What kind of gardener are you?

[TheBrit]

Certainly wouldn't call myself a gardening expert, what I know I've learnt from my own experiences over the years. Anybody who has seen my posts on here will know I am very much a minimal maintainance, shrub and flower type gardening person. Although I have grown some more common veg in my day.

I've also built and maintained ponds and aviaries in my various gardens and collected the knowledge that goes with those experiences.
Certainly though I derived great pleasure and relaxation from it all.

 

[Babble64]

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.

I usually say "I have a country yard." I like it too. Although I am able to appreciate the beauty of others' work, I just like the rustic look and I know I don't have the energy or discipline to keep anything "just so." Different strokes!

 

[passingcat]

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.

I will get another one soon and let you know the species. The shop I go to keeps them indoors so that is why I thought they were indoor plants! I guess they can do this as they sell them pretty quickly. Many thanks again. I may finally grow a bonsai with success!

 

[Gina145]

I will get another one soon and let you know the species. The shop I go to keeps them indoors so that is why I thought they were indoor plants! I guess they can do this as they sell them pretty quickly. Many thanks again. I may finally grow a bonsai with success!

I sometimes worry about the trees that are kept in shops for a few days.I once bought a bonsai from a local supermarket and when I got it home I discovered that it had gone dormant in the middle of summer. Fortunately after a few days outside it woke up again and has been doing fine ever since. It now lives in my greenhouse as it can't take extreme cold. With a different species kept under those conditions, however, I might not have been as lucky.

I hope you find a really nice tree and have great success with it.

 

[TheBrit]

Have never tried Bonsai but friends of mine used to be into it in a big way. I think many of them are works of art. The one thing that puts me off is the time it takes to "train" the plant. Would be ideal for my situation now as I have just a small balcony. Mmm, food for thought.

 

[Gina145]

TheBrit, if you enjoy gardening but have limited space, you could always give it a try with something quick growing and fairly simple to look after. I read a comment by a well known bonsai artist in which he said that it's the process that he enjoys and it doesn't worry him if it takes a long time to reach the result he wants. In any case at my club they say that the only finished bonsai is a dead one.

Of course if you buy a ready styled tree, you're saving yourself a lot of time, but also a lot of fun.

 

[tiera patterson]

I can say that I am the type of gardener who cares very much about her plants and I take it seriously. Now i do enjoy the vision of flowers, trees, bushes and other little shrubbery but i like knowing that they are healthy and thriving and that I am one of the reasons for making that happen.

 

[Jewell]

I'd say I am an evolving gardener. Years ago before we owned a home I was a pot gardener that moved everything when we moved. Anything that did get in the ground got potted up and came along too. Made for some interesting moves. I was primarily into veggie gardening.

Later we got a home and my small collection of perennials got their feet in the ground. Those early years were spent planting and maintaining fruit/nut crops and veggies. Later I moved into year round gardening for veggies. After a series of winters with unusual cold killing off my winter cole crops I moved more perennial flowers into my veggie garden space. I still intermix veggies and perennials throughout the garden. My herb garden is in a two foot space along the south side of the house.

All the while I have kept my pots and their numbers have slowly grown. The pots are for new plants as I decide where I want them. Sometimes veggies get placed in them too. Just depends on my mood and the growing season. This year scarlet runner, sunset and painted lady runner beans found homes in pots. The pots were trellised against a building. Great production.

What was once all a grass yard is now all beds. The latest is a woodland area. This area had a weedy, mossy lawn area that is now all paths and beds. With the help of cardboard, fir trees dropping lots of needles and some purchased bark it is now a restful area. Last spring we even got a crop of morel mushrooms.

We are still evolving and transitioning. Had to remove three blighted/dying filberts this summer. That opened up an area that had not seen sunlight for a long time (had actually been one of my shade gardens). Am thinking new veggie beds, but still have a couple of ferns and hellebores to move. At one time we had had our raspberries in this area, so it is like we have come full circle. Each season my moods and desires change.

 

[Kiese]

I enjoy doing both types of gardening, vegetables and plants/flowers. I have to admit I'm a bit more intimidated sometimes with trying to make sure I have a nice landscape. It can be a bit easier for me to grow some simple vegetables.

 

[Gardener]

I'm the kind of gardener who hates getting his hands dirty. I wear gloves when gardening, and I mostly grow vegetables and a few flowers here and there. I guess one can call it a small farm

 

[claudine]

Gardener, it's the same with me. No matter what I do, I always wear gloves while gardening. I don't like touching soil, it's too dirty and I'm really scared of germs and bacterias. Also, I don't want to ruin my nails So yes, gloves are necessary.

 

[Shellyann36]

Ok I think I am somewhere in the middle. For some reason I can't seem to get my act together at the house I am in now. We had a decent size garden last year and we incorporated flowers into it. We also planted flowers around the yard as well. We planted grape vines, blueberry bushes, blackberry & raspberry canes 2 years ago. The only thing to survive is one grape vine. I am not sure what on earth happened with them. At the time I had given birth to twins and not able to do very much so I am blaming that on the fact that they failed miserably. I love to make project lists for my veggie garden as well as fruit bushes/canes/trees and the list is constantly growing because quite frankly I would love having every fruit imaginable planted in my yard...... this is not realistic because my yard is not that big and well I don't have that much money! I am also one of those people who loves flowers and I would love to buy every flower I come across at Lowes or anywhere else sellng them if I could afford them! Even better I would love to buy all of the seeds of the flowers that I love and plant them myself at the right time and have a thriving yard!

Ok so I went a little crazy here. I have so many plans on how I want to expand our garden and incorporate into our yard so many different fruits/veggies/flowers/herbs. I am never able to accomplish it all though.

 

[Cammie27]

I think I'm mainly just a glutton... I love growing food but have little patience with ornamentals. My husband plants the annuals in the front yard, and I spend my time with the fruit and veg plants in back. Something about starting from seed and ending up with food is very rewarding to me, much more so than ending up with beautiful blooms or a perfectly landscaped space. There are some fabulous Victorian and cottage gardens in my community and I love seeing them and smelling all the wonderful flowers, but when it comes to my yard I am all about vegetables in neat rows and squares surrounded by fruit trees and brambles. Even my houseplants are edible, from the windowsill herb garden to my experiments with exotic/sub-tropical plants that wouldn't survive outdoors in my area.

 

[loopyloo]

I like pretty gardens but for my house we try to plant edible gardens. I know that these can be pretty too but the food we get is my main drive. I love the red peeking out from my tomato plants. I love to see the apples getting big on my tree. I love to smell the fresh rosemary from my porch. It gives me a sense of control on life. It seems crazy when I write it all down though. lol.

 

[ChanellG]

I'd say I am an evolving gardener. Years ago before we owned a home I was a pot gardener that moved everything when we moved. Anything that did get in the ground got potted up and came along too. Made for some interesting moves. I was primarily into veggie gardening...

Been there. I think we are all evolving in some way shape or form. I'm certainly doing more with plants than I ever have before.

I enjoy doing both types of gardening, vegetables and plants/flowers. I have to admit I'm a bit more intimidated sometimes with trying to make sure I have a nice landscape. It can be a bit easier for me to grow some simple vegetables.

I'm great with herbs and flowers, though even those have their challenge moments. I am finding fruit producers easier to manage than vegetables - though most of the vegetables are really fruits. Hoping to try my hand and spinach and some other greens once things cool off, but I am about to get busy again so I'm not sure I'll have the time.

I'm the kind of gardener who hates getting his hands dirty. I wear gloves when gardening, and I mostly grow vegetables and a few flowers here and there. I guess one can call it a small farm

That is completely hilarious. I once knew a mechanic who was the same way.