I was running a fever. That's my excuse.
So I started a blog and the first post was based on an email exchange with flower photographer Catherine Stern.
The blog changed my life, bringing me a new name (all my gardening friends call me DP) and a new career as a freelance garden writer. Guess that fever wasn't such a bad break. A thousand thanks to you all for reading!
From the archives, here's the first post:
Compulsive Gardeners: Top Ten List
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.
The original post shows the witty comments of my first visitors--thank you all!
To leave a comment, click on the word COMMENTS below
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38 comments:
Congratulations! I will not attempt to be either witty or wise as I am certain to fail at both- but will simply say I glad you blog and that I found you ;-)
Congratulations on your first year blogging milestone!
What a fabulous first post, DP! A very happy blogaversary to you and your blog. I love your list, but I love all lists, but lists about gardens, gardening or gardeners tops all. The movie credit one is too funny! This has been said before, but how about wanting mulch and/or compost for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's Day?
Frances
Thank you AustenOnly! The feeling is mutual. I hope readers click on your name to go to your erudite blog on Jane Austen and also check out your pretty garden blog where it is actually "snowing" http://myenglishcountrygarden.com/
Happy Bloggy Birthday to you!!! How funny that many of us started around the same time of year.
What would I add to your list??? hmm...You know you are a compulsive gardener when you have multiple pairs of gardening gloves...one in each color.
Deja Pseu, Thanks for visiting! Regular reading of your fashion blog http://www.unefemme.net/ inspired me to get blogging. It's still the gold standard.
Frances, LOL on the odd gift requests. Henry Mitchell said something about a bag of aged steer manure being his ideal gift. Thanks for celebrating my blog-birthday with me. I remember how thrilled I was the first time you commented. And folks--click on Frances' name to go to her blog that won Garden Blog of the Year (two years in a row, and well-deserved).
Here's the link to Frances' blog http://fairegarden.wordpress.com/ which just turned two. Prepare to be amazed.
Janet, YES on the gardening gloves! Congrats on your first blog anniversary, one day older than mine. We know we should have been writing our Christmas cards instead.... Readers, head to Janet's fabulous Virginia blog to be refreshed and delighted. Her Tuesday Trees series is superb.
http://thequeenofseaford.blogspot.com/
Happy blogbirthday! What would I add to your list? Hmmm...that we read more gardening blogs than anything else, from newspapers to catalogues to books.
Happy Birthday! What a wonderful accomplishment. I enoyed your list and I would add...'when you no longer find the smell of most deer repellents repelling'.
You rock!!!
Jodi, Those blogs did sneak up on us, didn't they? And with Blotanical I can search blogs for answers to gardening questions.
For those of you who don't know Jodi, she gardens in Nova Scotia (!) and won Best Canadian Blog this year.
http://bloomingwriter.blogspot.com/
Pop over for fun and information on everything from Harry Lauder's Walking Stick in the snow (great photo) to her cats posed in fetching ways. A professional writer, she delivers the goods!
Happy Blogaversary! Hope you have many, many more. Your first post was very witty, which I have always come to expect from you.
Debbie, My nose is wrinkling just from reading the words "deer repellents". Great addition to the list! I'm so glad we found each other this year. When I read your blog I feel like I'm turning the pages in a slick gardening magazine. If the rest of the world wants to see what I mean, head to http://gardenofpossibilities.com/ If you can get past the intro photo of her inviting CT garden (which always stops me in my tracks) you'll find terrific information from a landscape designer--who knows deer too!
Happy Blogaversary! How about when you see a patch of bare dirt, either when out and about, or when watching TV, you mentally plant it full of flowers?
Well, I for one and certainly happy you had a fever. At least that one time! Happy birthday to your blog!
Congrats! Unfortunately I didn't bring a birthday gift, so just imagine my faltering voice crooning "Happy Birthday" and my gift will be to make it stop.
Deborah at Kilbourne Grove, Thank you for the kind words! Now if you could just wrap up your Lime Walk and Croquet Lawn and mail them to me, I would have a perfect birthday. For those of you who can handle some garden envy, go take a peek at Deborah's spread in Canada. A fun new blog! http://kilbournegrove.wordpress.com/
Welcome Sue! The "bare patch of dirt syndrome" is a great addition to the Top Ten list--thank you. I've been focused on Western and Southern blogs so had not seen yours before. It's charming! And congrats on winning Best Nebraska Blog! Anyone who likes an urban cottage garden complete with cute dog go to
http://acornergarden.blogspot.com/
Heather, Thanks for visiting today, and entertaining me all year with your goats, chickens and donkeys--to say nothing of the ambitious garden. I can't even remember all the awards you won this year, but will just encourage people to run to your barnyard, garden and pantry at
http://smallgoatgarden.blogspot.com/
Maranta, Thanks so much! For stopping. Knowing that you are a professional gardener with an attitude makes me wonder every time a workman is here--will he be blogging about me when he gets home? I hope your clients never find out about your totally clever blog
http://callusandchlorophyll.blogspot.com/
Congrats on your blogaversary! YOur notes hit the anail on the head for me especially knowing the nurseries & the gardening books on the night stand! Think you had snow the other day ...hope you post some photos. It's cold here, but if we got snow it would make history!
Susie, Glad to hear you are a Compulsive Gardener! I should take some snow picures--in the meantime imagine Incense Cedars and Ponderosa Pines covered in snow and a blue sky in the background. Pretty perfect, as long as the power stays on! If someone would rather see wonderful landscape design and color in sunny Southern California, go visit Susie at her lovely blog Poppy and Sage
http://poppyandsage.blogspot.com/
Ah, DP, I was hooked on your blog from the first day. Happy, happy Blog Birthday. And the hedge-fund cutters sealed my fate.
Astrid
Astrid, Thanks for reading since Day One! Your neighbor, Tom Terrific the turkey, was a fun guy to profile--and he posed so nicely for your photos. All you financial types liked the hedge fund story
http://daffodilplanter.blogspot.com/2009/04/grateful-hedge-fund-managers-surprise.html
Let hope it's a green 2010, in all possible ways.
So what kind of project will you start the NEXT time you're not feeling well? Invent a new iPhone app, maybe? Or is it finally time to design a line of upscale Daffodil Planter totes?
Susan, From your lips to Google's ear--there's an iPhone ad that just popped up in my sidebar! I got a garden design education this year by reading your blog, and a lot of laughs too
http://garden-chick.typepad.com/garden_chicks_design_tips/
It's always a treat to see your Bay Area before-and-afters. Gives one hope!
Happy Blogaversay to you, DP! I love this exchange of emails- thanks for sharing it with us, and thank you for creating such a wonderful and interesting blog for us all to read!
Congratulations! As a fellow blogger, I've seen the wonderful and interesting ways that having a blog can affect one's life. I truly marvel at the atmosphere of your blog---it manages to be friendly and yet sharp at the same time. And I love the sense of community that I find here.
Happy birthday. I didn't realize your blog was so young. Your blog, I said. There's no other garden blog quite like it.
Happy blogaversary! It's been so much fun following along.
Happy anniversary, Daff! I'd add to your list: You know you're a compulsive gardener when you ignore all your own garden advice and buy one of this and one of that for your own home garden!!!
DP !! Happy blogaversary !
Yes .. those characteristics listed are so true .. one more (if it hasn't already been listed .. oops)
Roaming garden/nursery sites streaming over new and upcoming cultivars of plants you already have in your garden .. the thought being .."YES ! I can squeeze one more in !!"
Joy : )
Rebecca, Thanks for the good wishes! I always have fun at your blog--such an atmosphere of fun in a pretty garden, and I learn something new every time! http://gossipinthegarden.com/
Jenny, One of the biggest hits on the blog this year was your witty guest post on garden center customers-- http://daffodilplanter.blogspot.com/2009/04/are-you-one-of-these-difficult-garden.html
The comments there were particularly entertaining, involving the first visit from Mr. Subjunctive, I believe. Thanks for being part of this!
A Belated Happy Blog Birthday DP! I look forward to exploring your blog today... your writing is inspiring! Your blog an amazing resource too. I love your first post and might add that we let our interior spaces go when the gardens are awake.... and in the spring we stand and listen to our plants growth... the first shoots moving up thru the layers of leaves decomposing. Many Happy Returns! Carol
Happy New Year and Congrats on your first year.
This is my first time here, and I'm sure glad I found your blog. I love gardening, and your sense of humor in your articles make it a joy to read. I'm for sure a regular on here from this day on. Keep up the good work.
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