What kind of gardener are you?

[ACSAPA]

I have about a dozen plants in containers because I lived in a place with a balcony when I got them, so it's a balcony sized collection of plants and some of them are pretty big.
I pay attention to them, trim off dead leaves, notice when they have pests and basically treat them like family pets that don't poop.
I guess I'm a balcony gardener. I don't really lose that many plants, I haven't had many plants die on me, so I suppose I have a green thumb.

 

[jowjo5]

I am a beginner gardener.....and it shows! My flowers are all mixed together with no plan. My tomatoes plants are planted wherever I have the space. They look kind of silly in with my flowers! I also have some hanging upside down near the entrance of our house. Now if they produce tomatoes, they will be more than a conversation starter.

 

[claudine]

I'm a rose addict, as you know I'm completely in love with my miniature roses. I adore them! And I find every little thing so exciting: a new leaf or a bud always makes me smile
Today I spent almost two hours washing them and pruning them, it was a lot of fun
I'm a rose gardener.

 

[ChanellG]

If I had the space I would have a number of different gardens. I've always wanted a cutting garden for long stemmed flowers, one for herbs, one for edibles like fruits and vegetables, and one just for roses. Of course I don't have nearly enough space for all of those things, but I'm learning how to get the most use of the space I do.

@Claudine, I can easily spend two hours or more pruning and weeding and everything else!
@jowjo5, I just rearranged some of my ornamental plants so that they would have more space and be off of my edible plants.
@ACSAPA everything I have is in containers as well. I do have access to a backyard though, and I am thinking of a small square foot raised bed. I'll probably do a couple towers for potatoes as well.
@Philphine, I'm sort of a work in progress kind of gardener as well. My container garden grew by leaps and bounds recently when my mom and I acquired a bunch of plants from the clearance section at Lowes.
@Amalia, flowers are important to start with because they attract pollinators to the garden when you're ready to grow edibles. I am slowly increasing my edibles while adding herbs, though I'd like to have a few more flowers (roses and hydrangea for starters).
@Happyflowerlady, we'll call you a laid back gardener, lol.
@Becky, research is good, time to get busy!

It's not like I think that my efforts have no value, no skill or no satisfaction, it's just that when I look at the bloke next-but-one's garden, I think, "Now that's a garden!"

I'm sure your garden is more than adequate. The bloke next door's garden seems almost like a miniature park, lol, while yours seems more like a small farm. Maybe you just need a few perennial flowering shrubs?

 

[Gina145]

You could sell those extra plants or give them as gifts!

I don't often get an opportunity to sell my excess plants but I do give some away on my bonsai club's raffle table. The problems is that I hate parting with my "babies".

 

[ChanellG]

I don't often get an opportunity to sell my excess plants but I do give some away on my bonsai club's raffle table. The problems is that I hate parting with my "babies".

LOL, I'm sure it's hard to see them go, but it makes room for new babies

What is the purpose of the club raffles? Are they fundraisers for events or does the money go to local charities? I have a few plants I will be pruning in the not so distant future that I hope to start new ones from. No bonsai yet, but one day...

 

[Gina145]

Chanell I'm not sure where all the money goes to. Some of it probably goes to charity but our club is hosting a big convention this year with three international speakers and I imagine part of the money is going towards that.

I keep trying to cut down on the number of trees I've got but I bought a new one yesterday. Fortunately it's quite small. The number of trees I've got doesn't bother me so much in summer, but it's winter here now and a lot of them have to be protected from the cold. Every day I move a few trees in and out of my kitchen because there isn't space for them in my little greenhouse. Others that are less sensitive have to be covered with frost cloth at night. That's the part I really hate.

I think I'm being over-protective with some of my trees, but I'm terrified of losing a good tree to the cold. I've seen it happen to really experienced growers so I prefer to err on the side of caution.

 

[ChanellG]

It's always better to be safe than sorry. It doesn't even get that cold here and I've lost a couple plants to freezing temperatures. That's going to be an interesting challenge come winter, now that I have so many more plants. I have a little greenhouse now though so the most delicate things can go in there.

As for cutting down, I am already planning to start propagating my petunias as soon as they are done blooming. (Trying really hard to wait, lol)

 

[Gina145]

Chanell, it sounds like you and I have a lot in common.

I don't know how people cope with plants in areas that get extreme cold. I hate winter even though ours are mild too.

 

[passingcat]

I'm absolutely obsessed with bonsai trees, though most of my plants are in the pre-bonsai stage, if that. I have a really bad habit of trying to propagate new trees from most of the branches I remove, so I've got far too many young plants that I don't have time to care for as well as I would like.

My trees live outdoors or in my little greenhouse, though a few come into my kitchen at night in winter. My only other indoor plants are three African Violets, one of which is looking very poorly right now.

I tried growing bonsai trees but failed miserably. Have you got any tips for ultimate success. All mine died. I have no idea what I was doing wrong. They are beautiful. I can understand why you love them so much!

 

[Gina145]

I tried growing bonsai trees but failed miserably. Have you got any tips for ultimate success. All mine died. I have no idea what I was doing wrong. They are beautiful. I can understand why you love them so much!

There's no easy way for me to give you tips. First one has to work out what you did wrong.

So a couple of questions to start with:
1. What species of tree did you buy?
2. Did you keep them indoors or outside?

Some species can be kept inside, while others will die indoors. Some need protection from cold, others don't. I've come across a lot of people who have bought Juniper bonsai trees under the understanding that they can keep them indoors, but they will never survive unless they are kept outside. I've seen them for sale at a local supermarket from time to time and I'd never buy a Juniper there because they can look like they're alive when they are already dead.

 

[passingcat]

That was my mistake then! I kept mine inside. Maybe I will get another one and see if it survives outside. I can't quite remember the species as it was ten years ago. Thank you for your advice!

 

[Gina145]

It's a pleasure, passingcat. When you get one, find out what species it is so that you're able to find out exactly what it requires. Some of my trees are kept outside all year round while others have to be sheltered at night in winter and in a colder climate would probably have to spend the whole winter indoors.

Keeping bonsai indoors is a common error because that is how one usually sees them displayed at shows or when they are for sale.

If you've got any other questions, please ask. I'm not an expert, but I belong to a club, so I've got access to people who know a lot more than I do.

 

[Babble64]

Thanks for this thread, Chanell! As with headfullofbees' comments I have hardly considering myself a gardener at all compared to so many here. There is so much knowledge present on this forum that I've been feeling a bit like an interloper, since I'm not a serious gardener! It's really been eye opening, then, to hear that there are many others like myself present. I love my plants, love to see things growing and find both pleasure and relaxation in my activities. But I also "garden by heart"...I don't have a grand plan. I tend to do small projects when I do them at all and often allow certain areas to just do as they please until the time comes when I want to spruce an area up or add new plants. I don't know a lot about the science behind growing certain things, I just know I like to grow things. I can't figure out why but I had MUCH more time and energy for my gardens when my kids were little.

I have plants inside and out....and love that the windowsill in my dining room is covered with them. I have others sprinkled around the house and enjoy talking to them and seeing them flourish.

I must say that, Chanell, that you are a great encourager! Wonderful words of support here.

 

[happyflowerlady]

We live in a little trailer on our landlords property, so when they are gone, we help watch everything, and. Make sure that the garden is watered, and things like that. They have a huge house, and a very immaculate yard, and a formal garden area. (This is where I took the hibiscus picture)
I really enjoyed the sheer beauty of everything that they have, and how well it was laid out, but I also realized that this kind of a yard and garden is simply not my style. Our little trailer is through the trees, so the house is not visible, and the view out over our back meadow is more like living in a park like area.
It is a lot more casual, and definitely more of a rural style, and just fits us and our lifestyle much better.