Monday, December 8, 2008

Compulsive Gardeners: Top Ten List


It all started one night with an email from a gardener friend:

On Yahoo there was a headline that I thought I read as Compulsive Gardening Threatens Savings for Older Americans. I can relate to that--however, it was Compulsive Gambling, which I can't relate to at all!

We see what we want to see....

Catherine

This led to a midnight flurry of emails between the two of us, resulting in:

Top Ten Signs That You Are A Compulsive Gardener

1) You know the specialties of nurseries and garden shops in a 50-mile radius, and when they have their sales.

2) You always have a gardening book on your night stand.

3) You buy plants just because you like their names (e.g., Society Garlic).

4) Dethatching the lawn seems like a better use of funds than insulating the house.

5) You resent having to travel out of town for the milestone birthday parties of beloved relatives because you really need to stay home and water during a heat wave.

6) Buying 50 bulbs of one variety of Narcissus is a thrifty choice (bulk discount!)--not an extravagance.

7) You sit in the movie theater, as everyone else is leaving, to catch the end of the credits and find out which garden was a film location.

8) You argue with trained horticulturists about Latin names (oops, Centranthus and Valeriana really are the same plant).

9) You wonder how a serious gardener could call her blog Daffodil when everyone knows that is not the correct...oh, never mind!

10) Your turn--what would you add to this list?



*Turns out that the Centranthus/Valeriana issue is the subject of a lively debate in the horticultural world.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes! I would add:

11) When searching for a new home, you check the yard before the house.

"Daffodil Planter" Charlotte Germane said...

Susan,

Absolutely true! We first saw our house in May, garden in full swing, dogwoods and big rhododendrons in the front giving their all. We walked straight through the front door to the back garden and fell in love. We've been fixing up the inside of the house ever since....

Unknown said...

From a OCD Gardener...

Funny story about those latin classifications:

After taking a great horticultural class at our local CC, I asked a local nursery for a plant species called "deerius foodum" as in "deer food".
Well, (bless her heart), she took me seriously and said she would "look it up". Now, they really know I'm full of it!

Bert Bertilero

"Daffodil Planter" Charlotte Germane said...

That's our Bert, stirring up trouble wherever he goes in Nevada County!

Anonymous said...

Oh, finally I might find where to post a comment...I've probably created 3-4 blogs trying to get in on--how do you know if you area garden-a-holic? Yard-a-holic? I am both...I have MDD (Multiple Dog Disorder) and am also addicted to organic foods. I am even an investment person (or was, when there were investments) and am not a Republican (should that be capitalized or not?)....

So here I am...So far most people are first names only but if I say mine everyone will know who I am.

Mystery Woman

"Daffodil Planter" Charlotte Germane said...

Welcome Mystery Woman!

I believe you were going to add item #12--You spend your inheritance on expanding your garden!

Anonymous said...

It's true---I just got an inheritance (small) but the first expenditure---expanding the garden so daffodil can have more eggplant parmesan...I'm a lapsed vegetarian and Catholic (note the capital "C") but I try...

Okay. Here I am. Astrid

P.S. Have all/any of you gone to the Master Gardener's garden at NID??? It's right down the road from me and is awesome....you can also call them if you want to know why your stuff doesn't grow.

Anonymous said...

I am not so patient as to watch videos, sorry to say....can hardly watch television which I do while beading and stamping....but I can't watch U-tube while doing anything except wasting time.....

I saw whoever it was, and yes, this year I will plant early in March/April (tax season)....

Country Mouse said...

13 (My lucky number)
You finally learn to curb your Cynoglossum grande around yawning non-gardeners.

Anonymous said...

You wake up in the middle of the night, toss aside the crumpled Fine Gardening magazine you fell asleep reading. You find your pen and paper, (also on the nightstand for just such instances as this) and write down the design idea you were just dreaming about. Then you congratulate yourself for your unconscious-hard-at-work genius. Then, because it's hard to get back to sleep, you get on the phone and call your garden buddy who doesn't mind calls like this at three AM.

Tessa said...

Okay! Thanks for the laugh- it is funny because I could check off a few of those! Thanks for visiting my blog. I did get your comment today, but for some reason when I published it, it disappeared! Not sure why. I would love it if you'd try leaving another one, so I could see if it happens again- happy almost spring!

VW said...

Very funny - I'm definitely an OCG. We bought our house for the yard. Unlike yours, it was a blank slate and that was what I wanted. Here's my addition to the list: you are years behind on your children's scrapbooks, but you have each plant in your garden neatly written up on a 3x5 card, with a picture cut out of a catalog, in a much-used scrapbook. That's me . . .

Planting Queen said...

Hi Daffodil Planter,

I found your blog and want you to know it inspired two more lists! See: http://tinyurl.com/d5xo8c

Great post!

"Daffodil Planter" Charlotte Germane said...

Country Mouse, Wow! Ten points for a brilliant, bilingual (ouch!) gardening pun.

Grace, Love this!

Tessa, Your blog is super.

VW, Ah ha--the first in the "Mom's busy in the garden" category!

Planting Queen, What a nice compliment, thank you!