I have decided to let an area that I have gardened, go back to nature. I can't handle the work, the weeding, etc. It's natural to do this. I have let go of other "hobbies" but gardening still lasts on and on. It just changes. I think I will not start so many seeds indoors under lights next year because it is too much work planting them all out. My butt hurt so much this spring from gardening, that I was unable to go out swing
dancing as much as I would've liked. I'm really feeling my age this year, 66, more than ever and I have to get used to that.

I too think at times....what have I done? Why did I create so many beds?

Because I love it! Although it can be overwhelming as I have an acre and do all my lawn work too.

My plan when I can no longer garden is to pull out all the fussy stuff and just keep it heavely mulched. Hire a weeder :)

Maybe this us something you too could do, and who knows what next year will bring.....maybe you'll get the bug to redo it all!!! lol

I was diagnosed with a torn meniscus (knee), just when the gardening would have been in full swing, and I just turned 67. I kept wavering bet. not gardening, and limited gardening. I did cut back, but as time went on, have still ended up with a pretty good garden.
I decided this year to go perennial, as annuals are so much work and then they're gone.
It's hard that I can never do all the things I want to, all the things I would normally do, bec. I get tired, as I never did before.
But I'm still enjoying the heck out of my garden.

Hey Karin, you want a list of some good shrubs!?! LOL! They're sturdy, take up lots of space, have multiple seasons of interest and require little maintenance. More shrubs with drifts of easy perennials. On yeah, and ditch the vegetable garden and go to your local farmer's market for fresh fruits and veggies!

There! Problem solved.
Nice pic, you fearless ski junkie!!

All kidding aside, I know how much you love to ski, so I'm sorry about your putting them away. Winter will be back around before you know it.

Good to see you're back, Karin. I was actually just thinking of some photos you posted last year with your pink poppies when my oriental poppy (loan survivor of 3) bloomed this year and was a pale pink color like the ones I loved in your picture (a little caught off guard it wasn't the red-orange I was expecting but I wont complain!).

I feel sort of the same way. I wasn't crazy about the winter by any means but I had plenty to keep me busy. It was TOO cold here most days so most of it I was cooped up inside. So when the temperatures warmed and spring starting showing up I wanted to get right out there! I had been waiting for what seemed like FOREVER. I was ready. But maybe not today... or tomorrow... or the next day. It's been a little harder this year to get back into the swing of things. But I feel guilty for not being out there since I spent so much time inside all winter. Part of my problem, too, is that for one reason or another beds aren't even "finished". I have big gaps in places and things half done because it got too hot to plant, I didn't want to spend any more money, got too busy with other things, etc so I feel as though I should probably work on all that (and the front yard... my neighbors must hate me...). But its a hobby and I enjoy it. Most days :)

Good to see you're back, Karin.

Diito for me to Karin. I look forward to seeing your garden pictures this summer.

Thank you! Your words really help. I figured you all could relate - there is nothing like kindred gardening spirits to really understand one's predicament, and I know that variations of this problem are nothing new to you all. Whether it's aging, injury or just shifting interests, I have been reminding myself that gardening is a hobby and I don't need to treat it like a profession. That said, it'd be easier to lay off it if it weren't for the weeds springing up everywhere!

Yes, shrubs, shrubs, shrubs. Mulch and more mulch! And hiring help. I'm down for all three. I had a nice perusing visit to the nursery today to scout out shrubs. I will be enthusiastic to do the work of swapping perennials for shrubs knowing that it's a time-saving investment. I've been going in this direction already, it's working out well, and I need to keep going. I'd be totally happy to turn my perennial beds into shrub beds with some pockets of perennials. Yes please share suggestions because all the commonly-used shrubs seem pretty ugly, really.

Mulch - I am a cheapskate for buying mulch and that's just dumb. I bought a bunch today and I will keep after it. Duh.

Helpers - got two of my young ski partners scheduled to come over for a day this week. I am excited about this because I know it's just the push I need and while we're working we can wax poetic about recent or future adventures. I expect the three of us will make vast progress in a day of hard work.

David, the poppies are just starting blooming here too. I seem to have more orange than I remember, but I like the blend of the orange with the salmon. Let me know if you ever need seeds of either color.

Rouge, no pictures quite yet, ack! The big back gardens are total disarray because we took out the awful pea gravel paths last fall. Of course I haven't mustered the energy to shovel out the 15 yards of woodchips onto the paths, so the mixture of weeds, aspen sprouts and mud is, umm, really awesome. I think this mess is a big part of my roadblock. Once the new paths are in, I am sure I'll get an uptick in optimism. And then I'll post pictures, I promise!

That shoveling business for the young'uns. Don't put yourself behind the plow....hand it over and smile! You may have to do the weeding cause a young weed removal fanatic is hard to find.

Sounds like you have a good plan to make the transition from skiing to gardening with the help of your skiing friends. Many of us are also adding shrubs to cut back on maintenance. The hard part for me is culling my perennials.

Good luck with your gardens and keep saying, "gardening is a work in process." I keep muttering that to myself as this very wet spring is keeping me from moving perennials and planting shrubs leaving one bed mostly bare.

I think the transition of one interests is always he hardest right before one finds the groove.. Letting go of one activity for another is often not as smooth as one would like or think it should be. I think it is the letting go of the love and grieving the ski's being put away. I like the gathering of ski bums in the garden. almost like a joyful wake. I think the acknowledging rituals that we make in our daily lives really help and are a joy in themselves. Pretty soon you will be tubing those freezing river.

Wow, wantonamara, those are great insights, and spot on. Of course today we have a winter storm warning, Beartooth pass is closed, snow is falling up high. But I'll stay the course! Must finish the paths this week!

I agree so much about the work in progress theme. This has always been fine as I've enjoyed the process. But I think a shift toward an end goal of less maintenance will help guide future progress. I was so close to impulse buying a $100 dwarf 'beehive' spruce yesterday in light of the need to have more shrubs. That's a bit steep for an impulse buy but it's the right idea.

Thanks again for the helpful words and strategies!

Karin