A Christmas tree at White River Gardens…
Instead of the 12 days of Christmas, here are 12 clues that you might be a gardening geek at Christmas time.
You might be a gardening geek at Christmas time if…
1. Over half the ornaments on your Christmas tree have a gardening theme. Bonus points if you have at least one ornament made from a clay pot.
2. You have a gardening Santa with a shovel, watering can, and hoe. Bonus points if you wish that I was your neighbor so you could give it to me.
3. You have a hole dug outside to plant your live Christmas tree in as soon as the holidays are over. Bonus points if you’ve done this more than once.
4. Your gift wish list is full of gardening related stuff and your friends and family complain because it is so hard to find these gift items in December. Bonus points if your wish list includes a hoe.
5. You get a gardening tool for Christmas and like the kid who gets a new bicycle, you can hardly wait until spring so you can finally use it. Bonus points if it was a hoe.
6. Your favorite seasonal greeting is Hoe, Hoe, Hoe. Bonus points if you have a sign in your garden that says Hoe Hoe Hoe.
7. You see one of those holiday commercials featuring the luxury automobile with the big red bow on top and think it would be a much better gift if it was a sweet little pick up truck for hauling mulch and plants. Bonus points if you have been given, or gave yourself, a truck primarily for gardening. Double bonus points if you have actually received a load of mulch as a gift for any occasion.
8. You are surprised that more people aren’t shopping at the local garden center because it is far less crowded than the local malls and discount stores. Bonus points if you bought at least one Christmas gift at a garden center, for someone other than yourself.
9. When you give money as a gift, you always put it in a handmade seed packet and call it ‘seed money’. Bonus points if you have ever used money you got as a gift to buy seeds.
10. You ‘fix’ the drawing of names for the family gift exchange so you are sure to draw the name of someone who wants gardening related items. Bonus points if you actually buy them gardening related items.
11. You deck the halls with boughs of holly and other greenery cut from your own garden. Bonus points if you also grow your own Christmas trees.
12. You always buy amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs to force into bloom during the holidays. Bonus points if they are actually blooming on Christmas day.
Merry Christmas from May Dreams Gardens
I guess I’m not a Christmas gardening geek – no garden ornaments, no forced bulbs. I did buy 2 Christmas presents from a nursery (1 on-sale metal leaf obelisk & a garden stake with a glass ball & finial). Also I have used gift $ for seeds. My sisters don’t let me close enough to fix the gift exchange drawing. I think they fix it because I keep getting the name of my sister who gardens. (See above-mentioned present.)
Last year Teresa gave me one of those cool 4-wheel gardening carts. When it was all wrapped up, it was about the size and shape of a baby carriage! I had been dropping hints about a garden cart, so I suspected that’s what it was, but I think we had some disappointed relatives!
Another Garden Geek list. I wonder where you come up with these. I could never of thought of half of those you mention. Good list!
Oh, these are brilliant, though I was starting to worry with a few of the early ones. My Christmas tree will become mulch on Jan 1, I don’t like Santas of any sort, but I do have an ornament made from a clay pot! Whew! and we have a truck…and my longsuffering spouse went to the garden centre and said, “what the heck can I give Jodi that she doesn’t already have from you people?!” He came home smug, so they had some ideas….
Ha ha ha! The only one I can say I do, is buy gifts for people at he garden center!!! I am not a gardening geek…at least i don’t think I am! LOL. That was fun.
Chigiy at Gardener’s Anonymous said:
Your list made me laugh.
I love it, and sadly I scored very high on the test.
I went to a book exchange last week and I was more excited about the princess pumkin I fished out of my friends compost heap, so I could harvest the seeds from it, then I was about the book I got.
I’m a freak, I’m a freak, I’m a garden geek.
Hoe, Hoe, Hoe.
Your list brought a smile. Guilty on seven counts with two bonus points. I dream of that little,(or big) pick up truck. Maybe someday a trailer that will hold mulch, stones and eight foot long four by fours to build an arbor will by under the tree.
Mr. McGregor’s Daughter… I think indeed you’ve done enough that you might be a gardening geek.
David in Greensboro, NC… That’s funny, but how nice to get that garden cart!
Curtis… Where do I come up with these? Well, I’ll never tell, but I’ll tell you that I did not score all the points, but I did score quite a few.
Jodi… Oh you are definitely a gardening geek if the people at your local garden center know who you are and can help someone select gifts for you. Definitely.
Julie… There are other clues on other posts, so you still might be a gardening geek if you check those out. Don’t give up hope!
Chigiy… Yes, I would say that you are definitely a gardening geek if you are pulling old pumpkins out of your friend’s compost heap to get the seeds. That is hilarious!
Frances… Good for you! And someday I’m sure you’ll get your dream truck. I love mine!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Are you saying that you fixed the Christmas drawing?
Kathy, the older sister
I sure don’t do all of these Freaky things but I do drive a pick up truck. I just don’t know how people operate without one.
Look out Carol your Older Sister is onto you now. 🙂
Merry Christmas to you too.
You drive 400 miles south with a load of snow just to make a snowman in a bare garden for a friend.
That’s the problem with having a gardening blog, Carol – you’re secrets are no longer secret. My sisters read my posts too so I cannot fib.
Your list is quite amusing and I must say I’m guilty in some respects of being a “gardening geek . ” One reason I shop frequently for gifts at the garden center is the deep discount I get !
Double bonus points if you give forced bulbs to all your friends and even your mother, and when they don’t know how to force them, you do it all for them. Oh my, I have done this. Also, when shopping at the store, you see some sad little pots of Amaryllis, paperwhites, and crocus and you have to buy them because you can’t stand to see them sitting there on the clearance aisle. Yes, this is how all my family and friends got crocus bulbs for Christmas. Garden Geeks Unite!!
I was despairing until I got to the bottom of the list. We have a live Christmas tree, but we’re not going to plant it in the ground. Does having a larger container ready for it count? I was saved by #12 — my forced amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs are blooming today just in time for Christmas day.
I’m not a Christmas gardening geek at all, apparently. The exception is the gift of a truckload of mulch/compost that I used to get for every present-giving occasion (not just Christmas) when we still had a truck. However, keeping a truck year-round is just not cost-effective for us. In the long run it’s cheaper to have those occasional loads of mulch delivered.
One of our Christmas gift boxes is always from Lee Valley Tools–woodcrafting tools for AJM and garden tools for me, of course. And living in Zone 8, I usually can run out in the garden and start using my tools on Christmas Day.
Hey, I hope you have my name this year! I could use some cool gardening stuff!
Lots of laughing here… No, I’m not a Christmas Gardening Geek but I did buy a small bird feeder for my daughter (who has no interest in birds, whatsoever). I’ll change that!
Merry Christmas, Carol! I hope you receive a brand new hoe from Santa :o)
A garden geek? So that’s what I am. I still remember the Christmas I got my Smith and Hawkins hand trowel and shovel set. It had to be over 15 years ago. Guilty on many accounts.
Kathy… No! I would never fix the Christmas drawing, unless…
Lisa at Greenbow… Are these freaky things? I’m not sure about that!
Wiseacre… That’s a good one! That makes you a geeky friend, too!
Carolyn Gail… Yeah, those sisters read our blogs and they THINK they know, but do they really?
Dee/Reddirtramblings… Hmmmm, I think you qualify for a high position in the gardening geeks’ society!
Heather’s Garden… You qualify, don’t worry about that!
MSS@Zanthan Gardens… If you are getting Christmas gifts from Lee Valley, that’s a clue that you are definitely a Christmas gardening geek. I should have put that on the list. Lee Valley rocks!
Sister with the Homestead… No comment.
Mary… You are a birding geek, which is closely related to the gardening geek. They have similar qualities, like wanting others to join in their fun.
A woman who is… welcome! If you can remember all your gardening related gifts, you are definitely a gardening geek!
Merry Christmas all!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Ack! I’m way behind as a garden geek at Christmas…but I appreciate the list to get me started! 🙂
DARN!! I'm not geeky enough! I must work on this…..
3. You have a hole dug outside to plant your live Christmas tree in as soon as the holidays are over. Bonus points if you’ve done this more than once. (Been a Christmas tradition with me since 1976. I have Christmas trees scattered all over San Diego county, and now parts of Oregon.)
7. You see one of those holiday commercials featuring the luxury automobile with the big red bow on top and think it would be a much better gift if it was a sweet little pick up truck for hauling mulch and plants. Bonus points if you have been given, or gave yourself, a truck primarily for gardening. Double bonus points if you have actually received a load of mulch as a gift for any occasion. (I actually did receive a unit of Mushroom Compost for Christmas. I had to work for free for a month in exchange, but it was a fair trade. The F-150 is the Farm Truck, designated solely for the transportation of plants, compost, and other garden-y things.)
8. You are surprised that more people aren’t shopping at the local garden center because it is far less crowded than the local malls and discount stores. Bonus points if you bought at least one Christmas gift at a garden center, for someone other than yourself. (you mean they're NOT???)
11. You deck the halls with boughs of holly and other greenery cut from your own garden. Bonus points if you also grow your own Christmas trees. (hoe hoe hoe!)
>^,,^<