OT: Does this sound like SOME of us?? :)

15 years ago

Ten Warning Signs You May Be A Gardening Addict:

1. You prune your plants more often and with more care than you trim your toenails. You hear yourself often saying, "There's no need for me to bathe. I'll only be dirty again in a few hours."

2. You hide empty plant pots where your friends and family won't see them so that they won't find out how much you are spending on plants and how often you are buying them. You garden alone and don't care what anyone things about your habit. You sneak outside and dig in the dirt every chance you get. You start gardening early in the day and continue gardening through every available hour. You think about quitting your job so that you can stay home and garden.

3. You can't restrain yourself from pulling a weed, no matter where it happens to be.

4. You show up at work or for an important appointment and realize you are wearing your garden clogs. Your knees are dirty from a morning garden task you just had to do before leaving home.

5. You avoid anyone that doesn't share your love of plants and gardening. You remain mostly silent and pout if a friendly discussion doesn't include talk about plants. You seek out other gardening addicts because they are the only people that seem to understand you.

6. You scour the nurseries for exotic plants just so you can brag about growing them, while also grabbing any plant that comes your way, even if you already have plenty of it. When you go to a garden center, you tell yourself that you will buy "just one plant," but then come out of a daze some time later, wondering how all the dozens of potted plants came home with you.

7. You justify pinching and pilfering cuttings from plants that don't belong to you by saying your propagation efforts are in the best interest of the plants.

8. You have masses of plants in nursery pots waiting to be planted, but still bring home more plants that you may not have room in your yard to plant.

9. You can't imagine going on any trip or vacation that doesn't include visiting some gardens. Your vehicle seems to involuntarily turn into the parking lot of plant nurseries and garden centers, regardless of how mightily you resist with white knuckles gripping the steering wheel.

When at a garden center with family, realizing there is not enough room in your vehicle for both your plant purchases and the other people or kids, you pat them on the head and tell them you will return for them (someday). You get so involved with tending to your new plants that you may forget to return for the abandoned family members.

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Comments (29)

karyn1
15 years ago
This is scary. lol
Karyn
daniellalell
15 years ago
That is hysterical..and every one o so true!! Well, I wouldnt leave the kids unattended tho, only if there were another adult to leave behind, lol! Many times they have had to hold plants on their laps, and deal w/leaves in their faces.
I agree w/Karyn..very scary!
I especially lol at #3..I am recently guilty of that..just did it the other day out front of a restaurant. MIL was laughing at me, then I realized what I was doing!!!
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Because when you think everything that can happen has already happened something new will pop up. So, if one wish to write it on a napkin go ahead, but the realtor must advise her seller not to sign off. Most of the time the agent holds the pen... But she does not provide the answers. That has to come from buyers and sellers. She fills out the paperwork from questions asked on that form. It covers a lot. Ask for a blank copy and pre-read it, then ask questions on any topic not understood. Sometimes buying foreclosures require signing specific paper put together by Real Estate Attorneys in another part of the world. And there are variances in state laws. Where there is a variance in any association or seller required paper work it has to adhere to the law of the state where the transaction occurs. 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I'm not sure how flat fees work but whatever is agreed upon. I hope this helps. I need to get back to my gardening.....then worms. Good luck to all.
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Georgia_on_my_mind
15 years ago
1. I want it.
1. I want it.
2. I want it.
3. If it will not grow in my zone...or is prohibitively expensive, I want it most of all.
4. I am perfectly willing to forgo any necessities of life...such as food for my child or pet in order to have it.
5. I recognize my horticultural dependency.
6. I recognize your horticultural dependency.
7. I will willingly aid and abet your dependency, as you will mine.
8. This makes us infinitely happy.
9. Any money saved by virtue of comparison shopping equals found money and, therefore, is not counted as spending.
10. If everyone else has it, I must have it, too.
11. If I have planted everything that I have already purchased, I must immediately buy more plants.
Now recite your VISA number from memory!
bonnie12210
15 years ago
LOL True so True Heaven help us all,hehehe,
Bonnie
BTW I found I have no orchids,or plumies,here we go again.
vaskirt
15 years ago
I am guilty of all the above..............
oxmyx
15 years ago
Ah the true gardener's plight. I know there wont be a weed to be pulled in my emaculate garden and my good clothes are all a bit stained at the knees.
fool4flowers
15 years ago
Uh oh, that sounds exactly like me. I run people off at parties talking about my plants, lol. I am only happy if they have plants I can go look at while I'm there. I take my hand pruners with me to one of my friends house every time we go to take care of her plants that came with the house and she doesn't tend to them, lol. I tempt everyone to grow plants. Even my doctor, lol. Note to self bring brug to my next appt. I have been sick all week and the first morning I can roll over without feeling sick I am thinking I will go get a massage and hopefully be able to plant stuff today or at least by tomorrow. Did I give a thought to missing work, housework or cooking? No. I hope I can drive. I haven't actually attempted to leave the bed yet. I guess I better try it before I make plans, lol.
maemae0312
15 years ago
LOL@Kristy, I know the folks I work with get tired of hearing about my plants but I do try to help them along too. One gal at work (she is Chinese and hasn't been in this country very long)Just paid someone $300 to trim her shrubs at her house, she lives in a brand new house with the minimal amount of shrubs that the builder had to put in, told her to ask me next time before she spent money like that, I would come show her what to do (and I know they probably didn't need trimming anyway)

Mary
flwrs4ever
15 years ago
Well, I admit to having a gardening problem..been looking for a support group for years...although all I keep finding is more and more enablers..LOL

I have a gardening addiction, and I am sticking to it.
neonposey
15 years ago
We were under tornado watch last nite. My children were discussing whether we should go to the basement or not, and all I could say was "My plants... My plants...." My daughter finally looked at my son and said, "Shes not worried about us... shes worried about her plants." Well, the way I see it, they have 2 good legs and can carry themselves to the basement! They're 28 and 15 but my plants are still just tiny babies....

Luckily we had no touchdowns in our immediate area although there were 4 confirmed touchdowns within about a 40 mile radius around me. EddieD had some damage to his greenhouse, but no losses, so we are feeling very lucky this morning. And Miss Emily hung on to her bud thru it all!
hong2007
15 years ago
Mike,

Oh my Gosh!!! I didn't know I have such a serious disorder, until you had listed these symtoms. I do need a support group...!!! ;)
chena
15 years ago
Mike SOME???? Perhaps ALL...LOL
I have to dead head the plants at Lowes ..It kills me to see them looking nappy.. The chick that works there just brings me a handful of bags...LOL I bring my own marker...
oxmyx
15 years ago
hahaha Kylie ! I have found myself, out of habit, deadheading garden center flowers - its instinct!

If I have a look at someones garden, I have to hold my tonge about all the weed, even thought they are proud they just weeded!
maemae0312
15 years ago
ok if you need to do some theraputic weeding you can come to my house. And you can poopy scoup while you are at it.

Mary
carmie2
15 years ago
Yes, to most of them..Plus some others not mentioned..Time for me to check out Gardeners Anonymous..lol
fool4flowers
15 years ago
But there lies the problem. I do not want to stop, lol.
gee8ch
15 years ago
OMG! I'm a sick person!!!! But, alas, I'm such a sickie, I don't want to be cured!!! Gloria
gardenpaw
15 years ago
So true!!!
I went to my Aunts B`day party last weekend on the way
there I looked down at my shoes and sure enough I still
had on my old garden shoes....at least there comfortable :)
I dont want to stop either, it`s a way of life!!!
Karen
fool4flowers
15 years ago
You need to add to the list trying to see what is blooming in peoples backyards as you are driving down the road to that list, lol. Its a wonder I have never wrecked. I will tell John look in the back of this house when we pass at the flowers blooming and he's like how the heck did you know that was back there, lol. I scare myself sometines, lol. I even have him brug spotting. He came home the other day from Temple and said I saw a brug in someones yard! It wasn't blooming but I recognized the leaves. He is well on his way to corruption along with the rest of us.
chena
15 years ago
What a good man Kristy...LOL
My husband just humors me...LOL He will walk around and look tell me that is pretty and if I say honey I found something I want to get... fine!!!! But just wait till I show him the little red cherry tomato that needs pickin.. He will be soooo excited..LOL
karmahappytoes
15 years ago
Well I used to do that but now I don't want to leave my 'Heaven Between Two Hells.' There is help for the addiction . . . . . . .
eloise_ca
15 years ago
Joining in the Club! Many years ago, my kids said they had never been to another country. I said o.k. this weekend I will take you to another country. I took them to Tijuana for the day. Heading towards the border to come back into San Diego, I spotted some red geraniums growing on the medium. I turned my car around and drove slowly, opened the door and pulled some in! That was the dumbest thing to do, I was in Mexico, I could have been arrested just because I was an American, duh! We have red geraniums here, but for some reason they looked like a different red plus the devil made me do it, LOL! Also, the ladies will understand this. I used to have my nails done regularly and had the acrylics. Every time I went in for fills, my girl would be upset because she always had to do more work in cutting out the acrylic where the dirt (from gardening) was lodged! Once the polish came off, it looked gross. I finally gave up on acrylics and said I would have them done again once I finished getting my garden the way I wanted it. Well we all know that we will never reached that time when we feel our gardens are complete!
maemae0312
15 years ago
Eloise, If you aren't getting all those fills done, it just increases plant budget!!!

Mary
fool4flowers
15 years ago
Lol, I quit getting manicures and pedicures exactly for that reason. More budget for the garden, lol.
napdognewfie
15 years ago
We ARE a support group for each other. We support each others' endeavors to acquire more & more brugs & we also help broaden each others horizons by introducing other new, strange plants so our interests aren't so one-sided.

I'm proud of the dirt under my nails. It shows that I am doing something & not just sitting on my butt eating bon bons & watching soap operas (I do intend to clean the inside of the house sometime this winter).

Linda
rhfm
15 years ago
Hi my name is Judy and I'm a garden addict. I'm hoping there might be some help for me here.
chena
15 years ago
ROFLMAO!!!
You came to the right place.. We will help you aquire as many Brugs/everything else we can and convince you you could use just ONE more...
Welcome.. I look forward to seeing you around!!!
Kylie
plantlover49
15 years ago
Mike you are a nut thats why I like you so much. this fall I have some real named brugs to share with you, since you were my first brug buddy. I can't wait to show you pix of your datura]s babies. you have no idea what that meant to me you sending your seeds in trade when you really didn't even know me the trust that you showed me was amazing. I don't forget a kindness that is showed to me. thank you soooo much Elizabeth/plantlover49
lovelyiris
15 years ago
Guilty to all of the above and many more. Have been known to take a couple of seed pods from plants I've seen in shopping center medians or the parks. I just figured I had RESCUED a few seeds that needed to be transplanted somewhere else. (Like my place) LOL

I have even dug tulips up that were in a bar ditch. They are the ones that multiply like crazy and come back year after year. There use to be an old farm house there and now it's just an empty pasture and the tulips take up about 5 acres. Of course when the maintainers (big heavy road equipmnet) come in and grade the road several times a year they throw a ton of dirt on them. They are at least a ft deep in dirt on the side of the road now. I really should go dig some again next spring so I can have some at this house. LOL

I've also called real estate people and ask if I can harvest seeds from houses I see for sale or rent that might have a flower or something I'm interested in. LOL

Yelp, we're all addicts but I'd rather be a flower/garden/plant addict than any other kind. However when your not working and can't even afford to send postage to others for plant swaps it's not good. You suffer from empty mailbox syndrome.

Happy Gardening all you Addicts and Enablers!
Love Marian

OT: Does this sound like SOME of us?? :)

Comments (29)

karyn1

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