I think you already happy birthdayed me, Karen. Does that mean I'm a year older now. Thank you (maybe), LOL.

Yes, I know Polly. I was being extra nice

Karen

Well, thank you for being extra nice.

Wahhhhhhhhhh.Ladies who lunch made me laugh.
I started digging,planning and planting here 5 years ago. No one in this neighborhood "gardened" beyond putting annuals in planters beside the front door. I gave coleis and DL "overspill" to Doctor neighbor and a couple of others in hopes of finding a neighbor gardener. No Luck.Doctor neighbor comes close but she wont plant anything the deer eat.She has 500 feet of daffs in spring and tends some DL's and rudbeckia,she just wont plant anything she has to spray on a regular basis to keep deer from eating.

Young couple across the street divorced a year ago.New GF is a "gardener" roumor has it.
When I saw the helper ( whom I later hired for myself ) I walked over to chat and introduce myself.
She is young,teaches first grade and "gardens". In her next breath she said the "garden planner" was comming over the weekend to re desighn the landscape.
$ 8,000.00 later it was done.
I realize the neighbor probably lunches in gardens and will be on the tours but she just writes the checks.

I have a mail-group of friends who come every summer for an "Afternoon in the Garden" we wander and chat and have cookies and soft drinks.
I have another group of gardeners who come for "Lunch and Lilies" in late June.
I believe the friends who visit are an added bonus to gardening. My satisfaction and pleasure from the joc ,extends to the company who come and appreciate it.
Former neighbor brings her 94 year old mother who is sharp as a tack, other former neighbors also come and artist friends I seldome see.
So besides the birds and butterflies and bee that bring joy,friends are added to the list.

Neither of my immediate neighbors gardens and the gal across the street is a renter (sweet as she can be but describes herself as an "inside" person).

I have one gardening buddy here. We make all the sales, drive around town looking for houses to stop and ask for cuttings, and we rose rustle on occasion. So far, we haven't been arrested yet.

Most of the garden clubs seem to be those social events described above and so is most of the other gardening "stuff" that goes on here ... events held at the Smith-Trahern Mansion, etc. But the MGs put on a dandy sale in the early Spring and Fall. It's a madhouse the first hour ... and then there is nothing left. But the prices are great.

That's lovely that you do that Jo Ann. I've had several visitors to the garden. But nothing organized. Sounds like a lot of fun.

As you have surmized by now,I am NOT a joiner. Garden Clubs here are the same,just social activities.
I also do not belong to any plant societies.
My garden intrests lie in the design and layout of plant companions that give a pleasant atmosphere here. This can be done without knowing the minute issues that encompase the world of plants.
I learn a lot about my plants by reading posts on the 2 garden sites I regularly visit. I believe I am an average gardener and have no intrest in striveing for Master Gardener status.I believe it would demand more responsability than I care to be involved in. Besides I have seen Mastergardeners who are not as knowlegable as many of the gardeners on this site.

I concur.

Some things can just plain take all the fun out of it.

I believe there is a ratio between how important a MasterGardener "club addict"thinks they are, and dissapointment when plans dont work out.

I will say that I am friends with one of the MGs here and she is such a breath of fresh air. When I went out to her big greenhouse where she grows her herbs, it looked exactly like something I would have. Not at all tidy and perfect. I knew I liked her for some reason.

Ohhhh yeahhh if there was a GH here it would look like that. I share the 2 and1/2 car garage with DD and SIL. This means I need to micromanage the space for tools,pots,bags of soil plus insectesides and ferts.

I don't have many gardening friends. I wish I did. I'm having dinner today with a friend who gardens quite a bit and I'm sure much of our conversation will revolve around plants and gardening. In summer when we get together we often meet at her house or mine, roam the yard, talk about the plants, then go out later for lunch or dinner. She's one of those I got hooked on Rosy Dawn coleus. After she saw them growing in my yard, she was hooked! and she has ordered a lot of plants from RD for the past few years.

Only one other friend is an avid gardener, but strangely, we just work together, we really don't socialize outside of work. We've known one another for probably 25 years, but we never really socialize. She's one I introduced to wintersowing. Whenever we're together at work we talk plants and wintersowing.

My best friend lives right next door and we spend quite a bit of time together. However, she has a black thumb and I swear she only has to look at a plant and it dies. For Christmas one year we gave her a garden stepping stone that says "I tried but it died".

Karen

ge1836 said:As you have surmized by now,I am NOT a joiner. Garden Clubs here are the same,just social activities.
I also do not belong to any plant societies.
My garden intrests lie in the design and layout of plant companions that give a pleasant atmosphere here. This can be done without knowing the minute issues that encompase the world of plants.
I learn a lot about my plants by reading posts on the 2 garden sites I regularly visit. I believe I am an average gardener and have no intrest in striveing for Master Gardener status.I believe it would demand more responsability than I care to be involved in. Besides I have seen Mastergardeners who are not as knowlegable as many of the gardeners on this site.

Well said!

Love your attitude Jo Ann. I am the same way. I have no gardening friends. I do like to be with people who have similar interest and chating on the forums is fine and good.
The Mastergardener program in this area is obviously for retired people because no one else would have time for it. I have to work and there is just no way, I barely have time to plant all these flowers I keep buying!

PollyK said:I want to thank the people that wished me a happy birthday way up many postings ago. This thread is going fast! A really great read!

I agree!!

I have also started a thread for questions about Perennials so newbies (and oldies as well) can find what they are looking for without having to sort through too much. If you know the answer to a question, please feel free to jump in and answer any questions that might be posted there, ya'll.

Great idea, Tee. I will go check out the new thread.

I love the way this thread has gone, which is anyway we wanted it.

I have no gardening neighbors. I gave plants to my next door neighbor, quite a few of them, as she wanted to become a gardener. Well, she planted most of them. That was it. never weeded, or watered, and they just got overgrown and died. She's a nice lady, so I never would say anything, and I'm sure she won't ask for more. But that kind of soured me on giving plants away.

I have a few great traders that are just wonderful to trade with. And then I have Jo Ann, who I get to see a couple of times a year and talk flowers. We live about 60 miles apart, so frequent visits are out. But we talk flowers on the internet a lot.

Polly, how nice that you're that close to Jo Ann!

I had the same experience except it was with houseplants and a neighbor's DIL. I haven't heard a peep about plants since. I'm fairly certain those are all dead.

My one gardening friend here and I go out for breakfast just about every weekend and then see what kind of mischief we can get ourselves into ... which usually involves plants. Lots of plants. I blame her but it's about 50/50.

Gardening friends for me are all family. Just about everyone in the family gardens to some extent. All the houses that surround mine have my old plants from when I get in the mood every so many years to take everything out and start a garden over.

My daughter gardens, but with two kids age 12 and 9, it's tough. they are in so much at school and karate. they like to garden too, but it's so busy for them.

My grandparents farmed and gardened and my mother loved working in the yard. But they are all gone now and nobody else on either side has any interest. I guess I must have inherited all the gardening genes.

I learned what I know about gardening from my grandmother. They were dairy farmers so had a big garden.
I have learned more about gardening in the past 5 years on websites tho.