Friday, March 23

5 Crazy Things (A Gardening Meme)

The County Clerk tagged me for a meme earlier in the week and I am just now getting around to responding. I am to list 5 Crazy Things--things so crazy, that only a gardening addict would admit to them.

I might be overly tolerant, I might just be that comfortable in my own insanity, or I might be well over the line into delusional... but I really don't think that any of my gardening behavior is all that unreasonable.

Because of this, I had to ask my boyfriend for a little help making this list. (I'm not too sure that it's a good thing that he could come up with so many contributions, but since he hasn't run out the door yet I suppose he's not completely horrified.) Here, then, is the list:

1. Gardening at Night. This is not a new idea--in fact, REM wrote a song about it in 1982--but it still gets me strange looks from the neighbors. Sometimes I do it because I'm still playing in the yard long past sundown, sometimes I do it to enjoy the garden in relative peace and quiet, and sometimes I do it to escape the heat of the day. I admit that it's much easier to do in my new house, because there's more light pollution in the city and thus less chance that I will accidentally weed out a self-seeder that I would have rather kept.

2. Keeping "all kinds of plant detrius" on the kitchen counter. It does eventually make its way to the compost bins outside, but maybe not that same day it is created. (Note to self: I really need to get one of those compost crocks to better hide said plant detrius.)

3. Trashpicking odd things for garden use. An elderly gentleman once asked me, "What in the world are you going to do with those, young lady?" as I lugged two 12in square chimney tiles to the backseat of my car. They are now snuggled into various parts of my garden, and last year sported a couple of different kinds of mint. This year, I think I'm going to put 'Matrona' sedums or 'Little Spire' perovskia there instead. (I would love to use agaves, but even the cold-hardy ones are marginal here--I can't see them surviving in that kind of exposure.)

4. Planning vacations around gardening season. Spring and fall trips, frankly, are out of the question. All I want to do is spend hours upon hours outside during those times of the year, rain or shine. When the garden is on autopilot during the heat of July? Sure, we can take a weekend away then!

5. Garden Voyeurism. I really fail to see the problem with arranging your morning and evening dog-walks around trash pickup schedules (see #3) or according to which houses/gardens you haven't checked out lately. How else are you going to know if the greyish blue house with the yellow climbing rose decided to set out huge clumps of late-flowering yellow tulips to play off of the first rose blooms again this year?

I also fail to see how asking someone to turn around and drive back down the block slowly-- so you can determine just what that gorgeous silvery plant under someone's weeping cherry tree might be--could possibly be a pain. And, frankly, I would be amused if someone pointed out to me just how nicely someone managed to fit three pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' into their fall landscape, set off by the acid yellow of narrow-leaf blue star (amsonia hubrichtii), as we drove by...

So there you have it. I might have a few quirks when it comes to gardening, but I'm definitely not crazy!

10 comments:

Annie in Austin said...

You're right, Kim - not crazy at all, but you are an overachiever to have reached this level of dedication at such a young age.

BTW, Brookstone offers a cool strap-on headlamp for those Night Gardening needs.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Unknown said...

Annie, I like that... "dedication" instead of "insanity!"

Brookstone, eh? A headlamp would be a fine way of further cementing my, um, dedication in the minds of my neighbors. Cool. :)

Carol Michel said...

I don't think your'e crazy at all! I don't do trash picking, but might confess to some of the other activities, especially planning my various driving/walking routes to see what's at the garden center or what a particular gardener is up to.

Let us know when you get that headlamp hat and how that works out.

David (Snappy) said...

Blackswamp Girl,Your list made me laugh.Some of it was actually in self recognition.I think I may try five irrational garden things too.
Theres nothing wrong with any of those things.Being in the garden when its dark is fun.Everything looks different.Textures, and shapes.The quiet calm is good too after a busy day.Trash picking is good for recycling, and if it works in your garden its better there than a landfill site.
I do admire peoples gardens as well, and plan routes just to see how they are getting on.Great post!

kate said...

If I hadn't known better, I would have thought you were writing about me. I can especially relate to your trash activities! Great post!

Colleen Vanderlinden said...

LOL Kim---I recognized a bit of myself in your confessions, too! The trash picking and walking routes are both things I do, as well, along with making whoever is driving turn around so I can see someone's trash pile again.

You'll look pretty cool in your headlamp :-) Post photos if you ever get one, will ya?

lisa said...

Your list sounds like mine! I tried on purpose not to read anyone else's before I made mine (on Hank's blog), and your list reminded me ofa couple I could have stated...especially planning vacation around gardening! And "trash-picking"? I thought that WAS recycling-it's the term I use, anyhow! I agree with the others-can't wait to see that headlamp!

Unknown said...

Carol, after further study, I don't think that I need a headlamp. Yay! :)

Snappy, good point. Darkness is kind of like snow in that it makes you appreciate shapes and such in the garden differently.

Kate, you'll have to share some of your best garden-related finds on your blog! (I could always use ideas... lol.)

Colleen, I'm still working my way up to being unselconscious enough to post a regular head shot. *grin*

Lisa, I think that I both "trash-pick" and "recycle." I like to call it the former to embarrass my Mom... teehee. (Sorry, Mom!)

Anonymous said...

I do love gardening at night, especially in the heat of the summer - but you know, I have a snake problem (meaning I don't just have snakes, but I have copperheads and rattlesnakes on ocassion) and they always come out at night here in the summer months...and...well, I don't consider myself a whimp, but I don't handle snakes particularly well (plus, I have a very old and very blind dog that is snake-prone I'm guessing!).

Kerri said...

You are entirely sane and terribly normal!! :)
Today at school I fished 3 plastic cupcake containers from the garbage can to use for seed starting. They'll be perfect!
My hubby very sweetly stops the car for me to see (and take photos of) wild flowers or a certain plant when I ask him.
Planning vacations and weekends away around gardening season makes perfect sense to me.
Gardening at night and saving scraps for the compost heap? Nothing strange about that.
Kim, you're just a typical plant-loving gardener!
I wish I could find a couple of those chimney tiles!

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