You know you're a gardening addict when ... By Joe Lamp'l
Aug. 28, 2006—You know you're a gardening addict when ...
We could have a lot of fun with this one. As you know from an earlier column, I'm moving at the end of this month. As you can imagine, it's hard enough deciding what to pack within the house, but as gardeners we have a whole new set of decisions to make.
So I'll take the first shot to fill in the blank above. You know you're a garden addict when ... you buy $20 plastic totes to haul the compost and place the household items in cheap garbage bags. It's true!
My plight started a couple of months ago. Once we made the decision to move, I started taking mental inventory of all the plants I've added over the last 10 years (a thousand or so). What could I get away with taking? Would the new owners spot the voids in the landscape? What would I have room to take? What is too big to dig up and if I could only take five, which ones would they be? That's like asking to pick your favorite child!
I also plan on taking the several hundred bricks that have been stacked neatly against the house since we bought it in 1994. The bricks were leftover from when the house was built, years before we got there. When we moved in I thought about throwing them away, as I have many times since.
But someday, I thought, I'd build pathways with those bricks. It would look great and be the perfect way to tie the house to the garden. Sure, it was on my long-term to-do list, but I would get to it eventually.
People who know me well know I struggle with making the hard decisions (like choosing favorite plants). I love them all. The move is just a few days away and some of my decisions will be made for me; I'm running out of valuable time to dig out and pot up.
I fear most of my great intentions for taking plants with me will end up being just that. The memories will have to suffice, like the day I bought so many plants on closeout I had to prune away branches in my car just to have enough room to get in for the drive home. You should have seen the looks!
But just to let you know, I have no plans on leaving it all behind. I've rented the largest U-Haul trailer they offer. The moving van will transport the furniture and household contents. The U-Haul is dedicated to my homemade compost, potting soil, containers and a few plants.
But don't tell the new owners. They're gardeners too!
So how would you fill in the blank? You know you're a gardener when ... . I'd love to hear how you would fill in the blank. I'll publish some of the replies in an upcoming column. Send me an e-mail at email@joegardener.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
(Joe Lamp'l, a master gardener, hosts DIY's Fresh from the Garden as well as a gardening radio show. For more information, visit www.joegardener.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)
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