We have all become couch potatoes. I'm like you, although limited by arthritis, I spend as much time outside as I can (to the detriment of my housekeeping, I'm afraid).

because it is pouring with welcome (but freezing) rain. Will work in any conditions outside, even snowstorms but rain, dripping down my neck, soaking through my trousers and making weeding a muddy nightmare is the only time when the greenhouse has more allure than the plot. Also, I am enjoying a rather thrilling and epic series of books.

The snow is melting and although it was 13 last night...it's supposed to start warming up this weekend. I get outside whenever I can, but there's not much to do, in the winter. Too much snow and cold! It will still be too wet and cold to plant, at least until April...but at least it's warm enough to get outside and start cleaning things up a bit. I love spring! :)

Lucille- I meant to add...I don't know why people don't garden more. Wouldn't it be great, if our neighbors wanted to share plants and swap seeds? I'm lucky, since my mom lives only a few miles away and loves to garden, too! :)

I'm lucky enough to live in a pretty rural area where there are lots of gardeners, when I'm out working in the garden I usually spot two or three neighbors doing the same. Our weather has been unusually sunny and nice so I've been seeing plenty of other gardeners at work. I have a big project I'm working on, excavating a flat path out of a hillside so that I can make another rose bed and walk around my veggy garden without danger of breaking an ankle. I've been chipping away at it a wheelbarrow full of dirt at a time, but my brother (who has big, strong muscles) just arrived last night to help me so I'm hoping the two of us can get it finished with one big push.

I have been asking the same thing. Our weather has been really nice this winter,some cool temps but mostly above normal and no snow/ice... Things are blooming, grass is green and I am outside much of the day.. My husband's neice is our neighbor, they have a 3yr old and I NEVER see or hear them outside. Maybe 2x in months..When my kids were young - they begged to go out.. I would clean house after they went to bed at night so we could be outside... I just don't understand..

I go out and walk the roses most days all winter long. I also have a large bird feeding set up that I tend every day. It gets me outside for at least a little while even on the worst days because I don't want to disappoint the birds, lol! It's still a little early here to really do much but I have done some clean up already. The soil is too cold and wet yet to dig in and I'm wary about uncovering the roses so I'm just biding my time until I can really start to garden.

We live on a busy street 3 blocks from the main street of our city. Here people are outside 12 months of the year, so I see plenty of people. As a matter of fact, when I am working on the beds next to the sidewalk, I have to be careful not to block the sidewalk with my debris, because there are so many pedestrians walking down the sidewalk. Lots of them stop to chat about the garden, which is nice.

Re actual gardeners, mostly I see the hired ones that maintain my neighbors' gardens. Only one of my neighbors is really a gardener and works in her own garden. However, there is hope - a young couple just moved in a block away - their first owned home, and she has asked me to help her learn about gardening - Yay!

Jackie

Let me Google that.

There is very little gardening going on in my neighborhood--never was any different. Even when I offered neighbors plants, it wasn't worth it to them to dig the holes, I guess. With our recession and last spring's endless rains, nurseries in our area did horribly. One of our old standby nurseries in the area, with several locations, is going under fast. I think that with our depressed economy, gardening is a luxury activity. In addition, people are busy working, raising kids and carting them all over to activities, and the weekend gardening trucks have proliferated. You know what I mean--the people who come and make horrific noise with their leaf blowers and lawn mowers all weekend, manicuring postage size lots.
I remember my father always fussing in the garden, growing vegetables, dahlias and zinnias, moneyplants, etc. We were very poor but it certainly didn't deter him from gardening. It is a very different time now.

Kathy- With less 'extra cash' available, I believe you'll see fewer 'weekend gardening trucks' and more people having to do yardwork, themselves. Also, less money for vacations (to other places) and more time/attention spent on their own yards. So, with that combination, more people will hopefully, be getting outside and doing the work themselves, in their yards and gardens. I think that will be the case, especially over the next few years.

Hopefully, as people spend more time fixing up their outdoor spaces, they'll get more interested in doing some gardening, too. If they can't afford to travel, they'll be able to have a garden...because they'll be home all summer, to water it. With the food concerns lately, more people may want to grow some vegetables and that often leads to more radical ideas...such as perennials and even roses! :)

I live in a little neighborhood of approximately 25 or so houses on two parallel streets. Out of all those houses, my neighbor and I are the only ones who garden and piddle around in the yard. I'm the only one with any roses. And what seems very strange to me also is that I NEVER see kids playing outside any more. Even though arthritis and bad knees makes everything much harder than it used to be and take twice as much time, I'll be outside as much as I can until I meet my maker.

There are 8 houses on our block. Two keep their property immaculate but I would call their property landscaped. Two do nothing. The rest of us are outdoors as much as possible.
I'm the nut about roses. Across the lane Karen is a fruit nut; fruit trees and bees.
This year so far we had weeded some and spread some horse poops but thats about it for another month or so. well gotta go my st. bernard is wanting to get out.
Jeannie

The only people I know that actually "garden" are my next door neighbors. They have wonderful veggie beds all summer and are lovely enough to share the rewards of it with us, since we don't have enough property to be able to grow anything like that.

The rest of the neighborhood? Not sure. We're kind of new (only been there 2 years) but so far I haven't really seen anyone paying too much mind to their outdoor space. Most of the homes are old, and have established plantings and not much in the way of flowering beds and such. My home, when purchased, was way too heavy on evergreens and weeds lol. First thing I did was have much of it ripped out to give some structure and bones to it with better flowering bushes.

This year, the roses are going in. I couldn't get them in on time last year, too late in the season. I can't imagine living without them. And yes, if I get enough of them this year, I'll be happy to bring bouquets to my neighbor as a thank you for all the delicious vegetables they have given to us :D

We have all become couch potatoes. I'm like you, although limited by arthritis, I spend as much time outside as I can (to the detriment of my housekeeping, I'm afraid).

Floridarosez, don't worry. I can personally attest that dust bunnies thrive on neglect :)

Two days ago, I went out with the intention of tilling the soil. I noticed that my Alliums and Lillies are up. Unfortunately, I didn't put skewers over each bulb. One of my neighbors who gardened passed away recently. My neighbor next door she is in her 90's, she just does maintenance in April and May. I'm the Green Acre's of the block now.

It's too soon to be doing any gardening work yet here. Last March we still had snow storms and the night temps stayed below freezing well into April.

Mountain weather is totally unpredictable. I think I need to do a deep watering in the next few days because we have not had enough rain for several weeks. I have been putting this off because it means hauling the hose out from under the house and putting it away for the night.... and it's still feels cold to me during the day. Watering is no fun when you are bundled up to the point where you look and feel like the Winston Tire Man.

The soil is not frozen, but it's still cold and water stressed plants are more susceptible to cold damage. Geesh ... it's always something.

I can't even start my spring cleaning because I am still heating the house with wood.

BUT it is time to go into spring training ... lol. I am a night owl and indulge myself during the winter by staying up late and getting up late. I need to start changing that routine so that it is easier to get up early when it starts getting warmer. I also increase my exercises and start taking longer walks to increase my endurance so that I don't have to deal with what I call "spring pain."

This is the hardest time of the year for me because when I look at the roses, I can see the pruning cuts I want to make, but don't dare because winter may or may not be over.

Smiles,
Lyn

This is a great time for moving dormant plants in our climate--I've already moved a weeping cherry tree!

Rain. Snow. Cold winds.

But on the days the sun is shining or it's not freezing, even with light rain, I'm out with my pick and shovel cleaning out undergrowth for some berries and apple trees. Pruning and manure distribution are done. Still chipping and shredding leaves and debris.

Buds are swelling on alba maxima. Ask me if I'm excited!!

Wow, I feel very lucky. I have a lot of ladies in my neighborhood that are avid gardeners. My next door neighbor is a Master Gardener. Her garden is extensive and we sometimes swap plants. The lady behind me isn't the world's best gardener but she does try and enjoys working in the yard. My cousin Kathy lives around the block from me and she's a real garden nut like me so we're always plant shopping, sharing and swapping things with each other. And I know of at least another half dozen ladies and one gentleman in my 4 black subdivision that are very active gardeners. And we have a committee of ladies who work together to take care of the gardens in the common spaces at the beach and the front gates. I usually do most of the rose pruning down at the lake in the spring. I don't know for sure what they are but someone mentioned "Carefree" once so I'm thinking Carefree Wonder since they're all pink. There's about 6 or 8 of them in two beds and they don't take very long to clean up. Sometimes I'll dead head them later in the season but if I don't no one else does either so I end up with some good hips in the fall. I may collect some pollen this year and do some crosses with it.

It has been a strange winter, I can count on one hand how many times it snowed. Would love to start working in my garden but its early March in Kansas. I learned the hard way to let plants be until the middle of April. Only exception to this is my pampas grass which I did cut down last week.
Unlike roseblush1, the soil in my area has been moist since January. I was at a home garden show last week, where I spoke to several gardeners who like me are worried about a late freeze. Trees, shrubs and plants are a month ahead of schedule and should we have a late freeze then many gardeners and farmers will be hurting.

My neighborhood is historic, lots of Colonials and Victorians very close together. My neighbor's house literally sits in my garden. Since the neighborhood is old, most of the houses don't have front yards, they literally sit ON the sidewalk. So while there are some incredible gardens, you don't see them unless you do the Secret Garden Tour in the summer. So,here you don't see people gardening since they're hidden. ;) Sadly I've never done the secret garden tour here since it's always fallen on days I'm away...but this year I am going to make a point. My house was actually ON it last year as a walk by (but don't go in) and I still missed it!

My house is situated a bit odd - it's turned to the side, with the front door perpendicular to the sidewalk. (there are quite a few houses like this in my neighborhood for some reason.) So my "front yard" is actually beside my house, and you can see it from the sidewalk. (Plantings are filling in to give more privacy - but we wont ever be completely hidden, which is how we prefer it.) So when I'm in my garden people see me, and I like that! Gets people talking, social, etc. I've met a few fellow gardeners that way and have gotten lots of advice since I'm a newbie.

It's going to be almost 60 degrees here today! So I plan on heading out today for some more spring clean up!

My neighborhood is brand new with the oldest parts being about two years old and the youngest still being built (annoying!), and it's absolutely filled the the brim with outside people of all ages. Lots of dog walkers and thin, jogging women in the morning. Stay at home moms with their strollers in the afternoons and early evenings and kids everywhere. Oh, the kids! Seriously, we had so many trick or treaters last year that the ten huge bags of candy I bought for them was gone in two hours. (My husband was a bit generous in handing it out though... "when we run out, we can turn off the light." lol)

Not a whole lot of gardening though, we have mostly landscaped yards, but more and more you see new odds and ends making their way into people's yards. There's one man around the corner from me who has a giant yellow austin rose in his front garden that is just magnificent. He prunes it down after every flush and when it blooms... WOW! I'm not totally sure which yellow austin that it is, because I haven't had the guts to walk up and ask yet. I'd be shocked if it were something else. There are a couple of other roses in the neighborhood, hybrid teas, I'd guess. Most people take good care of them, but a couple don't prune and those suckers and clearly eight feet tall and very thin. Eh.

My yard is ridiculous. lol. I'm surprised the yard police haven't gotten on to me yet about my cottage-y garden in the front where everyone can see it. Ha! I got out there a little early to prune and tidy everything up so it's looking pretty good now. I am happy to report though, that after I did SEVERAL of my neighbors were out the very next day working on their own front gardens. Yay!

It was very warm yesterday 60's here in Pittsburgh. I spent the day mulching a bed I had weeded last week. It felt so great! I feel like I am so ahead this year already.
In my neighborhood there are a few people that garden a lot, and I enjoy talking to them and seeing what they have done. There are a lot of people that don't garden, and I wish they would be interested, it sure would make the neighborhood pretty!
I'm looking forward to introducing myself to the lady in my neighborhood who grows gorgeous peonies and iris. I think she may be needing some help in her garden and I'd love of help and hear the history of her garden. She has quite a garden!
I made a friend last year by being brave and asking a lady if I could see her garden. She had a wildlife reserve plaque on her gate and I was so privledged to see her gorgeous garden. We exchange things now, it's very fun!

Because it's dark outside when I get home from work & will be until we roll the clocks forward.

Well, for that reason, and the fact that I hate hurricane force winds. It makes my eyes water & my ears hurt.

I'm the same way, Flaura. I wear ear muffs year round when it's windy. If I don't, and there's any wind at all, I surely will get an earache the next day.

Interesting movement of people here where I live. We had people from Samoa move in and bring all sorts of tropicals in bright pots. Same story on a cul de sac nearby- A family from Thailand transformed the front into palms and exotic tropicals with a generous dose of plumeria. Two families are farming. One is a country themed corn with windmill planting + whiskey barrels of cukes and zucchini. The other is a family from the Carribean growing Sugar Cane and lots of exotic veggies and herbs and spices. We have a rare fruit orchard going on across the street that survives in the garden of the house the ex wife got. A middle eastern family grows two big date palms on either side of the driveway. I'm the rose and flower nut. The man down the street has a passion for xeriscaping and has a fantastic gravel and desert theme going. ( He makes faces at me while he drives by and I'm watering the roses AGAIN ). A man on the other end has a palm and epi paradise and a very old japanese couple have a very traditional manicured japanese garden. Everyone else mostly has a lawn and shrubs that they clip or have a service clip. Oh wait, there is the family who has the country style potted butterfly and hummingbird garden with all the yard art and kids toys. A new guy just moved in and wanted to know what he should plant....I said ROSES of course!

I hope to think that we have some influence on our children. My son has killed a few plants on his balcony of his apartment over the years. My daughters' children often have a flower grace their crayon drawings, and look forward to seeing grandma & grandpas' "fleurs." Our cat gets equal billing time, however.
My grandmother, aunt, and father-in-law all had wonderful gardens.
Things do seem to have changed whereas I tend to look for good dirt with a house attached. My children are more concerned with commuting time.
I supply the neighbor across the street with compost, but other than that everyone is concerned with the growing of grass.
Foghorn
International Anti Grass League