I've been able to exist perfectly well in this world, as a non-gardener, my whole life. I hid my gardening aversion very well in college by keeping a small African violet alive all four years. No one was the wiser to the fact that I knew nothing...I mean nothing...about flowers.
My ability to get by ended when we purchased our home last fall. A serious gardener lived here before us. At the signing she spoke of her flowers like one would a child. She had no children...so I think her garden really was her passion. She gave me tons and tons of advice about caring for the flowers...but I only listened with one ear because I thought Jim knew about flowers. You can imagine my dismay when I learned that he DID NOT know about flowers. Apparently he has just been getting by all these years too. We really were meant for each other. It's nice to get a sign once in awhile, you know??
For most of the summer we were afraid to weed since we couldn't identify weeds from actual flowers. Now the flowers are beginning to overtake us. It seems like we are going to have to eventually pull everything and re-plant some low maintenance type plants. I just hope the previous owner doesn't decide to drive by to check out the old homestead...I'm afraid it might be a huge shock...and she is elderly. I seriously hope she doesn't ever drive by.....
But...we have had three seasons of fabulous perennials...and fall has brought some colorful new blooms! Lia's favorite thing to do is to pick a flower or two or three each time she leaves or enters the house...and her little bouquets...usually displayed in a small juice glass...always make me smile. So for now, we are enjoying the small forest-like gardening scheme we are rocking...and reading every gardening book we can get our hands on! It's never too early to start thinking about next year!
17 comments:
It's a lot of work to maintain a garden. At our house, the weeds grow very fast! Your flowers and yard look! I'm good at mowing the grass, but weeding is a bit beyond my abilities, I think. Happy gardening to you. Maybe Lia can be the gardener!
Janet
Oops -- I meant your flowers and yard look lovely! Thinking faster than typing today!
Janet
Kate ~ This is ME!!!!! We've lived in our home for just under five years. A serious gardener lived here before us -- she worked as a manager at Homestead Gardens.
Ack!!!
I have ruined her yard. Wait - my yard. I have ruined my yard. Plus, I hate weeding.
Kate-
I have a black thumb. I am the same as you and your dh (love that you needed a sign such as this to know you were meant for each other...: )
I wish I could tend to a garden, because I really appreciate the beauty...just when someone else does it.
: ) Have a great weekend, my friend!
I am with you...can't keep anything alive in my house.....or out for that matter!
The husband on the other hand.....is fantastic with flowers...so we have a rule....I clean and keep up the inside of the house.....he handles the yard and the gardens!!!
Seems to work!
Everytime I see Lia in these photos, I just cannot get over how breathtaking she is....the girl just doesn't take a bad picture...they are all fabulous!!
Lisa
I am so NOT a gardener! I kill everything! It is so sad :-(
I love fresh flowers and get them each week from Costco :-)
I am DONE!!!! I need music :D You are not going to believe how many images there are :D I need at least five songs. Call me when you have a minute and we can chat about it - and just chat :D
Ladybug hugs,
;D
I was really into my gardens once. But the last three years have been so demanding that I've really let them go. Now, I'm finding it hard to become motivated about putting the work in to make them what I want them to be again.
Don't worry...I am not a plant person either (I kill almost everything we ever had) so you are not alone. Some day I'll have to tell you about our tomato plants that my husband planted one year and I was in charge of taking care of them during the wek while he was in DC working...(trust me, it's a good one lol)
BTW...the photos are beautiful!!!!
oh I gardened all day yesterday and I despise it too! I decided after a dismal winter last yr I was going to plant some winter flowers so that my winter this yr would be a bit brighter. I was pooped last night in need of a manicure terribly.
Love the pics of your little gardener:)
You are revealing so much of yourself! Fresh Flowers only for us too! I wish I liked to garden- really I do. And I did try when we purchased the house without success.
Lia looks like she has the patience to garden. And if not she will look gorgeous posing amongst the flower beds!
Kate - I am just like you. I love flowers, but don't seem to have a green thumb at all. I can manage to plant annuals in the spring, but that's where my abilities end.
Your flowers and yard do always look great!
Rachel
I used to really, really love to garden. I think it was my temporary child all those years we waited to have one. We planted SO many things and it clearly had become an obsession that needed to get under control. Now that we have Magnolia our garden has become a thorn in my side. Too too much to keep up when I would rather be doing so many other things. It is nice, however, to have beautiful flowers even among all those weeds!!! I just try to enjoy my less than perfect garden now. Afterall, we have much better distractions in our lives now. :) Lucy
P.S. As always, sweet sweet pics of Lia!
Kate,
I LOVE to garden and plant flowers. But since I have so many new hobbies....sewing, embroidery, photography, blogging, etc....NOT much time left for my garden this year. I can help if you want with identifying weeds versus flowers.
When we sold our first home I had planted a HUGE beautiful pernial garden. I often wonder what happened to that garden.....
Jen
LOL...you are too funny Kate! I love gardens but you are right, they are a lot of work. When we moved to our current house, I told the landscaper to go simple on the maintenance and we love it! Sure makes the summers more enjoyable!
A girl and her flowers...sweet.
I am glad you are feeling some liberation via the blogging world.
How the heck did I miss this post. I scrolled down to see Lia's hair long. What a difference a little haircut will do ya!! I wish that when I cut my hair, it made me look younger but anyways, to the post. We have the same problem. You would never know that there's a self-employed landscaper that lives in our house. There are just not enough hours in the day and now that it is getting darker earlier, there are not enough daylight hours to do the work. I think that we will be pulling out alot of our flowers this year because they took over!!!
Looking forward to Saturday!!!
xoxoxox
I love your post! Well I do love to garden and prior to having Lucy join our family I went a bit crazy in the gardens. Back then I had much more free time and spent most of it in the yard planting, weeding, pruning and planting some more. Now I have lots of pretty flowers but not quite the amount of time I used to have. It doesn't look as good as it used to - but I have the sweetest little helper who loves to work beside me - so I don't really care. Hope you have a great week. Lia looks sweet as ever!
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