(Imagine “Mission Impossible” music playing as you read this…)
I have a challenge for the gardener’s out there:
Gardener's Challenge
Send me one of your greatest garden stories ever!
Like, the story you tell your family over and over because it’s so ridiculous. The story you think back to and wonder… why the hell do I garden in the first place?! For example:
“One of the first times I was hired to create a garden for a client I was 18 and thrilled with the thought of building a fabulous flower garden (which was really just weeding a 100 sq. foot area and tossing in a couple plants… to me – a huge job!) . Candace was my client’s name and she said she wanted tons of flowers! “Tons!!“, she reiterated. So, knowing that flowers needed lots of nutrients to bloom – I bought two yards of chicken manure and spread it throughout, roughly, 100 square feet. I realized it smelled funny but just thought more was better and I should apply it in ample amounts anyway. Then I planted an array of roses and salvias – one of the salvias (and when I say one I mean I planted ten!) was salvia uglinosa.
Once I was finished spreading the manure, planting and watering, I stepped back and took in the newly planted masterpiece I created. My client was very pleased and I went on my way. Then next day (literally) I got a call saying everything was dead. I was sure Candace was over reacting and drove there as fast as I could. But, as she said – everything was dead. The roses were burned beyond repair and the salvias looked as if someone took a torch to them in the middle of the night… oh, and I stained her driveway with the chicken manure delivery.
I had to pay to buy new plants, different compost, and do all the work for free to take away the old manure and replant everything again. After all that was done, a month later I drove buy to see everything happy again… including the salvia uglinosa! That stupid salvia was coming up everywhere like a weed! (Salvia uglinosa is on many states invasive plant list.. beware!)
Candace is still my client (ten years later) and we laugh about it to this day… she still has salvia growing in her front yard and I have never used chicken manure since. ”
The winner of this challenge gets their choice of a one gallon succulent or strawberry (already setting fruit!) AND one rose scented sugar scrub!
The winner’s story will be posted the week the contest is over, with link to their blog. Prizes will be send right away, with official certificate that your story rocked!
Contest to start: NOW
Contest to end: March 5th
Send stories to: gardenerj@gmail.com
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OMG!!!!! I wish I had a crazy gardening story. My gopher catching moment is about as exciting as it gets http://faroutflora.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/pocket-gopher-capture/
Megan
That’s a pretty good one! Oh how I loathe gophers!
I love your site, the photos are great, keep up the good work!
Also thanks for stopping by my blogger site the otherday , hope you enjoyed it,
Good luck with your business!
Jon
That is a funny one. I’m trying to imagine 2 yards of manure squeezed onto 100 feet. How about clueless me transplanting Bishop’s Weed to other parts of my garden when we first moved into our house? I’m still trying to get rid of it 10 years later.
Ohh, ya.. that counts! Send it in!
Chanced upon your blog. lovely!
your story reminds me of a very recent case. I have petunias flowering in my balcony garden. In a desperate attempt to boost growth and keep them healthy, I tried a rather pathetic mix of manure that burnt my gorgeous purple petunias overnight….
will come back to check more…urban green
This is so funny! The things we do as we’re just learning to garden! I’ve done some pretty stupid things, such as nurturing weeds before I realized that’s what they were, but nothing quite this funny comes to mind right now. I’ll have to think about it…
Experience is not always a kind teacher. It’s good you’re still gardening after that start. My best story is about the creation of my very first garden. The details, with photos, can be found here:
http://evolutionofagardener.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/building-the-vegetable-garden/
I always wanted a garden, but never had a space of my own. When we finally bought our own home, with a yard, I was determined to have my veggie garden. Trouble was, the only suitable plot on the property was full of gravel. It was probably the extension of a gravel driveway before the driveway was paved. My garden guru told me if I wanted the gravel gone, I’d have to sift it out. So, I did. It looked like an archealogical dig. My new neighbors even told me so. After months of digging, sifting, and lugging gravel and dirt, my garden guru told me that she had never expected me to do it. She underestimated my determination to have my own vegetable garden. By the time I was done, I had the results of the soil test the guru had also recommended. I took them to her to discuss and was very surprised by what I learned. In years of gardening, she had never had her soil tested, nor had any of her garden club friends. It was just what everyone said should be done, so that’s what she had told me to do. When she bragged about my determination and accomplishments to her friends, they were all very surprised that I actually did these things.
Thanks for the comment on my site. I’ve enjoyed clicking over here and looking around. You’ve got a nice blog.
The best one I have was when I was pregnant with my first child, Diva (17 years ago.) The previous spring, David Austin roses were brand new to the U.S. I sent off for the three available, at $24.95 apiece: ‘Graham Thomas’ ‘Heritage’ and ‘Gertrude Jekyll.’ They came, settled in and grew. I was sick a lot with that pregnancy, and my husband decided to try to help with my garden. I didn’t know what he was doing outside, but pretty soon, my bonus daughter (who was 15) came running in and said “Dad’s burning up your roses.” Sure enough, he decided to burn off the garden, Lord only knows why, and all three bushes were crispy sticks. I was heartbroken, but I’m happy to write we’re still together after 21 years.
Lucky for him too, because there also was the time he threw away my bags of bulbs stored in the garage waiting for planting. $75.00 worth.
A cool idea, collecting good garden stories. I once touched a death adder while weeding around a citrus tree in Australia. Made me nervous about gardening over there for a while. The Aussies, who are tough to impress with snake stories, were reasonably impressed, though a lot of them then had a better poisonous snake story to top it.
Just wanted to say I really like your site and will definitely be back!