| Author | Content |
dave
Jacksonville, TX
(Zone 8a)
 March 27, 2007
1:50 AM Post #3324657
| There are a total of 730 votes:
| For fun and relaxation
(571 votes, 78%) |  |
| To raise food for my family
(49 votes, 6%) | |
| To produce seed to sell or trade
(1 votes, 0%) | |
| To raise plants, vegetables or flowers to sell
(20 votes, 2%) | |
| Other?
(89 votes, 12%) | |
|
Previous Polls |
grampapa
Wheatfield, NY
(Zone 6a)
March 27, 2007
2:30 AM Post #3324681
| It really looks like everyone wants/needs fun & relaxation. That's definitely what I get out of gardening. I love to watch things grow. The excitement of watching for a seed to sprout. The anticipation of the first time a plant blossoms. The satisfaction of keeping something alive over a frigid northern winter. Having that much beauty in one's own back yard (or sun room). I'll grow anything and everything. Veggies that I don't eat...fruit that I know the birds will get to before I do. I let houseplants flower even if you're supposed to cut off the bloom spikes just because I want to see what they look like first. btw, purple passion (Gynura aurantiaca) is rumored to have orange flowers that clash with the foliage and STINK...believe the rumors! |
CountryGardens
Lewisville, MN
(Zone 4a)
March 27, 2007
2:57 AM Post #3324706
| I have been growing for market for 22 years now. Always give on a rush to be able to provide something that makes people happy. After all these years, I am changing things this year. No plants sales this spring. With the very few hours available to sell & weather,(rain, wind,etc.), conditions at an outdoor market, we decided it was in our best interest to discontinue plants. We will still be raising our own veggie starts in the greenhouse. We are going to add cut flowers to our offering at market. That will be interesting & hopefully worthwhile. Our gladiolus have been gaining popularity.
Brought home the seed potatoes yesterday. Will probably plant some next week. I bought 700 lbs of Cascade, a white potato, 300 lbs of Red Norland, & 250 lbs of Yukon Gold. Yukon Gold sold real well last year. People kept asking for them after we ran out.
Best to all for this growing season.
Bernie |
pepper23
KC Metro area, MO
(Zone 5b)
March 27, 2007
3:08 AM Post #3324720
| I grow for fun mainly. I like to see if I can improve my partial green thumb every year and it's a good excuse to be outside when it's nice out. |
haighr
Hagerstown, MD
(Zone 6a)
March 27, 2007
3:17 AM Post #3324739
| I garden to achieve satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment, I find it challenging in many ways and I love a good challenge. I am an outdoor person and spend time out regardless of the weather.
Candee |
nifty413
Garland, TX
(Zone 8a)
March 27, 2007
3:33 AM Post #3324763
| What better way exists to reach out to the Divine than to dwell in Her surroundings? |
crashbandiscoot
Springfield, OH
(Zone 6a)
March 27, 2007
3:53 AM Post #3324799
| I garden for all of the reasons posted above and then some. I garden because I am addicted, I eat, sleep, breathe, gardening! Since, I found you all I've gotten worse! Or I'm getting better depends on how you wanna look at it. There ought to be a twelve step program. NOTT!!!!!!!! Gotta go, the gardeners diary is coming on! |
pixie62560
South China, ME
(Zone 5a)
March 27, 2007
3:59 AM Post #3324805
| I picked other too, as most of the choice's applied. I garden because I love it and it's relaxing. I also grow the food for our family, neighbors and anyone who needs some help, after all I always have more than enough. I really haven't sold anything though, I give it away! LOL I do trade seeds and plants and hope to sell some of my daylilies someday, but for now the enjoyment is enough! |
gillibean
Moose Factory, ON
(Zone 2b)
March 27, 2007
4:26 AM Post #3324862
| I garden for enjoyment. It so exciting to see things grow. Last year was my first attempt at a veggie garden. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh squash blossoms I prepared. There are some things you just can't get at the grocery store. And fresh peas that don't even make it out of the garden . . mmmmm. |
Xeramtheum
Summerville, SC
(Zone 8a)
March 27, 2007
4:27 AM Post #3324863
| Other for me .. all of the above except food for the family.
X |
Sheila_FW
Fort Worth, TX
(Zone 8a)
March 27, 2007
4:32 AM Post #3324875
| I checked other, because it isn't just for fun and relaxation. I want to FEED NATURE'S ANIMALS AND INSECTS TOO. Plus I want a beautiful to the eye yard, with native plants for those years when the weather is our enemy. |
Tir_Na_Nog
Houston
(United States)
(Zone 9b)
March 27, 2007
5:23 AM Post #3325011
| Other for me to. For us it's all those reasons except for sale (but that is in the future) AND a big reason CURB APPEAL! A nicely done yard is always worth it's cost if you need to sell your home. |
bigcityal
Menasha, WI
(Zone 5a)
March 27, 2007
5:29 AM Post #3325023
| I do it for the fun and relaxation. There are days when it is neither, but that's how life in general is. |
cececoogan
Waukesha, WI
(Zone 5a)
March 27, 2007
5:49 AM Post #3325087
| I like color and fragrance and lots of bouquets in the house. Its also my way of escaping the tensions and stress of every day life. I like the birds and the butterflies I get with my gardens and I like to think its my way of givig back to the earth. |
daiseycat
Assonet, MA
March 27, 2007
5:59 AM Post #3325118
| Fun and relaxation is certainly a big part of gardening but, I choose other because it is also hard work - so good for all of us - in age related doses. I also want to surround my family with beauty, have privacy, and last but still important to increase the value of our home. Crash mentioned the ADDICTION FACTOR, I guess "other" covers that but I think it should have it's own catagory. |
DonShirer
Westbrook, CT
(Zone 6a)
March 27, 2007
6:11 AM Post #3325153
| A thumb of green is what I need
To raise a flower from a seed.
What fun it is to sow and strew
And see the seedlings peeking through.
Alas--too many wilt or drown,
I fear my thumbs are far too brown. |
yardqueen1948
Emory, TX
(Zone 8a)
March 27, 2007
6:39 AM Post #3325260
| I chose other because I garden to beautify my home, and because I love beautiful flowers and interesting foliage. I feel that this is different than fun and relaxation, although it is that also. I agree with daisycat that it is also hard work and very addictive. But my primary reason is still to beautify my home. I also love to share with friends and family and DG-ers so I try to raise extra for them. |
phuggins
Fairmont, WV
(Zone 6a)
March 27, 2007
6:40 AM Post #3325262
| I garden primarily for fun and relaxation, even though "relaxation" for me usually involves hard physical labor (breaking sod, hauling rocks, etc). (I guess the relaxation is more mental than physical!) I love watching my baby plants sprout from seed, and the return of perennials in the spring is nothing short of miraculous to me. I also grow veggies and fruit for home consumption, yum yum. |
plantladyhou
Katy, TX
(Zone 8b)
March 27, 2007
6:48 AM Post #3325292
| I checked "other" because I garden to get exercise and just to get outside, to watch the birds and butterflies and to improve the looks of the property. Food I can get from relatives and neighbors who grow that sort of thing. The sight I can get from flowers is more spiritual and calming. I don't grow flowers to feed caterpillars - but if they come, they come and I enjoy watching them eat their fill and then morph. It's also fund just to see if some of the seeds and plants I buy, etc. will grow but I don't obsess over any of that. I take care of what I grow, naturally, but if something seems to be a lost cause, that's life ... and death.
Ann |
Rusty56
Jasper Co., MO
(Zone 6a)
March 27, 2007
7:00 AM Post #3325341
| It's time to gardeners on ground... More raining come up soon as ground wet... I have to project for my yard!
|
tomatofreak
Phoenix, AZ
March 27, 2007
7:04 AM Post #3325352
| None of the choices really fit so I chose "fun and relaxation" - even though my back is broken this morning and I can't remember enjoying too much of the digging and raking I did yesterday. And have to do again today! Looking back, I can see that my gardening goals are changing. It used to be I'd be happy if the roses bloomed and didn't croak from powdery mildew, it the sunflowers weren't eaten alive by aphids (ugh!), and the 'perennials' lasted for one season. Now I find myself leaning more to vegetable gardening. Why? I am soooo disgusted by the quality of 'produce' in the grocery stores! I grew broccoli this winter and I was stunned at the *real* taste of this veggie. Nothing from the grocers came close. I'm not giving up on the roses, the sunflowers or other 'ornamentals'; I'm just striving for a well-rounded garden that is a feast for the eyes - and tummy! |
bbinnj
West Orange, NJ
(Zone 6a)
March 27, 2007
8:00 AM Post #3325522
| I garden outside to make the place look nice. I raise plants inside because I like them. |
Donna_PA
Drums, PA
(Zone 5b)
March 27, 2007
8:02 AM Post #3325526
| I like to garden for fun and relaxation, plus I try to grow vegetables for food for our family and, if I'm lucky to be blessed with lots of veggies, I share with our neighbors. |
Kristi_L
Warren, MI
March 27, 2007
8:16 AM Post #3325562
| Our neighborhood is a little tired-looking. Flowers just brighten everything. We also raise herbs and have a salad garden, but in the end I garden because I just can't help myself :) |
jjpm74
Stratford, CT
(Zone 6b)
March 27, 2007
8:28 AM Post #3325590
| I vited other because both of the first two choices apply to me. I love gardening and it relaxes me, but I also like having fresh produce throughout the spring, summer and fall. |
Cambium
Tamarac, FL
(Zone 10a)
March 27, 2007
8:51 AM Post #3325675
| I too love watching things grow & know that I have done the right thing to help them thrive.
I do enjoy gardening mainly for the beauty! I honestly look forward to getting most of it finished & sitting down with a deep, contented sigh to enjoy. When we moved into our home, there was nothing but Ixora planted in the front planter of our house, 2 palms along the back of the property & some overgrown, diseased bushes/trees. It's starting to really take shape now & we've been here almost a year.
My DH & I were working for several hours this morning in our yard. I had told him that we desperately needed to get some things planted before hurricane season came because I could not possibly bring all the pots into the house, of the cuttings & starts I had going outside in small pots. He agreed so that's why we worked so hard getting some things planted. We want it done to enjoy it while we can! |
plantladylin
East Central, FL
(Zone 9a)
March 27, 2007
9:57 AM Post #3325855
| Playing In The Dirt is My Therapy! I enjoy my outdoor garden plants as well as my inside house plants! Just can't imagine not having at least one green, living, growing plant. The older I get, the more my creaking bones don't like a lot of the hard work outside, but it is satisfying to see the finished product and something that you planted with your own two hands, grow and thrive. |
HERBIE43
wappingers falls, NY
(Zone 5b)
March 27, 2007
10:11 AM Post #3325892
| i garden for the pure joy i get from it. i also like to experiment with how i try to grow things. like sometimes i would use a smaller container for some plants to see if they grow the same as in larger containers. last year i started tomato plants 12 weeks and 8 weeks before my regular planting date and they both grew the same height and produced the same amount of tomatoes |
georgiagarden3
Arlington, GA
(Zone 8a)
March 27, 2007
11:03 AM Post #3326039
| Other,All of the above |
Hineni
Appalachian Mtns, SW, VA
(Zone 6b)
March 27, 2007
11:53 AM Post #3326170
| Other: Choices 1, 2 and 3. And there was no choice for "as an excuse to buy/trade oodles of seed that I shan't be able to plant if I live to be 120 but will have fun trying" :D |
lafko06
Brimfield, MA
(Zone 5a)
March 27, 2007
12:55 PM Post #3326395
| I picked Other because my answer was all of the above. Simply put, I just love to garden! Smile... |
Rabbit22
New Lenox, IL
March 27, 2007
1:54 PM Post #3326555
| Although I voted for fun and relaxation, I also grow a lot of vegetables and fruits for my family to enjoy. I can't think of a reason not to garden. |
tcs1366
Itasca, IL
(Zone 5a)
March 27, 2007
2:06 PM Post #3326585
| I chose OTHER.
I only do flowers, plus 2 tomato plants (I dont have room for a garden)
while most everyone in my neighborhood uses a landscaper to do their yards, and have pretty boring plants that come up year after year with no color...
I like it when folks comment on my beautiful flowers and all the color... and i can say "I did it myself"
I'm doing a lot more with seeds this year (first year winter sowing) ... plus finally getting to my "shade garden" and my flower beds will be stunning this year... mostly with a bit of hard work, some luck, and help from the great folks on DG.
also like others have commented... it gets me outside with nature, fresh air, with the birds and bees, etc. |
amarettonc
Raleigh, NC
(Zone 7b)
March 27, 2007
2:08 PM Post #3326595
| I voted for fun and relaxation, but I also ~try~ to grow veggies. For me, gardening is therapeutic. I come home stressed out from work, go into the garden and water or just check my plants out, marvel how much the roses have grown, plan my new additions, and before long I can't even remember what I was so stressed out about. Seeing all my hard work pay off in a beautiful yard is so satisfying for me. |
Pagancat
(Sheryl) Gainesboro, TN
(Zone 6b)
March 27, 2007
2:40 PM Post #3326698
| I'm an "other" - I find plants fascinating, I love to decorate inside and out, I love to propagate life and living things & I connect to a sweet, warm place in other people that would be out of reach were it not for our plants and gardens.
'Sides of which, I get bored indoors. |
babysalem5
Phoenix, AZ
(Zone 9a)
March 27, 2007
2:45 PM Post #3326718
| I also garden because I am obsessed. My husband use to tell me he didn't want me to buy plants(he thought they would die). So in one year I only bought 4 plants since they are all beautiful. I slowly started buying plants, then I begun buying about 3 a week. Then he made the mistake of telling me he didn't notice my plants. So that day I went out and bought 3. And was going to garden centers several times a week. Ever since my car accident 2.5weeks ago I haven't been able to go out. I have bought at least 34 plants off the internet. |
Kesmit24
Big Sandy, TX
March 27, 2007
3:02 PM Post #3326783
| A garden is where the soul feels at home. Also a good place for the cats to lounge in the hot afternoon. |
dmcdevitt
Schroon Lake, NY
(Zone 4a)
March 27, 2007
3:18 PM Post #3326853
| Fun and food~ |
carrielamont
Milton, MA
(Zone 6a)
March 27, 2007
3:22 PM Post #3326865
| I love to lie in the sun like a lizard and warm my bones and I like to do it somewhere beautiful. Plus I come from two big gardening families, so I can't help it! |
pjank46
Selma, AL
(Zone 8a)
March 27, 2007
3:35 PM Post #3326907
| When you're having fun, it ain't work. Everyone likes fun better than work. |
revclaus
Denver, CO
(Zone 5b)
March 27, 2007
3:38 PM Post #3326914
| It's the one thing in my life I can count on to give me rewards far better than what I put into it. For me it's what lets me do other things! |
ginnylynn
Blyth, ON
(Zone 5b)
March 27, 2007
4:26 PM Post #3327078
| Definitely I garden for the fun and relaxation. For me it is a stress reliever to reconnect with the soil. I'm a country kid transplanted a number of years ago to the urban office jungle - arghhhhhhhhhhh! Thank God for cars and gasoline - if I couldn't live in my village and commute to "the big city" for work I think I might go insane. |
dmac085
Greensboro, NC
(Zone 7a)
March 27, 2007
4:52 PM Post #3327149
| Strictly for the pretty of it:) And an occasional tomato if my luck is running:LOL: I've always been encouraged to garden since I was a child. I drifted away from it when I was in my late teens and early 20's and gradually drifted right back into it. |
TDGarden
Calais, VT
March 27, 2007
4:54 PM Post #3327160
| Relaxation and fun are tops, but food for the family was a close second. I love to cook and starting in the garden with a harvest is so much more fun than opening the fridge. |
CMoxon
Urbandale, IA
(Zone 5a)
March 27, 2007
5:10 PM Post #3327238
| I voted other, because the main reason is stress management. I know for some that might fall into "fun and relaxation" but for me, it goes further than that. It's my "happy place" to get away from work stress, home stress, any other sort of stress (and I seem to have a lot). |
Sashagirl
by the Muddy Miss., IA
(Zone 5a)
March 27, 2007
5:16 PM Post #3327260
| I garden because it completes me, and is as essential to my well-being as air and food and never do I feel closer to our Maker, than when tending my plants.
It soothes, inspires, thrills-and at times-momentarily defeats me;but not for long.
Gardening teaches me patience and perseverance. It's a constant challenge, but the rewards are too numerous to mention.
It's an obsession, I admit; albeit, a healthy one. I also love carring on my family's tradition of canning and freezing my own produce, as much as space permits-and I love beautifying my little corner of the world with flowers and foliage.
As you've already figured, I've voted "Other". |
podster
Deep East Texas, TX
(Zone 8a)
March 27, 2007
5:19 PM Post #3327274
| Other ~ for mental health and well being and general sanity! The peace and satisfaction received can be found nowhere else in the world but outdoors digging in the dirt... |
CapeCodGardener
Mid-Cape, MA
(Zone 7a)
March 27, 2007
5:32 PM Post #3327330
| I checked "fun and relaxation" . . . but I really wonder if "relaxation" is exactly what's going on sometimes. . . like when it's almost midnight and I'm still standing in my kitchen sowing those seeds into their little trays. . . or it's 85 degrees F on a Summer day and I'm sweating away tossing compost. . . or it's a sultry August day and I'm anxiously brooding over the roses' blackspot and planning revenge. . .
But if asked why I subject myself to all this, I'd insist that "it's fun!"
I'm gardening in a new zone, so there's a bit more anxiety about getting it right. . . but it's still fun. And when the warm soil pushes against my toes as I walk through my tomato "patch" and note how many more maters have arrived overnight, or I watch the bees rumble busily through my lavender plants, or EVEN when I see chewing insects having their way with my plants. . . I know I am privileged to be a part of the great cycle of life. |
gessiegail
Taft, TX
(Zone 9a)
March 27, 2007
6:08 PM Post #3327468
| I voted for fun and relaxation; however, I can not "not grow". Grandma taught me as a child and don't know any other way of life that keeps me more grounded. I HAVE to have a veggie garden, cut flower garden, flowers around the house in the yard for the hummers, butterflies and all other birds, house plants, trees for special needs, yada yada yada!!! I feel like the luckiest person in the world to occupy this one little piece of geography and try to keep up what God began.
The older I get (age 65) I just say thanks everyday for getting to garden one more day!!!! |
Erynne
Erin, ON
(Zone 5a)
March 27, 2007
6:56 PM Post #3327672
| I could analyze for ages about why I garden and still not be able to come up with a concrete answer. It's become like eating, breathing and sleeping for me now. I just NEED to do it. |
hellnzn11
Rosamond, CA
(Zone 8b)
March 27, 2007
7:00 PM Post #3327682
| I actually find a great sence of artistic satisfaction in gardening, but I voted other because I really don`t find it fun or relaxing where I live and in all the homes I lived in here in the desert, I have had to start from scratch which is frustrating and quite the opposite of relaxing. I think having myself surrounded by something beautiful and different is relaxing, it makes home take on a new meaning. When a garden is established and mature then, it can be fun and relaxing to do for me. I just love to create and scetch out what is in my head and ooh and ahh about it years later and say well done to myself now that is apiece of heaven but my yard is so far from that now. lol |
Islandshari
Kwajalein
(Marshall Islands)
(Zone 11)
March 27, 2007
7:14 PM Post #3327725
| You all put it so very well that I'm hesitant to add my two cents, but I'm also a blabbermouth, so here goes...
Its a challenge, but it gives back even when you don't "win". I pleases the eye, the soul, and the tummy.
When frustration is rampant, its better to beat clods of dirt into soil than to beat anything (anyONE) inside your home.
It feels so good when you're done.
I love my garden, with all its pests and problems and wonder. |
guardians
Thomson, GA
March 27, 2007
7:28 PM Post #3327756
| I am constantly amazed at the beauty in a growing plant, and how unique each one can be. I marvel at our Maker's handiwork, each intricate detail so perfect. I find a great sense of joy at each new bloom. DH says it's almost like having babies to me. Digging in the dirt is definitely therapy for me, and the rewards are beautiful flowers, some of which stay in the yard and some come in as cut flowers, for all to enjoy. I would love to have a small veggie garden for fresh produce; maybe next year. |
scooterbug
TwinLakes,WI Athens, TN
(Zone 7a)
March 27, 2007
7:53 PM Post #3327810
| Yes to all four choices ;-)) |
Mahnot
DFW area, TX
(Zone 7b)
March 27, 2007
8:28 PM Post #3327905
| I love to garden 'cause I'm a glutton for punishment.
At least, that's how it feels on some days - oh, my aching back,
my bruised knees, my pricked fingers and my scratched up
arms and legs. Wouldn't give it up for all the tea in China. :o) |
snboyken
Livermore, KY
(Zone 6a)
March 27, 2007
8:52 PM Post #3327931
| I marked other for addiction. |
Mahnot
DFW area, TX
(Zone 7b)
March 27, 2007
9:46 PM Post #3328009
| LOL, that too, snboyken - that too. And I love being broke
'cause I couldn't resist some plant and the pot to put it in. |
Toxicodendron
Piedmont, MO
(Zone 6a)
March 28, 2007
3:22 AM Post #3328171
| Addicted nature lover here, too.
|
greenthumb_NC
Charlotte, NC
(Zone 7b)
March 28, 2007
3:59 AM Post #3328217
| I learn so much about the plants using the reliable hands-on method!! Learning comes in at a close second to fun and relaxation. You can even learn about weeds when you're gardening. I think it is a great experience.
Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pic shows some pansies ... Delta Pure Deep Orange & Delta Premium Pure Lemon ... last year before it got too hot for them.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
schickenlady
Connecticut River Va, NH
(Zone 5a)
March 28, 2007
4:46 AM Post #3328349
| What about "Brain Washed" ? Gardening - is just about all I can think of doing. |
cathysplants
Readyville, TN
(Zone 7a)
March 28, 2007
5:24 AM Post #3328460
| Passionate about growing things, especially daylilies and bearded irises. I also enjoy selling and trading my increases so I can add more cultivars to my hobby gardens. |
goldfinch4
Ripon, WI
(Zone 4a)
March 28, 2007
6:11 AM Post #3328611
| I started out with a small vegetable and flower garden and now just have flower gardens - many of them. Never seem to have enough! I enjoy fresh bouquets in the house and at work and also sharing them with others. I enjoy the beauty they bring to our home and yard. I enjoy helping and "teaching" others, and the constant learning process I experience, about all the plants. I also have a large library of gardening books and subscribe to many gardening magazines to get me through the months when I can't be out in the gardens. |
FlowrLady
Olive Branch, MS
(Zone 7b)
March 28, 2007
7:06 AM Post #3328778
| I haven't read this whole thread, but I garden for stress relief, and for the pure joy I get when something grows and does not die. I just don't have enough land to plant everything I want to grow! |
skaz421
Wesley Chapel, FL
(Zone 9a)
March 28, 2007
8:27 AM Post #3329099
| I love working in dirt. There's something primieval, back to roots about it. No electronics, cars, loud televisions, nagging wife - it's just me, the soil, and tropicals.
It doesn't get any better than that.
Steve |
LarissaH
Denton, TX
(Zone 7b)
March 28, 2007
9:00 AM Post #3329184
| I find it's a terrific distraction, I'm relaxed and happy. I escape! |
bobbi_s
Richland, WA
(Zone 7a)
March 28, 2007
9:19 AM Post #3329237
| I love to be outside in my garden mostly because it is peaceful, and looking at all the beauty. I love plants that are different, and enjoy experimenting also. For example, this spring I planted two mexican palm trees, two windmill fan palms also in my front yard, along with two oleanders, and a camellia. I am hoping that they will work, as I will provide covers for them to winter in. I did some internet research, and found that windmill palms have been found in Spokane, WA which is colder than our Eastern Washington location. I find serenity outside, and the hard work is worthwhile. I also admit that there is a certain addiction to being outside, and being able to let go of all the tensions, and worries that people tend to get. I love the birds, and watching the animals. |
QueenB
Shepherd, TX
(Zone 8b)
March 28, 2007
10:15 AM Post #3329391
| I voted Other = All the above! |
Marilynbeth
Hebron, KY
(Zone 6a)
March 28, 2007
3:13 PM Post #3330359
| I voter other...
I love to grow flowers although my knees ache/get stiff, have Multiple Sclerosis, which means I get hot very easily, get tired/worn out very easily and my movements are slowing down some, but I'm trying to grow flowers and plants that are less maintenance to me.
Of the flowers I grow each season, I try and grow the ones that will attract the Hummers, other Birds and Butterflies the most. It's very rewarding to see them in the yard and garden. We also feed the song Birds year 'round.
I love to see, touch, smell and 'drink in the beauty' of the flowers! When I can't be outside in the Summer because of the heat, being tired/worn out, I'm in the house with the AC on cold, resting and catching up on Dave's Garden! Of course, I'm on it every day too!
I also grow flowers in containers and I love potting up annual Salvias to attract the Hummers more and just to enjoy the Salvias. I love Agastaches and Salvias! This year I found an item to make my containers lighter, save time and money on potting soil! They are Ups-A-Daisy Planter Inserts! This will be my first year using them and I'm looking forward to it!
[HYPERLINK@www.ups-a-daisy.com]
The 'saying' that "One is closer to God in the garden, than anywhere else on earth" is a great and 'true' feeling!
I love flowers (the many colors too!) and growing them and I'm addicted! I gotta be out there growing and tending to them!
Marilyn
This message was edited Mar 28, 2007 11:49 PM |
Laurie1
Burwash Weald
(United Kingdom)
(Zone 9b)
March 29, 2007
1:34 AM Post #3331733
| Good mental health. So restorative.
Nifty, did a wonderful double take on your reply above - love the use of HER. Many thanks. |
flowerjen
central, NJ
(Zone 6b)
March 29, 2007
11:13 AM Post #3333249
| I love playing in the dirt I guess I'm just a kid at heart. |
fancyflea
Missouri City, TX
(Zone 9a)
March 29, 2007
1:34 PM Post #3333675
| I have to have plants in my life. They keep me sane in this crazy world. If ever my plants are not blooming and healthy than my spirit is in a very bad place. A favorite peom of mine...
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robbins in her hair
Upon whose bosom snow has lain
Who intimately lives with rain
Poems are made by fools like me
But only God can make a tree
by Joyce Kilmer
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Karrie20x
Spokane, WA
(Zone 6a)
March 29, 2007
2:07 PM Post #3333802
| Fun and Relaxation - and guess what else? I like to pull weeds when I'm upset - I take it out on the weeds instead of other people. ;-) |
carrieebryan
Independence, MO
(Zone 6a)
March 29, 2007
2:14 PM Post #3333828
| Looks like Dave needed another category for some of us! I, too, chose Other because I garden to surround my home with beauty. I got a great deal of satisfaction out of harvesting my own vegetables last year, but if the plants had had no beauty in them I wouldn't have planted them. I intend to be carried out of this house feet first, and I don't give a snoot what the real estate agent will have to do to the house to make it salable. What I want is to drive into the driveway and rejoice because the irises' colors explode against the white siding, or to sit in the living room and admire the rosebuds against the window screens, or to spot the very first crocus blooming as I drive out, or to admire the rabbit, whose family shares my space, eating his share of the wild strawberries in the back yard. |
tensy
Chicago, IL
March 29, 2007
2:55 PM Post #3333985
| I love to grow plants, seeds and all types of flowers.when i eat an fruitI will save the seed and grow it.I just recently grew an mango seed.I get a lotof joy from all types of flowers. but I just recently bought a paddle plant but I do not understand what is meant by pinching or where to pinch the plant at. I am not an expert at flowering I just love the joy they give me. |
podster
Deep East Texas, TX
(Zone 8a)
March 29, 2007
4:02 PM Post #3334212
| Fancyflea ~ Thanks for the poem by Joyce Kilmer... I grew up with that inscribed on a wooden plaque that hung by the door on the porch. I remembered only a portion of it and needed that trip down memory lane. Thank you! |
rjuddharrison
Houston, TX
(Zone 9a)
March 29, 2007
4:11 PM Post #3334237
| Time stands still ...for a while
This was published in the Gardeners almanac a couple of years ago, but..still stands now for my favorite part of gardening...is that it seems like time stands still
What most of my friends don't know is how time stands still during those beautiful spring days and they seem endless as I'm covered from head to toe with dirt, then at the same moment you’re sad because the light is fading signaling the day’s end,” says Randy H. of Houston, Texas. “
Rj |
knolan
near Houston, TX
(Zone 9a)
March 29, 2007
10:50 PM Post #3335480
| I wanted to check them all. We DO eat what we produce, I LOVE to have curb appeal, I LOVE to bring my bouquets in for personal enjoyment, I LIKE the exercise I get.
The most important reason for me to garden is to teach others to do so. Especially the children. If we don't start teaching the kids, who do nothing but play their video games now, how will we sustain the future? Seriously. The only gardening I did as a child was with my grandmother and that was by choice. By the time I was 13, she couldn't do it any more and I certainly had no interest. Children today need to learn what resources are available to them and know that food doesn't grow at McDonalds. The food on our tables comes from someone who knows how to grow it. The blanket and clothes that keep them warm comes from someone who knows how to make them. We have to teach our future generations to carry on without the technology. |
wtliftr
Henderson, NC
March 30, 2007
7:46 AM Post #3336508
| I have to change my answer to E: ALL OF THE ABOVE |
MySharona
Fernandina Beach, FL
(Zone 9a)
March 30, 2007
8:53 AM Post #3336774
| I checked "fun and relaxation", but it's really all of the above. As I type this I am covered in dirt, my sweaty hair is pulled through a baseball cap and I have scratches on my arms and legs, dirt under what's left of my broken fingernails (and a towel on my chair)!
I'm in heaven!!
There is no stress, no deadline, no phone, no tv, nothing to distract me from my idea of relaxing. I love the planning and then that "pop" when suddenly you see the next step...stepping-stones there, a vine here, a new bird bath over there...the creativity never ends! It's amazing - I've learned how to use my imagination again. I love all kinds of flowers, passion vines, orchids, shrubs, hedges, canna lilies, hostas, succulents...the list goes on and on.
I get tons of exercise and I don't need therapy - all I need is dirt and something to plant!
Sharon :) |
Happy_1
Fort Lauderdale, FL
(Zone 10b)
March 30, 2007
9:11 AM Post #3336819
| My sentiments, exactly, Sharon... |
trackinsand
(Zone 9a)
March 30, 2007
2:58 PM Post #3337791
| because i have to...it's that simple. lol |
backspace
Saint Charles, IL
(Zone 5a)
March 30, 2007
4:18 PM Post #3338010
| I am an addict to gardening. I have such a passion for it all. I have worked at a very well known garden center in my area for ten years and have garden for 20 plus years. I NEVER grow tired of it. what a learning experience it can be. I find gardening to also be a therapy for me. with 3 teenagers ( all boys) at one time I found that gardening was the best therapy that I could of got. I feel lost without a shovel, wheelbarrow, seed or plant in my hands .to smell the dirt is a sweet, heavenly aroma. I know I am close to nature and the man above when I garden because there is such a peace that can overcome. everthing feels so in tune. gardening is my life and always will be.
|
mevnmart
Springville, UT
(Zone 5b)
March 30, 2007
4:46 PM Post #3338105
| I want to garden to a.) feed my family food that I know where it came from and how it was grown and b.) for the fun and relaxation of it. This year will be my first attempt at organic gardening, and I'm really excited! |
Mahnot
DFW area, TX
(Zone 7b)
March 30, 2007
10:46 PM Post #3338875
| Yep, gardening is great therapy. My husband never
once complained about how many plants I bought or
how much I paid for landscaping. He said it was cheaper
than a psychiatrist.
For our 25th wedding anniversary, I got a truckload of
mushroom compost delivered and he brought it into the
yard wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow - took him almost
3 days, but he did it. I'm not talking a pick-up here either.
It was a truck used to haul gravel and stone. Best present
ever. |
MySharona
Fernandina Beach, FL
(Zone 9a)
March 31, 2007
3:49 AM Post #3339076
| Mahnot - DH has never argued with me either about how many plants I bring home or what I spend. To others he jokes about "buying dirt", but he'll be the first in line with a new bag or plant! He's now looking for a composter since I mentioned we need one - he just nodded and said "I'm on it"!!
Sharon |
merigold
Sioux City, IA
(Zone 4b)
March 31, 2007
5:06 AM Post #3339258
| I enjoy being outdoors in the fresh air and sun. Having a garden gives me a good excuse to be out there...otherwise I'd just be wandering/hanging out in my yard and people would wonder what I'm up to!;)
I do get excited about all the sprouts coming out of the ground, brightly colored flowers and eating a few things from my garden but it all comes down to fun and relaxation for me! |
goldeneagleone
Smyrna, TN
(Zone 6b)
March 31, 2007
8:43 AM Post #3339821
| There was not an option that said to get hot and sweaty, completely dirty, and break your back, so I just chose for fun and relaxation.
Jason |
grammyphoeb
Upper Hudson Valley, NY
(Zone 5a)
April 1, 2007
1:36 AM Post #3342297
| I grow only flowers for my own enjoyment. I grew up on a farm in the country so I love to get my hands into garden soil and grow things. I can't wait each spring for the crocus to poke through the leaves in the garden. I have several small flower beds around my back yard and my deck is filled with containers of colorful annuals. Even though I live in a small city I am lucky to have a view from my deck of a wooded area and the Hudson River. I am on vacation all season long with the view and surrounded by my flowers. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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grandpaj
Hanford, CA
April 1, 2007
2:03 AM Post #3342309
| I live in central Ca. and over the last two year really have developed a passion for succulents & cacti. They are so forgivong & in most cases less is more...
This message was edited Apr 1, 2007 3:07 AM
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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grandpaj
Hanford, CA
April 1, 2007
2:19 AM Post #3342316
| It's a great way to appreciate many of God's creations. Many times I'll go out at sunrise & sit on my covered swing with my dogs, Rat terrier & a chihuhua mix with a good cup of coffee, admire the hummingbirds returning for another season, Think about the next succulent I want to add to the collection & just reflect on the beauty of the day. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
randbponder
Hornick, IA
(Zone 4b)
April 1, 2007
4:39 PM Post #3344827
| I garden to get "fresh" wholesome veggies. I don't like tomatoes that tast like cardboard.
And who hasen't bit into a hard peach or necturine only to find it rotten in the middle. and now with the lettuce scare. I guess I'm saying I voted other. |
Maria
Rehoboth, MA
(Zone 5a)
April 1, 2007
5:08 PM Post #3344916
| Jason, I too was looking for am option how hard and back breaking gardening can be. I have been gardening for 60 years and if any one thinks house work is hard, they are wrong, gardening is lots of difficult physical work at least in my kind of soil that has to be amended with mulch and compost just to get rid of clay and stones, lots of rocks many times I could hardly lift. Everything I ever did has been without help or a suitable machine of any kind in order to plant trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables, but oh what wonderful fun and mind blowing challenging relaxation, I am still at it as always but getting old and loosing strengths makes it just a little bit harder. |
goldeneagleone
Smyrna, TN
(Zone 6b)
April 1, 2007
5:16 PM Post #3344942
| I hate it, back breaking work, frustrating problems, the money involved and the time. Then spring comes, and everything starts to bloom and you know it was worth it. And of course nothing can compare to fresh veggies.
Jason |
kurtwall
Clairton, PA
(Zone 6a)
April 1, 2007
7:41 PM Post #3345619
| What I really wanted was the option that read:
For fun and relaxation *and* to raise fresh vegetables for my family. |
goldeneagleone
Smyrna, TN
(Zone 6b)
April 1, 2007
7:59 PM Post #3345679
| Yea, it should have been a poll to let you choose multiples. |
WaterCan2
Suffolk County, LI, NY
(Zone 6b)
April 8, 2007
7:27 PM Post #3370313
| It is a part of whom I am. I recognize it, respect it, and nurture it, after all... are'nt we all a piece of infinitesimally small stardust we call earth? |
GiddyMoon
Carmichael, CA
April 23, 2007
3:06 PM Post #3422871
| I garden because I cannot bake, do not have the patience for quilting and I have 5 cats, which eliminates the ability to have rolls of yarn in my lap. I figure that by the time I am 60, I have to be able to say I can either, quilt, crotchet, bake or garden well...I am choosing gardening:) |
