Are You An Extreme Gardener?
My eyes are riveted to the television as a snowboarder speeds through a half pipe or launches from a ramp to perform gnarly, gravity-defying tricks. Or a person hurls himself off a cliff and soars into the beyond with arms and legs spread inside a wingsuit, personifying Batman. How in the world do you learn to do such extreme sports without killing yourself first?
Extreme gardening is much safer. In fact, one can argue that extreme gardening has many physical and emotional benefits. Nevertheless, some people may shake their heads and think that an extreme gardener is a bit strange, if not outright nuts.
How do you know you are an extreme gardener? I have compiled a list of ten traits that, while completely unverified and unscientific, may indicate you are an extreme gardener:
1.You garden, no matter what your environmental conditions or living arrangements. You find a way to garden, year round, in one form or another.
2. When people visit, they ask to see your garden. If they don't ask, you show them anyway.
3. People you don't know have come up to you and asked for gardening advice.
4. You own at least 50 gardening books, not counting garden magazines. No way you can count all those.
5. You have gardened at night under the floodlights around your house.
6. You arrange vacation time around gardening activities.
7. You know the botanical names for most of your plants.
8. You have attended a demonstration or lecture about hydroponics.
9. You publish a garden blog.
10. Gardening is your favorite form of physical therapy for such things as hip replacement, torn meniscus, and recovery from debilitating infection.
If you are positive for any of the above, chances are you are a real gardener. The more traits you have, the more serious you are about gardening. If you own up to six or more, you may indeed be an extreme gardener. I confess I am guilty of all ten. But at least I am not putting on a wingsuit and jumping off cliffs.
So, how extreme are you?
Wishing all you gardeners the very best! Deb
Reader Comments (12)
I confess to 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10! Extreme? Maybe slightly obsessed :-) Happy gardening Deb.
I have not come across the Acanthus 'Whitewater', very interesting. I have to say I am an extremely nutty gardener.
I will confess to 8 of them, that's bad enough! Happy gardening!
I met 9 of the 10 on your list. I haven't actually attended a lecture on hydroponics, although I've asked my local botanic garden to provide input to its docents on how the hydroponic system in the garden's Living Wall works. And, when working on my steep back slope with one bad (unstable) knee, it's occurred to me that taking risks to pull noxious weeds may qualify as "extreme."
I would say I have tendencies of an extreme gardener, though I don't possess all 10 characteristics! xo
I was going to say I'm not an "extreme" gardener, but then I answered affirmatively to most of your items. LOL. This is a great post. :)
That jasmine arch is striking and I bet it smells marvelous. I think I get a wiff every time I look at the picture! Extreme gardener??? You bet I can own up to all that you have listed. It is nice to know I am in good company and not in physical danger. Gardening makes you healthy without posing any life threatening activity.
Deb, I so wish I'd been able to come visit this spring. I have so many commitments. 😣 I need gardening advise!! Hahahaha!
Do you only use pine straw as mulch or do you use pine bark also?
I fit all the criteria except 5 and 8, so I guess that makes me fairly extreme.
Hi everyone, thanks for visiting my blog! I appreciate every comment! Linda, regarding my choice of mulch, I use pine straw around my plants, while I use pine bark nuggets (I prefer mini-nuggets) for all my garden paths, except the moss paths in the woodland garden.
Best wishes,
Deb
Now you know I certainly fit the bill as an extreme gardener!