And Way Down She Goes: Going Down the Gardenista Rabbit Hole
WARNING: This article contains information that could lead to highly addictive behaviour in gardeners. Read at your own risk!
Down the rabbit hole I go. Again. It’s a particular type of rabbit hole only found in gardens, at nurseries, and on gardening websites and blogs. Gardeners are all too familiar with this hole – you’d swear it wasn’t there a moment ago, then Bam! You fall in and down you go with dirt under your fingernails, coming up for air hours later with arms full of plants or head full of ideas.
I’m susceptible to these plunges into the abyss on days when the weather isn’t cooperating for gardening, whether it’s too cold, windy or hot. I get bored and go for a “quick” visit to a nearby nursery or get out my laptop and start a search, and I’m a goner.
My new obsession? The Gardenista blog. “The definitive guide to stylish outdoor spaces, with garden tours, hardscape help, plant primers, and daily design news,” says their website. I clicked Follow, and into my inbox come carefully curated articles sharing lavish images of incredible gardens around the world, ideas for landscaping, water features and garden furniture, tips for growing hundreds of types of plants, and more.
And the shopping! I am not an online shopping addict, but I fear for my bank account if I keep browsing through the offerings in their Plants & Seeds store. From heritage seeds to house plants, garden tools to amaryllis bulbs, historic roses to cut flowers, it’s all here, as well as things you wouldn’t expect to buy online, like Christmas trees. (Who buys their Christmas tree online?) One good thing – most of the sources are American and British, so I’m safe from random plant purchases, as they won’t ship to Canada. Sigh of relief here.
This morning I enjoyed my tea with Everything You Need to Know About Fountains (maybe a small one on my back patio?), then explored Prince Charles’ unusual and eccentric Highgrove estate garden in At Home With Prince Charles: A Garden Ramble (includes a peek at a special childhood play place of young Princes William and Harry). Everything You Need to Know About Cottage Gardens included photos and tips for how to achieve my favourite garden style. Only my mug of cold tea and a need to get off the couch kept me from further browsing. I’ve bookmarked 10 Garden Ideas to Steal From Greece for later – it might have some good ideas to swipe for my own dry garden.
Something I particularly like is that the articles occasionally include historic info on the plants, landscapes and crafts they feature. I love when plant and garden heritage goes mainstream, because most people don’t think about history when they choose plants for their gardens. Check out Heirloom Plants 101 to find out why you might want to add some heritage to your garden.
What’s your gardening addiction? What’s that must-have plant you are jonesing for these days? A favourite garden blog or website? Share in the comments and join the club!
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Nope; not a club for me. I often write rants about fads, and might be designating Wednesday for my rants. There is so much to rant about. I dislike fads, and actually prefer the classic and old fashioned plants . . . without conforming to the ‘heirloom’ fad! As much as I enjoy finding sources for old fashioned fruit trees and berries, I would not say it is an addition.
Maybe I need to remove the word “club” because I never want an issue as important as heritage plants to be a fad. I’ve been working with them for over 20 years – that’s no fad! 😀 Tony, what is it about gardening and plants that you absolutely can’t resist?
I know that should be a simple question, but despite all that I enjoy about what I do, I can resist any and all of it. As an arborist, I have had to condemn several very old trees that I would have hated to lose in my own garden. It needed to be done for the safety of those in the area, and the clients knew that. It is not easy to resist the urge to try to save very old trees, but often needs to be done. I really enjoy white flowers, but do not often get to recommend them. White is not always the best color, and often needs to be resisted. (Besides, I am not a landscape designer.) Dang! I am giving my brain a hernia trying to come up with the right answer!
Okay, I will change the question a bit to make it easier to answer. It is not about what I can not resist, but about what I enjoy most. How’s that?
I enjoy growing utilitarian plants, particularly fruits and vegetables, but also plants that can be used for herbal applications, lumber, firewood, dye, ink, and so on. I also happen to enjoy working with the impressive trees that I get to work with.
I am sorry to leave such a long reply.
Cuss! Does that mean I am a member of the club? Cuss!
Lol, too funny! I too love herbal plants – if forced to have only one type of garden, my herb garden would win for sure! Thanks for putting so much thought into your comments, Tony!
I typically provide simpler responses to such questions.
Love my herbs, and for years I had to have every “new” or unusual one I could find. Now veggies and small fruits are my main interest, but I still grow lots of “can’t live without” herbs. I enjoy “heirloom” plants, especially the ones from my grandmother but I’m not addicted to heirlooms just for their sake. If an outstanding hybrid catches my attention, I’ll try that, too. And, I like edible flowers…..elder shrubs, and fragrant plants.
Love my herbs, and for years I had to have every “new” or unusual one I could find. Now veggies and small fruits are my main interest, but I still grow lots of “can’t live without” herbs. I enjoy “heirloom” plants, especially the ones from my grandmother but I’m not addicted to heirlooms just for their sake. If an outstanding hybrid catches my attention, I’ll try that, too. And, I like edible flowers…..elder shrubs, and fragrant plants.
Yes, the herbs are so seductive, with their amazing scents, culinary and medicinal uses, and their subtle beauty in the garden. My favourite herb would be rosemary, I think. It won’t overwinter where I live now, so this year will be the test to see if I can bring my new rosemarys indoors to a cool garage and keep them alive until spring. There are so many things that feed my addiction to heirloom plants – the ecological issues of keeping them from dying out completely and losing forever the special qualities each contains; those special qualities are many, such as better fragrance and interesting forms in heritage flowers, and better flavour and disease resistance in many heritage veggies. Then there are the emotional issues, like love for the person or place where you got the plant. The list goes on…