You know you’re a real gardener when:
Powell River Garden Club members were asked to complete this sentence and a potpourri of replies were received. The responses are different, each highlighting the unique relationship of a gardener and their cherished piece of the earth.
“You tell family and friends, don’t phone or visit until it’s dark.” ~ Nan Dunn
“You’re asked to speak at a garden club meeting!” ~ George Doubt.
“You go to take the recycling to the shed in the morning and two hours later you and your hands and your pyjamas are covered in soil, your teeth aren't brushed, your tea cup is somewhere in the garden and you have a big smile on your face and peace in your soul, or at least three plants have been moved, the strawberries are thinned and the lettuce bed is weeded.” ~ Dusty Reid
“Your fingernails are always dirty, and the next garden chore is more important than the next meal.” ~ Michael Stewart
“You allow the dandelions to flower in order to study, and be awed by the different bees they attract.” ~ Pat Cottingham
“When you commune with bees in your garden in your pyjamas and slippers.” ~ Cindy Addison
“Being in your garden is one of your favourite places to be. It’s when you’d rather be outside seeding, weeding and digging in the dirt than doing any work inside. It’s also when you’re happy, even though your clothes are soiled and you have dirt up your fingernails, because the gardens look great.” ~ Judy Youngman
“Your fingernails are permanently stained from working the earth or trimming plants; you never take vacations during the growing season; all your extra cash is spent on items from a nursery; you can’t throw out a single plant that might have any life left in it; you can’t resist to pull a weed from someone else’s garden; true Christmas for you is when your seeds/plants arrive that you ordered in the early spring; and all you want for your birthday is a load of manure/topsoil.” ~ Lois Bridger
“Your gardener clothes wear out faster than any of your other clothes and you have washed your hands and there is still dirt under your fingernails.” ~ Shirley Salchert
“The awe of germinating seeds never pales; you're happier in your garden than at a social gathering; the season never ends; you are still harvesting fall/winter veggies while putting in your spring seeds; you continue to garden at night by streetlight; a dump truck arrives with your 12-yard order of compost; and everything on your dinner plate came out of your garden.” ~ Anne Thompson
“Your bedtime reading is the Rancho Mondo Compost Manual and seed catalogues.” ~ Val Lane.
“The mere mention of mycorrhizal fungi shoots your serotonin levels sky high.” ~ Susanna Lye
“You hoard cardboard all winter to use for weed suppression in the spring.” ~ Lynn Brown
“When you ask for a load of manure for your birthday present.” ~ Margaret Cooper.
“You decide what to cook for dinner by 'shopping' for what's growing in your garden beds; you always have your garden gloves, pruners, hand shovel and a bucket in the trunk of your car, just in case; you start saving the seeds from this year’s harvest to plant again next year; one of your favourite pastimes during winter is reading the seed catalogues and placing your order in December; your formal dining room turns into a nursery, and the table is covered in trays of seedlings under grow lights in February/March. “ ~ Sherry Hawkins
“You travel with your seed catalogues, and you pack your garden gloves in your suitcase first.” ~ Gail Scholefield.
“You even enjoy gardening during winter rains.” ~ Nell Dragovan
“You begin to think about how to feed your soil naturally.” ~ Candace Parker
“You realize gardening is a process and not so much an end result. You learn to love and need to connect with the growth and its needs. You grow with your gardening, little by little, year by year. You love to see the evolution of your garden, the changes, the calm it gives you, the sense of pride, the sharing, the community, the total connection you have with the earth itself.” ~ Debbie Joslin.
“You are at the garden centre looking at new fabulous plants during a drought.” ~ Cathie Ross
“You’re heading out to buy some badly needed new clothes but by its own volition, your car stops outside a garden centre and you blow your budget on plants, seeds and a fancy new garden tool, again!” ~ Pauline Moseley
“You have your cellphone’s calendar reminder set for 8 am Thursday, February 1, 2024, to place your order for crambe cordifolia. You can answer a Dear Ivy question.”
Powell River Garden Club meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month, September to June (except for December). Check out the club on Facebook and its blog at powellrivergardenclubblog.blogspot.com. For tips from members, check out this article.
Lesley Mosely is president of Powell River Garden Club.
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