While pruning shrub roses with bare arms and no gloves, I have come to think of gardening as an extreme sport for people with slow reflexes. -Gardengrrl
As you all know I have been really busy with overtime and such. A blog with cute puppies can only stay up for so long. Even my Mom has mentioned something about writing a new blog. So when SP left a comment in the Roxie blog, I knew it was time. (there is a little private joke in that statement.)
This spring the new extreme gardening sport at my house is called "Speed Gardening" To play, you have to work nights, have little time on your hand, love gardening almost as much as life itself and find time to fit it in.
Start with being so so sleep deprived you are the clinical equivalent of someone doing Redbull and Vodka shots. Pick a gorgeous spring day morning after a long shift. Careen into the Walmart Garden Center at 7:00am with a credit card and a need to plant something.
Buy all the pretty flowers that are on-sale. (They had little 6-packs of petunias, dianthus, marigolds and allyseum for $1.50) Grab a few frost scorched geraniums that have been marked down along with some strawberry, mint and pepper plants.
Drive home fast, but carefully without causing too many accidents or tipping the plants over in the backseat. (points deducted for spilt dirt or legal problems).
Now, lumber, lurch and maybe do a couple happy skips through the yard randomly planting things as fast as possible before you collapse on the lawn.
Skip shower, just wash hands and go to bed until awakened to take dog to obediance class. It's dark outside right now. Can't wait to get some real sleep and see what it actually looks like when I get up this afternoon.
So, what's your extreme gardening story?
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Too cold to start gardening here on the prairie.
Have a good day
Sounds exhausting... but very much like the day I have planned. Just walked dogs, time for shower, run to pick up a couple of baby gifts, home, garden, shower again, dinner... Gosh, I'm already exhausted. Maybe I need a nap!
Have a good weekend!
I was wondering what you were doing posting comments in the middle of the night. heck didn't know you had started a blog after doing "night owl" yard work.
I worked night shift for 2 years so I do understand being a "night person" LOL
You are determinded to garden!
You go girl. Hope you got some sleep today.
thanks for stopping by.
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Points deducted for spilt dirt on the back seat!! Oh, great... I have lost my points today then!! I went past a farm shop today on my way back from the park. They sold vegetables /fruit etc, but also plants and bags of compost. I purchased some spring bedding plants and three bags of multi compost. Two went in the boot with the plants and one on the back seat. Unfortunately, the one on the back seat had a split in it!! Soil everywhere by the time I got home!! :(
GG, $1.50 for a six-pack?! In this area I couldn't even buy half of a single petunia!
As I am writing this note, I am listening to the news. They just talked about the rescue of a dog who fell through the ice (river? lake?). They strung ladders across until a rescuer reached Gigi. Gigi held on to the rescuer while they were pulled back by other rescuers. They both made it back safely. This happened in Revere, MA, a place that I used to visit frequently when I lived in that State. Hurrah for Gigi and the rescuers! I love feel good stories even if they are not a garden story.
Am currently sprouting lots of thyme under the grow lights inside the house. Seeing as that is what is lacking these days thought I'd grow a bunch of it. lol.
Have a great week folks :)
Hi Plapman, Roxie says "woof" to Abby.
Hi Beachfoxx, time does seem to be shrinking. I often think of your YOLO saying and find something fun in between all the work.
Hi Seflagamma, your garden projects are looking great. You Grow Girl! :)
Hey Sandi, uh-oh point deduct for spillage. Now you are going to have to prune your roses without gloves to make-up points. Bonus points for just rubbing a little dirt on thorn sticks to stop the bleeding. Huge deduction if your tetanus shots are not current.
Hi Prosepina, great story. It says a lot about a society that will go to such great lengths to help save another life. These are the people I like to hear about :)
My most extreme gardening story would have to be the chipmunk-on-a-stick. Lessons learned ~ always wear leather gloves when handling a wild critter. AND never hold the critter in a postion where it can run down the front of your body.
BTW, Harry has crawled out of his winter hidey hole and sends his regards! He's been spotted on the garden wall watching over 'his' compost pile.
I figured since I'm still up and it's disaster tomorrow a.m. anyhow with the time change and all, I'd stop by with my story. It's not really MY gardening story, since the plants ended elsewhere, but I did get to deal with dirt spillage in the car, weird looks from people and a lot of lifting and toting, which ought to be good for something.
I finally figured I wasn't going to get my poor plumeria anywhere outside the Houston city limits because I can't get out of town until I figure out some way to (1) provide backup care for mom and (2) get mom to agree to backup care. (I seriously was going to offer an extreme mother story in lieu of extreme gardening, but discretion, valor and all that....)
So, since the plants just had to have a new home where they could get sunshine, I started scanning the horizon. The friends who once wanted them lost their house in Ike and aren't quite ready for messing with flowers. Some other folks I offered them to said, "Oh, yeh. They'd be nice." They got rejected because of lack of enthusiasm. I don't send my plants to just any home.
Finally, the woman who runs the garden/floral center at our local grocery walked by and I thought: huh. She'll do. I asked, and she was thrilled. She'd lost everything too, plantwise, but had new beds and was ready to roll. The rest is history. I dumped the pots, shook off the dirt, got them in the car without breaking anything and got them over to the gocery store. They're happy, she's happy and I'm happy. Wonderful outcome.
Now, as for my gardening - well my geraniums look fantastic - coral, white and red. And I pruned the cape honeysuckle within an inch of its life - waaaaay back - and it's putting out new growth all over the place. I'll have to wait a little longer for flowers since it blooms on new growth, but they will be much happier. I cut back my Hawaiian scheffleria (sp?)and the poor ficus that had body rot over the winter is fine. So, as soon as I get some cat grass planted for Dixie, I'll be done.
The community garden we were talking about isn't going to happen - the land we found is out in the sticks with no water source available other than rain, and THAT doesn't seem so smart right now. I'll just admire everyone else's stories and maybe grab some begonias down the road. Somebody has to keep grocery store produce sections in business!
Can't wait to see how your plans progress, and I sure hope you get some rain this weekend. Somebody deserves it~
EDIT: I forgot! I may have an extreme gardening story. All of my cactus need to be repotted, including the weird one that's four feet tall, globby and weighs in at about 40 pounds, potted. Yee-haw! It's full body armor time.
Abby enjoyed the "woof" and "woofs" back.
Enjoy Sunday
My iris's are all starting to burst into spring. The morning walk around the yard as the sun is coming up brings joyful new discoveries every day.
Hi Jane, yes up in your area spring is still hiding until April. The good news is that you get a bunch of those pretty plants that won't grow down here in the heat like Lilacs, lilly of the valley, bleeding hearts, blueberries and strawberries....okay with lots of work we can sort of grow them but the poor plants are none too happy about it.
Hey Prose, thanks for stopping by. Hope you aren't getting round two of extreme weather.
JD, the chipmonk-on-a-stick is one of the all time great extreme gardening adventures. Glad to know you bff is back for the season :)
Hi Sig, I need to catch up with you and see how all your new changes are going. Thats some dedication to plant in the cold.
Hi Shore, ya know, when I'm a bit sleep deprived I go back and forth between really cranky and everything is funny. When I read your comment last night I actually spit coffee on the screen laughing about alternate extreme story. Thanks, I needed that.
Good Morning Plapman, Roxie is jumping up and trying to make me play with her as I type.
looks like your area has really nice weather going on now. Not sure if you are in the "drought" area of Texas or not but I think most of Texas like most of Florida can use rain.! Good luck on your landscaping and flowers!
Just stopping by to say Hello!
Today I went to the garden shop and bought a bunch of pansies and primroses. They are ready to be planted the moment that we get some warmer weather. I am also ready with fertilizer for all of the flower beds. I have so much to do to get the yard ready for 'outdoor living'.
Yesterday the Wayside Gardens catalog has arrived and as usual it is a feast for the eyes. From the Hydrangeas on the cover to the Buddleia in the back the catalog is a treasure of visual pleasure. But then I find most garden catalogs a source of enjoyment.
How is your gardening coming along?
Hope your work week is going well, gg :)
Oh, wait! When I was a teenager I wanted strawberries and my mom didn't so while she was gone for the day I went to the garden store, bought a bunch of plants, raced home and shoved them in the ground. It was pretty speedy!
I had no idea what I was doing so it's a miracle they survived the trauma, let alone lived long enough to produce fruit. Yummy ;)
Friday is the first day of our gardening waste collection. We have big green Wheelie bins which we can fill with weeds, clippings, grass old plants etc. Mine has some 'overwinter' content, but I want to get the overgrown ivy and honeysuckle chopped back and into the bin before 7am Friday. We pay £12 a year for the fortnightly collection from the middle of March until the end of December. (They take it away to compost.)
It saves having to take it to the tip, and there is a limit to the amount you can compost in a small garden.
Your week should soon be over... hope it hasn't been too difficult.
I did plant the pansies and the primroses. I hope that they start growing fast, they need cold temperatures and around here it doesn't stay cold for very long once spring arrives.
I also did other chores in the yard, now I have a good excuse not to prepare any supper for hubby! I am tired!
Take care.
That thing talks to me...the leaves droop and say "Water me, Please." and then they stand straight up, saying, "Thanks, that was good!"
Is this where I play Annie and break out into "Tomorrow..."?
Glad you're all freezer-full and tidied up. Me, I've been having interminable discussions with the Parent about TheRestofOurLives. Good gosh. Imagine every funny thing you can about that reality. Now, multiply times a factor of a whole bunch. Now, add a dollop of whipped insanity and a sprinkling of nutty preconceptions. That's pretty much it! Happy Friday! I'm off to rest up a bit....
The tomato tower was extreme (esp if you asked a nieghbor). They'd probibly say the potato patch is extremely lazy. I'm kinda suprised Mrs Jones hasn't gone on an extreme tantrum over it.
The tooth I'm getting pulled next week has started to abcess again so I burned twelve hours of vacation to get some much needed rest. It was sooo worth it.
Hi Gams, We finally got our rain. Hope to send some to Florida and Georgia.
Hey Prose, Beautiful crocus pictures in your blog. I'm going to have to research if they will do okay in our clay soil. The grass goes dormant and it would be great to fill the lawn full of crocus in early spring.
Hi SP, thats a great story. Now I want to hear the other things you did to rebel as a teenager :)
Hi Sandi, Thats great they come to pick up your yard waste. Do they have a big community compost pile then? I can imagine if they bulldozed it around to turn it over it would be nice to haul back to your yard after awhile.
Hi Penguin, sounds like a tough year. Yeah you might want to invest in more talking plants. They are easier to care for.
Hey Shore, sorry I hogged all the rain. Perhaps I could send you some of the fruits from it; matzo ball soup, chili, cake, bread....
Hi, my crocus grow in clay soil and any kind of soil. They do need cold weather. There are also Fall crocus that are just as pretty. The pistils or stamens of the Fall crocus are what we know as Saffron.
Happy vegetable gardening this year. Do you have any asparagus in your veggie garden? Wishing you a very nice day.
Abby has the problenm of getting wet and dirty after a rain. It seems she needs mud flaps on her front paws.
Have a good Friday
And then there is this:
"A biologist, a physicist, and a mathematician were sitting in a street café watching the crowd. Across the street they saw a man and a woman entering a building. Ten minutes later they reappeared together with a third person.
“They have multiplied,” said the biologist. “Oh no, an error in measurement,” the physicist sighed. “If exactly one person enters the building now, it will be empty again,” the mathematician concluded."
We have a glorious day here. For the first time this year I sat outside to have my first coffee. I enjoyed the spring flowers I had arranged on the corner of the decking, and listened to the fluting notes of the song thrush serenading me from the top of the tree.
AH, Spring has sprung!!!
Have a great Sunday :))
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