• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Hortombobulated

July 8, 2011 By Carol Michel 9 Comments

“Hortombobulated”

If you know that the meaning of the word discombobulated is “to be thrown into confusion” and you are a gardener, you can readily imply that the meaning of the word “hortombobulated” is something along the lines of “to be thrown into confusion in a garden” or more precisely “to be thrown into confusion on matters related to gardening”.

For the record, I am not personally hortombobulated.  I am not confused on matters related to gardening, though sometimes it looks as though I have no idea what I am doing, even after decades of gardening.  But for those who do feel hortombobulated right now, hang in there.  It is still early July. There is time to get yourself and your garden straightened out before the end of the season.

Generally, most gardeners hoe themselves out of a hortombobulated state. They go out to their gardens and just start weeding, deadheading, trimming, mowing, sweating, and hoeing until they’ve worked everything out and feel less confused and more like their gardens are once again under control.

For severe cases of hortombobulation (is that a word? Oh wait, it is as much of a word as hortombobulated is, never mind), it may be necessary to seek professional help which can come from a general laborer or helpful family member, a garden designer, a gardening therapist or some other qualified individual, depending on the root cause of your hortombobulation.  Knowing where it stems from is also helpful  in deciding how to address hortombobulation.

Yes, the use of the words “root” and “stem” was intentional. 

In other news, I will soon be posting the next installment of the Tale of the Green Bandana Garden Club.  Check back later for that.

“May you never be so hortombobulated that you want to give up on gardening entirely.”

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: humor

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cindy, MCOK says

    July 8, 2011 at 4:21 am

    At last, a word that describes how I've been feeling!

    Reply
  2. Mr. McGregor's Daughter says

    July 8, 2011 at 4:30 am

    I really don't know who can help me. I'm completely hortombobulated about my day lilies. Do I love them? Do I hate them? I don't think any amount of weeding or mowing will solve this one.

    Reply
  3. growingagardenindavis says

    July 8, 2011 at 5:52 am

    That is almost a long enough word to warrant a song…it is in any case a wonderfully apt word for a situation all gardeners find themselves in on occasion.

    Reply
  4. Cathryn says

    July 8, 2011 at 6:34 am

    I love this post! I can relate to the statement, "go out to their gardens and just start weeding, deadheading, trimming, mowing, sweating, and hoeing until they've worked everything out and feel less confused and more like their gardens are once again under control."

    I am going to link to this post form my blog so my other gardening friends can meet you!

    Reply
  5. Gail says

    July 8, 2011 at 12:27 pm

    Carol, That's just the perfect word. I find myself in a total state of hortombobulation when I regard parts of my garden. It's a dilemma! gail

    Reply
  6. Rose says

    July 8, 2011 at 1:30 pm

    I'm not sure if hortombobulated is the same thing as hortwhelmed, but that is how I've been feeling lately. I start weeding in one area and then remember another project I need to do. Before the morning is over I've started four different things without finishing one of them!

    I realized I missed your big announcement and had to go back to find out about the Green Bandana Garden Club. Looking forward to reading about this high honor bestowed on you!

    Reply
  7. Rhonda Hayes says

    July 8, 2011 at 11:49 pm

    I think I'm in the hortwhelmed category. I'm close to just calling this summer a wash.

    Reply
  8. Anonymous says

    July 9, 2011 at 8:05 am

    Hortombobulated – what an excellent word. I shall open up my dictionary and scribble it in the margin immediately!

    Reply
  9. Cathy and Steve says

    July 9, 2011 at 5:53 pm

    Or you can do as I did… take the easy way out and marry a psychiatrist. Not only do I NOT have to pay for therapy, but the man loves to weed, deadhead, prune, plant, you name it. Hortombobulated I am not… at least not in terms of the garden. Now my wardrobe, that is surely another matter!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,053)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT