dmarie17 said:I had no idea that gardening could be so philosophic and controversial!! No worries about being off track, I'm reading everything and takin it all in!
I also had no idea it was so hard! I started digging this weekend and was drenched, dirty and calloused by the time in less than an hour! I am having fun though.
RickCorey - I love the idea of growing small veggies and herbs within the flowers (I think RickM mentioned this also)! That seems a lot more manageable than a separate veggie garden (for now!)
RickM - thank you for the advice on mint. I think I've heard that before, but wouldn't have remembered until it was too late. Tell me more about this: One note on that sharing thing... if you think people here are ready to give advice, just wait until you start asking for plants. You had better have a L-A-R-G-E space to put what you get. Just sayin' !
People just give away plants? Why would they do that when plants are so expensive (learned that this week too!!)??
Yepperoony! Welcome to the REAL fun of gardening. Shows on TV (Martha Stewart... hate that woman) never show what it takes to get that beautiful lawn and/or garden. As a result, when someone decides to jump right in, they get overwhelmed at the amount of work involved. Then again, when you finish for the day, step back and look, you can say with confidence and a smile...
I did that!
Yes, there are days when you're drenched with sweat, the dirt under your fingernails has dirt under it. Your back hurts. Your shoulders hurt. Your hands hurt. Things that you didn't even know could hurt.. hurt!
So, you take a warm shower, put on some comfy lounging clothes, grab a glass of wine and look at what you've accomplished. Before you know it, it's beautiful. It's not done. It's never done! You'll always find once little space yearning for something. And when family and friends stop by, you have a huge sense of pride showing off.
Now, as far as the giving away of plants, think of it like your neighbor that planted 10 zucchini seeds and now has a mountain of zucchini. They're giving it away to anybody that will take it. Plants are sort of like that. Here in the Mid-Atlantic, we have in-person plant swaps twice a year as a group. We all list what we have extras of or what we're looking for. We call dibs on what we want. On the appointed day, we all meet a someones' house and swap plants, stories, food, whatever. (ok, there is a limit on the what ever!
)
Our next swap is in a couple of weeks. Between the 17 people that are registered in the swap tool, we have 175 unique items being offered. I personally have 27 items listed as available, with 40 requests (multiples of some things.)
So, you're probably wondering where the 'extras' come from. After the gardens are going for a few years, you find that some things want to take over. Others just don't appeal to you like they did when they were first acquired. Both types are great candidates to share through swapping. At our spring swap, I had called dibs on 27 items. I came home with over 40. Everyone brings more than requested and someone is always willing to take home the 'stray'.
Plant swapping, whether through a group or just with neighbors, allows you to create a more diverse garden in terms of texture, color, etc. We all build on each others experiences.
Actually, once the weather cools down, I will be shipping some hosta to a couple of people that they can't get in their area.
