My Husband was a Slave Driver
Many people who know me understand that my husband is into gardening. Engineering-style, if you will. He actually reads every label, determining the optimal location for each plant, adding exactly the right amount of fertilizer. He even made a spreadsheet for each plant, its location, its growth patterns, and the amount of water it needs. :confused2: I was of the old school of thought where you just find a nice plant and slap ‘em in the ground. Once I married my husband, I was introduced to his world of gardening.
What this meant was, my weekends would involve being dragged to Home Depot, Lowe’s, and McDonald’s Garden Center. We would peruse the plants, determining whether this corner of the yard would be better suited to arbor vitae or Leland Cypress. Lilies or roses? Hostas or juniper? Oh, the endless hours of debate. My husband loves to argue, and I could always tell when he had something in mind because he’d ask, “Honey, what if we transplant all the shasta daisies from the center of the yard to the side, rip out the sod on the back fence, and make a new mulch area where we can plant dwarf Alberta spruces?”
Now what he meant was, “Honey, how about if you spend three hours outside in ninety degree weather with a hoe and pickaxe, and we’ll sweat like pigs while we argue about where you’re going to plant flowers?” :whistle:
To my credit, I resisted the urge to smack him and run screaming. :hissyfit: I’d reply, “Um…I kind of like them where they are.” (Translation: Noooooo! Save me!)
And he’d argue about how much BETTER they’d look along the fence. I learned quickly that it was easier to just let him do his thing. The results were usually worth it. Here’s a picture of one corner of the yard that he landscaped.
On the bright side, there isn’t room for many more changes. Yay for that! :hello2:
Michelle posted in Writing @ 11:27 am | Viewed 1523 times
Tori Says:
:confused2: He makes up spreadsheets?!?!?!? That is TOO funny!!!
You do have a gorgeous yard, though!
Jill Says:
So pretty! I have a yard he can come engineer if he’d like …
Melissa Marsh Says:
Wow. Spreadsheets? That IS funny!
I suck at gardening. I truly do. I had big plans for my flower beds in front of the house. I dug out all the rock and planted lots of different flowers. It looked great for a month or so. But now it’s so hot that I rarely get out there to de-weed the thing. My pansies in the hanging flower basket have all died. Someone snatched my green thumb from me at birth. :whistle:
Michele Says:
:thumbsup:Allright! Love a fellow gardener! Does he start his seeds too? I do. Have special heating mat, lights, I even want to worm farm for their compost tea, but I have to convince hubby to let me have worms in the cellar. Would your hubby do that???
Rene Says:
Oh, that is a lovely picture…I notice everything is in perfect order…evenly spaced. Wouldn’t guess he was an engineer:lol:
My husband doesn’t do spreadsheets only because he doesn’t know how to work them. He does keep a word document with the names and rows of his roses. He also draws out plans for the yard. Luckily, he does not ask me to particpate (the one advantage to always have a baby in the house).
Amy K. Says:
Your yard looks great! I think I must have a similar breed of hubby. Our yard is mostly bare because we moved into a new house last year. And we WANT plants and all, but the husband won’t go out and just BUY them. We have to have a PLAN. Great, except we don’t. And instead of making one, we just ignore the whole bare yard thing we’ve got going on. :whistle:
Michelle Says:
Michele–nope, I doubt if he’d do worms in the basement. But he did make me use a tape measure before we put the plants in the ground. Sigh.
Rene–Noooooo!! I finally lost the weight from baby #2. No babies for a while, please!
Melissa–I’m with you. No green thumb whatsoever. But I’m a good worker bee, I suppose.
Amy–thanks! Hope your hubby gets a yard of plants soon. :cheer:
Suzanne Says:
Wow! That looks great! I like the whole idea of the landscaping husband except for the part where he makes the wife help….and sweat….
Bonnie Ferguson Says:
:banana:The yard looks beautiful :hello2:
Larissa Says:
Oh, wow. That looks GREAT! We (meaning Bryan) have managed to plant 5 trees. That’s it. I want your yard. I’m going to make my husband look at the picture right now…
MaryF Says:
Wow, my husband won’t even work in the yard. Before my son was old enough to mow the grass, that was my job. And he rolls his eyes every time I want to go to the nursery.
Your yard is gorgeous! But I do have to laugh at the spreadsheets.
MaryF Says:
Wow, my husband won’t even work in the yard. Before my son was old enough to mow the grass, that was my job. And he rolls his eyes every time I want to go to the nursery.
Your yard is gorgeous! But I do have to laugh at the spreadsheets.
MaryF Says:
Yikes – double post! Sorry!
Danica Says:
I know, you guys can come to my house, your hubby can tackle my garden and show that man how it’s done, and you and I can sit on the back deck sipping iced tea.
Michelle Says:
Dream–I LOVE that idea!! :drunk: