Wow. I wish I had this to read when I started gardening. So much wisdom packed in one thread. For gardening and life. If life gives you worms, make a garden. to all for this read.

For me at least, gardening, whether outside or inside, is a life-long journey. Though I have "destinations", which means I have learned to successfully grow certain plants, there is always another destination to reach. I figure I am 3/4 to my final destination............which means, I am an old fella.

That's what is so attractive about gardening and also the cause of so much frustration for some people who give it a try. There is no finish line in this activity. The journey IS the destination. Mistakes, failure, and natural disasters all affect the physical result and the emotional responses. So, you correct, accept, adapt, and sometimes just start over. Anyone who wants a "finished" product that doesn't need to be fussed with anymore should probably consider making shoes or bowls instead of making a garden. Both are creative endeavors, just different.

CarolHB said: That's what is so attractive about gardening and also the cause of so much frustration for some people who give it a try. There is no finish line in this activity. The journey IS the destination. Mistakes, failure, and natural disasters all affect the physical result and the emotional responses. So, you correct, accept, adapt, and sometimes just start over. Anyone who wants a "finished" product that doesn't need to be fussed with anymore should probably consider making shoes or bowls instead of making a garden. Both are creative endeavors, just different.

Plastic...plastic flowers...my mother owned that skill!! Treated those with mayonaise and so even plastic flowers need some upkeep.

Yep, Rosie my mother resorted to plastic flowers a few times too, but she still grew a lot of great plants.

After all this encouragement and wisdom being aired here, I sure hope Lee-Roy hasn't actually given up. @Arico ??

I bet he is at the market right now!!

Treated plastic flowers with mayo????? Did I get that right? If so, WHY???

When the plastic starts to oxidize and fade in the sun, the acid in the mayo cleans them up and the oil brings out whatever color is left.

(don't ask me how I know this )

Since I don't have plastic flowers I can believe this. Sounds messy, tho.

Nah, just a little dab on a paper towel does the trick. It works for lots of plastic things btw, not just flowers.

I also use a little bit of diluted mayo to clean off hard water spots on my orchid leaves. So it works for live plants with smooth shiny leaves, too.

I heard of edible flowers before, but never of dressing plastic flowers with mayonnaise.

There's ALWAYS something new to learn!

I like to think that plants are whimsical and enjoy messing around with me. Then, when they die, it's not purely depressing. There's also an element of: "OK, you got me THIS time! But NEXT time, I'm gonna make you THRIVE!!"

Then, when they actually do better, I change my theory to one of cooperation and mutual appreciation. "What a good gardener I must be, and how my plants must appreciate my care! This year, they didn't ALL die!!"

Elaine, I wonder if one of those "spray oils" like PAM would do the same thing with fewer globs of gooey food?

Or does the remaining mayo deter deer from eating plastic flowers?

Dunno, Rick. My mother never had any deer come through her garden in Vancouver. Bears, coyotes, lots of raccoons. Nothing ever bothered those plastic flowers she stuck in her front planters for the dull grey days of winter. Then she'd forget to snatch them in and after a few years of summer sun, they got really ratty looking so I "fixed" them with the mayo treatment one year when I was visiting. You should have seen her eyes get wide when she saw those rejuvenated flowers. She went outside and you could smell the mayo I'd used so she turned to me accusingly . .. we laughed about it for years.

I really should have just bought her some new ones, I guess. Then I wouldn't have got busted. I planted Hellebores nearby and those helped . . . once they got big enough to bloom.

I have heard of folks washing blond hair with a bit of chicken fat ...makes it gleam!

A bit of mayo makes Easter eggs brighten up .....mineral oil (to me) would be preferable...but most folks have mayo handy. A mayo bit of oil works magic on stainless

That must be why it's called MIRACLE whip

Gotta be a bit careful there, Rosie. Purists will tell you that Miracle Whip is definitely not mayonnaise. It has sugar and other flavors in it.

Hm, not sure I'd use chicken fat on my hair - the smell would attract unwanted attention. Again, mineral oil would be better.

Axle grease really gives a shine to hair. But boy, is it hard to wash out.

Oh I know ..but I needed the " Miracle " part. I tasted Miracle Whip once ...not close to my beloved Hellmans ...folks in the south also use a mayo called Dukes

drdawg said:Axle grease really gives a shine to hair. But boy, is it hard to wash out.

Cross posted. Never tried that Ken..but I might if it would take care of the greys

Some axle grease is black, so it might just color your hair. Your hair might look a little funny, plastered to your scalp.

It's looked funny before...I had a Mary Tyler Moore "helmet" and a That Girl "flip" .... Yoko's frizz and Shirley's curls. ..what's one more!