet I make them fit. I love the smell of my plants....especially the tomato plants and I LOVE digging in the dirt and can't resist buying veggie plants either. I love, love LOVE my veggie garden! I get excited about horse poop because all I see is gardener's gold! Yeah, everyone thinks I'm crazy, but they love the results of my madness! :o)

I check that all members of my family are breathing and happy, then go outside to check the garden.

However, I checked the "mourning period after first frost" option. Although, this winter may not be so bad, since I have added another heat mat, a thermostat, and two shop lights to my collection . . .

I had to mark "check on the garden before family members" because the first thing I do each morning is let the dog out and roam my garden, and my kids even know that when we get home from school, I'm going to roam the garden again before I even get the front door unlocked. I love it when they take the time to walk around the house with me, checking out what is sprouting or blooming. The sense of wonder on their faces this spring when we lifted the leaf mulch to see the bulbs poking their noses up was priceless!

Peaches, I'm gonna send someone over to check on that new palm tree. You could lose custody. (Cackle, cackle, I've always wanted a palm tree.)

Glad I'm not the only one who leaves her briefcase in the car and heads to the garden! My dog meets me there-- my family just waits til I get inside. I need that few minutes to adjust to my "home" self.

Can't help it gardening comes first vacations are a little lower on the list. and if I don't answer the phone they know I'm in the garden. It is kind of sad when the first killing frost hits but by then I usually have enough put away for the winter that I am actually relieved. Then I can turn all the vines and stalks into the compost pile.
I haven't named any pets after any flowers yet. We do have a resident cat that I might consider naming after a weed or a pest of some sort. If I'm in the garden so is it. If we want to sit out side on the patio. yup that is where it is too. It just kind of adopted us to take care of it. For that it rubs our legs. and is always where we want to step. And it don't like mice. But like most outdoor cats it does eat crickets and grasshoppers. So we tolerate each other. I guess I should make a little house for it to sleep in when it is cold.

Yes, to all the above--well I didn't name any kids of pets for the flowers. I just framed a photo I took of one of my roses before seeing this. LOL!

Hmmm... Just as many other replies, I am guilty of almost all of them....however, the one I am notorious for is heading for the garden right after I get home from work... My family knows it - if they want to see me they just come out of the house and talk to me outside...he-heee... But it's so nice out there - it's a pleasure to be there and have a nice conversation, and just relax after a hard day at work....

I usually drive up, run through the house into my room, change within seconds and out the door into the garden. All the cats wait patiently for me to get home, change and get to the back door. That's when they line up by the door and start looking at me with those sad puppy eyes begging me to let them out... he-hee... The dog goes out first and then go the cats: I do a head count to make sure I know how many I need to bring back when it gets dark....one cat, two , three ....(I have five...) - they run out the door one by one and scatter in different directions...I do my tour, always have my camera of course....then I start digging in the garden, occasionally chasing cats away from my flowerbeds - they try to pretend it's their bathroom every now and then....for this "crime" they get grounded for the rest o the day and get taken back into the house.

The dog knows the command "out of the flowers" and "where's the rabbit?" and chases rabbits away from the flowerbeds on command.

Haven't named kids or pets after flowers yet, but do make up nicknames for plants...created flowerbeds or planted trees in the name of someone... - a teardrop shaped flowerbed named "Sammy's garden" in a memory of a lost and most beloved cat, we suspect he was killed by nasty neighbours or coyotes.

Then I usually disappear and my family goes out on a quest to find me in the garden, the fastest way to find me is to call my cell phone which I carry in my pocket while gardening.

My 5 year old now has his pumpkin patch and his flowerbed which he takes care of. He knows common names of many plants and bugs .
A bit more time will go by and I will add caterpillars to my "family" which I grow during summertime - I don't have any yet.

I do get sad when frost kills my plants but try to take cuttings of many of them - so during winter I still have something to do - growing plants under lights.

I was the first one on the last one, and have no idea why I was up so early!

The very first thing I do is walk the yard when I get home. Hate having to stop on the way. What if something needs watered? Or what if a branch fell on something? lol The mind places tricks on you when you are trying to get home, but you are sitting in 4 lanes of stop and go traffic for an hour!!

I plan my whole day (my whole life? LOL) around the garden. Meals can wait...plants need watering. Can't buy groceries... I have to get these seedlings planted. No clean clothes?... well, I HAD to get the fertilizer on that back bed. You get the idea and it probably sounds familiar. DH is used to it. He only complains if he's really hungry or there's no clean underwear ;0)

I didn't think I was over the edge - but as I was reading posts - My cat is Jasmine - I always check out Mom's yard before I go in. I do consider the garden (&houseplants) when I schedule vacation - so I guess I am a bit over the edge - but---
LOL @ peaches post - I'm glad you clarified - when I read you first one - I was thinking is this a joke or has this poor girl really lost it
Esther

Peachespickett - too, too funny!!!

I don't think I'm over the edge yet, but I can see it in the "not so far" distance. I've only been seriously gardening for about a year now, but my deck has not been "company ready" for 3 months now - it's my plant nursery until I get a greenhouse! And I can't seem to stop buying plants & starting seeds, even tho I don't have beds ready & don't know where I'm going to put them. :(

But the naming of critters after plants? hehehe I have 3 new kittens to name, so guess what? lolol

My cats' names are Lily and Lupin. Also, I'm a hoya lover and now a collector .... my next cat's bound to have a very weird name!!

I remember visiting a garden nursery one time, and the resident cat was there. As I was talking to him, a nursery worker came by and told me his name was Clem, short for Clematis.

Other. I work at a nursery driving through fields of plants. I get home and slowly walk past my garden checking it as I go by. Inside I check PF and plan my next PF photo run, then check PF error reports. What was the question?

Perfect answer! I find it hard to spend time here because I want to be out in the garden.

I could have definitly said all of the above! I choose mourning after the first frost, though because I am inconsolable for a while after the first frost. Then, I grab ALL my seed catalouges, go online to seed web sites and start planning (dreaming, really). I plan to build a greenhouse this fall so I won't have to mourn too bad next year!

During bloom time I get up grab the coffee and go outside, In my jammies.. My neighbors are probably used to me taking photos in my jammies but I am sure they are wondering what I am doing when I am running around pollinating

I had to vote other in lieu of all of the above and then some.

All the above applied to me also. Have beautiful pictures of our veggies entered in the county fair with numerous ribbons, they sit next to the pictures of my grandkids. I have to head out to the garden to see if any 'four legged bandits' ie Deer got to anything. I'm at war with them and don't have the electric fence up yet. They've already ate 2 tomatoe plants, more concerned when the okra gets up, they about demolished my crop last year. I'm a garden addict, if the weather is bad I will drive around the garden and check things from the car window!! I have 5 large gardens with driveways between them, can't miss much. Critters were named Sunshine, Thunder and Lightening.

Several of these apply to me, but the long winters really get me down. This year I went on several trips to the South while winter was still raging here. Went on an azalea/camellia trip, then two different iris trips. When I got home, it was warm enough to work outdoors! Hope to do the same next year.
I also try to hit a botanical garden every place I visit -- if there is one. Last two were Huntington Gardens in LA Area and Bellingrath Gardens in S. Alabama. Both magnificent.

I had to go with "disappear in the garden", although most apply to me. Get up at 5am, send hubby off by 5:30, feed pets (3 dogs, 6 cats) by 6 and out to the gardens I go, not to reappear until hubby returns home!(Until I found this web site!!)

would have voted for 'You display framed pictures of - your flowers - !


but 'disappear in the garden'................. when not at work......

OK. My name is Juanita and I'm a gardenolic. First thing in the morning since early January I have been getting up and reaching for the basement door. I descend into the abyss and sit on a wooden work bench placed before two light drenched benches filled with underage seedlings. I've tried to get my daughter off the school first, but I just can't help myself, I go there first and just stare.

Now that the seedlings have left the basement and are out of doors I keep my golf cart parked at the side door so I can slip out and cruise the garden, proudly and shamelessly waving at neighbors, hoping they will see the new beds and earthboxs we have created over the winter.

Lusting after the sight of plants and pride in ownership. There you have it. I'm one of you.

By the way, I have a whole album full of daylily pictures. Want to see them?

Most of them apply. I loved the quiz!

Lilygardener -"By the way, I have a whole album full of daylily pictures. Want to see them?"

Do you carry it around with you??? ;)

SCNewbie - Do you carry it around with you???

Maybe.

hehehehe :)))))