Kitty- that picture of Jasmina last year is making me a little bit giddy! It's just so beautiful.

And I agree with you about the poor historical gardens here in Nor. Cal. I know the Sacramento city cemetery garden is only mostly hooked up to a watering system.

Kitty,
Another year has passed and unfortunately your rant is as true as ever. I'm so lucky that at least my husband is fond of the garden (and works in it a lot). Maybe the rest of the world will catch up with us gardeners one day. I hope you get to enjoy your plants in their splendor this year.
Melissa

As I read through this thread, I can only think back to my own aimless wanderings through my own gardens. Looking for anything needing attention or just enjoying the beauty a single rose has to offer. I agree, it is absolutely therapy. Any bit of stress carried into the garden is subdued any much lighter once I turn away for the evening.
I am lucky to have a neighbor as enthralled by the garden as I. When we are both out tending, we are easily carried away with flower talk. Right now, we are looking forward to our spring so we can begin our wanderings.
I have no doubt that others who carry our passion drive by, unnoticed. They too quietly appreciate the beauty you all have given as they pass by. This is such a nice thread, there is so much we can relate to.
~René

My neighbors, for the most part, hate my garden. They think I'm a crusty hipster ruining their property values by growing vegetables in my front yard. My roses aren't Knock-Outs and the mow and blow guys don't ever come by. The grass is too high, the citrus is planted too close to the house, the bananas are knocking over the fence, and there are insects of every shape and form flying everywhere. But... their children love it. The small ones always want to walk past and pick flowers, poke at bugs and pet my cats. I'm not sure what happens to most people when they get old, but I'll have no part of it. I hope the kids still think the world is beautiful when they are grown.

Why worry about what other people think. Do you plan the layouts of your roses so other people can see them or so YOU can see them. People will shy away from things they can't do so most likely you have a bunch of people who are envious of you. Telling you your roses look great goes against their grain. Soooo, start worrying just about what you want to see and let the whole world go on bye.

My roses (all 30 or so of ZD's were planted for my viewing many years ago. Do I worry about them not being mulched with zero weeds in the beds, NOPE. I have Bermuda grass growing around the base of each one but I could care less. Been that way for 15 or more years. If you don't like it so be itâ¦.. lol That is the attitude I suggest you take and stop worrying about what other people think. Heck, they're just jealous anyhowâ¦â¦

BTW, our neighbors asked us if their kids could have their graduation pictures taken with our roses as a back drop. Soooo, people do notice and enjoy them even if they don't say so.

God Bless

This post was edited by Toolbelt68 on Sun, Feb 9, 14 at 12:13

I would love to trade places with you. My backyard is on the street where people in my neighborhood like to jog/run/walk etc. They always commented how hard I work because I was always outside. They manage to make it sound quite unpleasant. My guess is that since the majority of homeowners here have their lawn maintained by lawn maintenance company, they quite look down on people who do their own. They do not understand the satisfaction being rewarded a single rose.

I have that too. There is one older lady who was looking at my mulch pile on the driveway. I came over to talk with her but she just said... well, good luck with the 'farm '. I think there are more and more people who think working in the yard or garden is like working at the car wash, you wouldn't do it unless you had no other options. Thanks for everyone's contributions on this post, I hope it's a beautiful spring for all of you this year.

I was laboring away in the front yard the other day when a little oldish lady I always see walking with her husband waved energetically at me and said in accented English, "You work hard!" DH was outside just then and he sidled up. The lady gestured at him and asked, "He work too?" Ah, he works inside, I said (which is true -- at a desk).
Her words made me glow for a day. I love being a hard-working person, I love getting my hands into the dirt, I love having the power to bring beauty and form-- and scent -- to my environment (of course, my powers aren't all that strong ...). I love being active.

Then again, I've always been the kind of weirdo who doesn't care what anybody thinks.So was my dad (of blessed memory) and he grew figs outdoors in New York City. I'm a tyro next to him.

Thank you for posting your beautiful pictures! I just ordered Jasmina and I hope someday, it looks as nice as yours :)

People can be so clueless....how can they not be completely blown-over by your lovely roses? Maybe your S.O. should realize this is a big deal to you and show some appreciation! Do you make a point of taking an interest in his hobbies/passions?

Thank you for posting the pictures of your gorgeous roses.
I'm sincerely hoping that this hard winter doesn't do them any harm.
It's so nice after a bout of winter weather to see these blooms.
I know this is an old thread, but so pretty to look at right now.

In re: no one giving a hoot... Yesterday, I was in my back yard looking at my 'Will Scarlet' which is just leafing out. It's at the corner of a fence, with the gate to my yard adjacent. My eye followed a branch of the rose to the top of the brick pilaster to which the gate is attached (I look things over pretty closely), and I had occasion to state, "Why . . . why, that's a human hand!", and I abruptly opened the gate to find three high school gals, one of them steadying herself on the pilaster to take a picture of a blossom of my Bourbon 'Gustavus Vasa' which is on the other side of the fence from 'Will Scarlet'. So, yes--people notice, people give a hoot!

It does feel like no one quite appreciates the garden as much as you do. I have thought about that and really, I think there are garden people and non garden people. Many people appreciate other things in life more than gardens. A snazzy car or a hat with perfect lines. If everyone enjoyed gardening then we would all be gardeners and no one would be mechanics and car designers and seamstresses.

I also agree with those who have said other people appreciate it without your knowledge. I had a neighbor walk past the front garden when I was working out there last summer and she stopped to tell me how beautiful the garden was and that she tried to walk by here as often as she could for the past four years. She even told me that what she loved about it was that there was always something in bloom. She said she had a busy life, with a job and a family, but my garden has inspired her to want her own garden when she has the time.

My garden isn't anything all that special. No expensive plants or unusual specimens, but in our neighborhood, most people work and don't have time for a garden, so my garden is one of the few around. I garden for myself and my family, but one expression of appreciation like that really does go a long way of adding to your satisfaction that you are sharing the beauty of a garden with other like minded people. It is a connection. Isn't that why we are all on GW? [g]

Some people will never understand the beauty and worth of a garden. That's OK. I find that I can't just create in a vacuum without some praise and appreciation. It's like painting and putting your work away in the closet. I don't know anyone who can do that. We've had an open garden party for years during peak bloom time. Sharing the roses with friends and strangers has been meaningful. Here's a story that I'll never forget that I think applies to all of us gardeners.
I was listening to our local radio station interviewing this interesting woman concerning her feelings about the natural world. she had a very distinctive voice that I thought i knew but couldn't place. She was asked what the best thing was to do for the earth. She answered by telling a story about (I think) her sister who had asked the same question. Her sister deprecated herself saying she had never done anything great , but just worked in her garden. The woman told her sister about going to a rose garden. She thought it was special and beautiful and she loved it . She said when she met the gardener and praised her that the gardener said "This is all that I do" She told her sister if that's all you do you will be doing a great thing. I recognized her voice then and remembered meeting her in the garden. This has meant a lot to me. There will always be people who are touched and inspired by our gardens.

I agree that it is very encouraging to get positive feedback for your gardening efforts - I get plenty because we live on a busy street that has a ton of pedestrian traffic.

All gardeners of any sort should be encouraged. There is a group of 5 little 70 year old duplexes on the outskirts of our neighborhood which is right next to a freeway on ramp. They are now Section 8 housing. They have small yards of mostly grass. One year a Mexican lady moved into one. The following Spring I was amazed at her garden. She was growing tomatoes, corn, squash, peas, and zillions of flowers. This picture is only about one quarter of the garden. I arranged for our neighborhood association to give her a Certificate saying she had the most improved garden in the entire neighborhood, which was true. We had it translated into Spanish and printed, as she did not speak English.

She continued to live there and garden for about 3 years, and by the time she moved out 2 of her neighbors had started growing vegetables and flowers too!

Jackie

That's wonderful Jackie.

Well I think your garden is just spectacular! And I totally understand where you are coming from. Where I live, everyone has grass and a few palm trees. Hardly any flowers or any type of garden that is not "self maintaining". My neighbor calls me the "flower lady" as if it bothers him that I grow lots of flowers and roses. Even my husband was complaining to me the other day saying he doesn't want me gardening in the front yard and he just wants "a lawn like everybody else". We don't even have a lawn, just weeds that make it look green for the most part.

This infuriated me to no end. I work my butt off to have all these beautiful blooming plants and its like a nuisance to everyone but me. I don't get it! Who wants stupid grass when you can have roses or fabulous petunias (or better yet, more roses?)
And I live in a climate with NO FROST where everything grows year round. The roses are blooming all year. I have bouquets of roses on my dining table as we speak. I think people are just jaded. Most don't even like spending time outdoors anymore.Its no wonder no one stops to smell the roses.

I don't let my roses get ignored. Since I no longer live out in the sticks, I have a little over 100 roses crammed into a fairly small back yard, and most are very fragrant. Grandma's Hat, Gloire des Rosomanes and Autumn Damask are the largest, but there are about 60 other OGRs chipping in. The neighbors all get fragrance bombed, and you can smell it in the middle of the street in front of our house.

For my dose of "nobody gives a hoot," I can always rely on breeding. A conversation from earlier this week:
"See those seedlings there? Those are from seed of Autumn Damask. Nobody had bred any in 180 years." "That's great, dad." (pause) (new topic)

^that's so funny... only 180 years...lol..
I think people today are more interested in their computers or watching Judge Judy...

One day one of my neighbors (who is slightly paranoid) called me to warn me that "there is a lady with a chair on the sidewalk painting your house!". I looked out, and saw a very elderly lady who lives in a retirement home around the corner - she is one of the people who would stop and tell me how much they liked the garden. I went out, and she said that her eyesight was not as good as it used to be, so she was just doing "a little sketch". A couple of days later she came by and gave it to me (see pic). She said that she liked to take short walks, but sometimes got too tired by the time she got to my house (it is about 4 houses away from where she lives). So, I took her into our little side garden where there is a bench, and told her that she could stop there to sit down for a while anytime she was walking by. She was very happy about that. I haven't seen her for a while, but I still have and love the sketch of our house and garden she made.

So, I still think there are many more people around who do give a hoot than we might realize.

Jackie

Jackie, what a lovely drawing, and story.
Trish.

I see this post has been resurrected several times and has tons of responses, so it must strike a chord. Kittymoonbeam, I want to give you a big hug and let you know how your lovely garden has lifted my spirits, especially during this time I'm missing my own gardens so. At Humpty Dumpty House we do get lots of positive feedback from passersby and visitors, but our Facebook experience smarts like a black eye. As a charitable organization we like to keep our sponsors happy, and all they ask is that we stay active on Facebook. So we craft thoughtful garden posts daily, and posts typically get thousands of views. But how do you feel when out of 6000 people who look at your work, only one "LIKES" IT ? No matter how I try to shrug it off as "people are just too busy", it's still pretty soul crushing. After all, how long does it take to click "like" if you really like something??? Then again, maybe almost nobody does. Too bad, not so much because it bruises my feelings, but because it stymies our charitable work. As I've even been told, 119 likes in three years = LOSER. Okay fine. I'll just put on my "LOSER" gardening cap and keep following my heart to create beauty wherever I can. I hope you do the same.

Have you thought of asking about her at the retirement home?
She is an artist. That's more than a simple sketch. Nice.

Jackie, do you think this is the same lady?

It's a lovely drawing to treasure, regardless...

Here is a link that might be useful: Obituary

Yes, that is the same lady - thank you - I missed that. I agree that she was quite an artist.

There ARE people who "give a hoot" - she was effusive about how much she enjoyed our garden. Many of the ladies who live in that very nice retirement home stop to say similar things as I am working near the sidewalk - it always cheers me up.

Jackie

That is a lovely rendering. And how nice that you have people who come by to express their appreciation for your creative efforts. It was also a very heartwarming gift to have Daisy from this forum come to our Humpty Dumpty House Foundation facebook page and add a "like", which is so helpful to our charitable efforts. Thank you Daisy! I wish there were more people like you. It's amazing how little it takes to make a difference in someone's day.

I didn't know about your FB page. I'll be happy to by and give it a "like".
The Friends of Vintage Roses has a FB page too. Forum members are invited.

Jackie, I forgot to say how wonderful that drawing is.

kittymoonbeam, your garden is beautiful!! Keep going and please post more photos when you can. Love to see other people's gardens.

Jackie,that's a beautiful drawing indeed! She is a way above avg artist. I'd visit her, that's not a normal drawing.......

I feel your pain! I do all this work, and my mom doesn't care. I get new plants, and she's all "Why are you doing that? No one is going to look at them." *eyeroll* My younger sister and her four kids do, though. I give the occasional flower to them. :D

I remember, years ago, before our Mr. Lincoln died due to ants and rot, it was wonderously in bloom. I was just going around the garden, and I was stopped by a couple of J. Witnesses that were going around the neighborhood. We got to talking about the blossoms, and I gave them a few. That was a nice surprise.

Yes, it is rewarding to be able to share your bounty, isn't it Joe.

Thank you for your kindness, Mendocino Rose (Pamela, if my memory). Our humble gardening efforts on the Humpty Dumpty House Foundation Facebook page have little to offer someone who created a garden to rival those in heaven. Please know how grateful I am, especial since your thoughtful act matters so much to those who can keep the foundation going in my absence. For some reason unknown to me, sponsors relate a charitable organization's number of "likes" to their potential for success, so any movement in a positive direction will help us get through this rough period.

jannike

Jannike, I thought the page was very nice. The whole idea of the foundation is something special. I shared a post because that always helps to promote. Other people should share too and invite their friends to "like". Best wishes.

jannike, I've seen your references to Humpty Dumpty House before, but I must confess that I never took the time to understand exactly what it was. Thank you for sharing more about it, and also thanks to mendocino rose for her post to prompt me to look at this more closely. I am not a Facebook user, so I cannot possibly "like" something on your Facebook page, but I did look at it and also the Humpty Dumpty House website, which was very informative. To say that it is a wonderful idea seems like such an understatement. The gardens do look lovely and it sounds like it has been a very real help to many people.

This post was edited by plantloverkat on Wed, Jan 7, 15 at 10:32

Yes, that picture is a treasure, Jackie.

Gotta tell you, at least my garbage man that drives down the alley and the plumber working next door told me they like my yard...

Okay, I posted a link to Friends of Vintage Roses on our Facebook page. What a great effort they're making, and a fun way to see so many different roses. The one on their cover is amazingly beautiful.

And we got two new page likes on the Humpty Dumpty House Foundation's Facebook, along with some activity on the individual posts, so thanks so much for that. A far cry from what I'm told is expected, so we'll see how Humpty Dumpty House and the gardens fare through my absence. Thanks for sharing our page, Pamela -- hopefully that'll bring in some more "likes".

Plantloverkat and Pamela, thanks for your kind words. Humpty Dumpty House is located across the street from a major medical center/university and the home for families of kids with cancer. Everyone passes by here. Almost everyone is grieving or struggling or stressed. The need for sanctuary was apparent. The benefits of handing an out-of-her-mind-with-worry mother a bag of fresh, organic oranges or cherry tomatoes was a no-brainer. Things grew from there. We created beauty and relieved suffering wherever we could. Never did I think of the foundation in terms of success or failure. But now that I'm incapacitated, how does it go on? Those best positioned to help believe we're a sinking ship mainly because I'm a miserable failure at getting "likes" on Facebook. It doesn't even make sense to me. I'm praying for a speedy recovery because I don't think I'll ever be good at the Facebook thing.

The idea of the garden at Humpty Dumpty house connected with healing is so wonderful. To me nothing is more healing than a garden. I'm not a perfect Facebook person either. This morning somehow something came up to invite my friends to "like" your page. I clicked on the folks that were there and thought I'd go back later and just invite everyone(that's a lot of people) I didn't see that again, but I'm sure I'll figure it out. It looks like two of those people immediately went and liked and commented. It really can start snowballing. I'm sure we got a few more "likes" because you shared the link for us. Now if all those folks were able to contribute we'd be in great shape.

Jackie----what a wonderful story---you are very fortunate to have that beautiful sketch----I wish I could have met your visitor---she sure was a treasure----I will check over on FB and try to find Humpty Dumpty House and will surely "like" it
Florence

Pamela, we did get two more likes, and a lot of activity on the posts, so thank you for that! It's very, very sweet of you to help. And Florence, I saw yours too -- thank you! Hopefully it will snowball; that'll certainly demonstrate our ability to turn things around.

I don't really do much on Facebook, but I went on the HDH page and "liked" everything that invited me to do so.

Floridarosez9, thank you so much for your support! A "like" to our page is most helpful, and the icon for that is on our cover photo at the top (Carding Mill Roses right now). But any activity is tremendously helpful, and a great boost for my spirits in these circumstances. Thanks to everyone who's been active on our page!

Another 'like" added. I'm so inspired by what is being done at HDH..... wish there was something close to me like it.

Rocksnroses, thank you so much! It's heartwarming to see the numbers inching up, and of course, I hope that gets us back to doing the work at hand.

I liked your page too. I can share with my school friends if you would like as I am sure many either worked or trained across the street. Let me know

jannike, maybe you could add a post to your FB page and your website explaining the need and asking for 'likes'. I had no idea that this is what sponsors are looking for and I'm sure that others don't know either. I can't see anyone not wanting to support your cause with just a click on "like" if they knew. Just a suggestion....

kittymoonbeam, I wish you lived next door to me.

Thinking about this post I recall a house of an older couple that live near where I grew up. They are on a city corner lot and have a large antique hay wagon in the front yard which they 'landscape' with potted flowers, grasses and all kinds of things which they change according to the season. Their whole yard, front and side is flower borders. I often go out of my way to see it but I've never stopped to tell them how much I enjoy it. After reading this post, next time I'm there I'm going to stop in and tell them how much I've enjoyed their garden.

Kippy, thank you! And yes, I'd love to have you share with school friends. If they trained here in the past few years they likely passed by Humpty Dumpty House.

Rocksnroses, those are great suggestions. I can probably put a facebook icon on our website, and a post on facebook is easy -- thanks! Some facebook pages require a "like" in order to gain access, but I want our information and what we know and learn to be shared freely.

Kitty - your roses are absolutely beautiful. Would love to see more "garden shots" ... it looks like a magical place! My gardens are young and there are big gaps between everything still, I can't wait for things to fill in.

mzstitch - Your post just had me laughing so hard I am in tears. My husband is the same way and it drives me nuts. I will say, he does try sometimes.

This summer, we were out in the garden and I took him to a place where I was contemplating planting a rose next spring and I explained where I wanted to plant it & what my vision was. And he was standing there "listening to me" and he just goes... "You know what! This would be a really great place to plant a rose!" and he was 100% serious. I told him what I'd just said and we laughed for about 10 minutes.

Michaela

I tried to like the humpty dumpty house but couldn't find it on FB. I don't know why, maybe it has to be shared? just thought to help. :) Never mind I found it and liked it :)

This post was edited by Alana7bSC on Sun, Jan 11, 15 at 10:48

Another "Like" for the HDH foundation.
I got tired of trying to drag people into my garden even though there were all the appropriate wows etc.
I started bringing flowers to my yoga class (yes, they have a class for old farts like myself,) and the meditation halls I attend. If Baltimore Belle comes through again this year, I hope to anoint our local Buddha shrine so it just looks like a huge mound of flowers. "We make offerings to create positive energy and develop good qualities such as giving with a respectful attitude and gratitude."

Here is a link that might be useful: Baltimore Belle

Thanks so much, Iowa_Jade. I miss my work and my gardens like crazy, but you and others here have kept my spirits up with your kindness. Your shrine is going to be stunning (I was going to say "divine", but I don't want to do that to anyone this early in the morning). Alana, thank you and I'm glad you found it. We're on Facebook as Humpty Dumpty House Foundation. There's another Humpty Dumpty Foundation (no House), but they're in Australia and have a zillion likes. You can't miss ours -- it's all about gardens and garden design.

Rocksnroses mentioned posting a request for likes, but I noticed that most fb pages already have an option on the upper left to "Invite your friends to like this page". It's missing on the Humpty Dumpty House Foundation page, and I'm hoping someone here knows how to fix that? I've scoured Facebook for an answer. Apparently others on fb have the same problem, but nobody has found a solution. I've been told people can also invite their friends by clicking the "share" icon near the top, but that's not self-evident. If anyone knows a solution, please let me know. Also, I'm posting a link to our Facebook below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Facebook Page for Humpty Dumpty House