I'm a butterfly. I don't focus and I don't plan. I don't finish projects and I rarely start them. I let my garden do it's own thing within reason and I plant in the spaces that nature allows. That being said, now and again, I take agin things and they get recycled Ps Weirdly, I like hand weeding
I'm quite liking the analogy of a butterfly @Biglad and @B3.
I do finish things, as far as a garden can ever be finished, but definitely flit between tasks. 🦋
Sometimes things just have to be done in the moment, the other day I pruned a shrub that was definitely getting too big for itself, I thought if I don't do it now, as I saw it, the next thing I know it'll be a mammoth task, so I did it. Then I found some lovely hellebores and snowdrops underneath, but getting swamped by ivy, so off I went again, chasing ivy.
Today I rescued some daffodils from yet more ivy and honeysuckle, it needed to be done before they bloom.....the patch I really want to prepare for grass seed, unfortunately, is still not prepared....but it's a bit early for grass seed....yet!
I'm trying to get every where under some kind of control so that I can then focus on one bit at a time - but it's just not happening, I suppose that's just the nature of gardening. 🙄😀
If I went as far as the woodshed @Fire I'd be gone a week, I keep telling myself that's my ' nature' patch, although today I noticed the vinca major is getting ahead of itself as I drove past it.... 🤔 See I'm off again.
“Coffee. Garden. Coffee. Does a good morning need anything else?” —Betsy Cañas Garmon
Having a "new" garden with nothing in it except trees, "lawn" and weeds, there's always more needing to be done than time available to do it. I always intend to make a plan and stick to it, but it never works...
As far as remembering to stop is concerned, if hubby is at home (all the time at the moment, of course) I have to stop to cook meals, since his cooking skills are negligible. He makes a mean cup of tea though
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
I find I do particular jobs when they've been bugging me for a while, although I, too, tend to get distracted on the way. I try to do jobs when it's the right time to do it, like I was vaguely thinking it was time to manure the roses and soft fruit and perhaps prune the raspberries down. Then I remembered Marlorena had said March was soon enough for the roses and that I hadn't looked up if Polka raspberries need pruning or not (anybody know?). So in the end I did neither. Other times I start at the bottom of the garden in the front and work my way up each flower bed in turn. By the time I reach the very top of the garden at the back, it's time to start at the front again! This can take a couple of weeks, just doing an hour or two a day which is about my limit these days. I'm seriously considering whether to simplify the garden, most of my beds have perennials in and I have over 20 roses and about the same in clematis. I used to be able to do 6 hours or so a day but don't seem to have that energy any more. Fortunately OH is in charge of the veg beds but as he now has a gammy knee that might be a problem this year.
I used to garden pretty much all day, stopping for tea breaks and lunch. I found it didn't matter so much if l got sidetracked ,because l could go back and do what l set out to do. These days l try to be methodical, even to the extent of making a list sometimes, but l am always getting distracted by something that needs watering, etc. I like the butterfly analogy, just about sums it up !
Pottering is when I wear my normal everyday clothes as they won't get mucky. 'Proper' gardening needs my gardening clothes (old jeans,t-shirt,fleece,gloves etc!!).
“Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
you may well be right @Songbird-1. my butterfly approach to office work meant I was c**p at it i feel uncomfortable if my house is too tidy - I can't find anything. I put things away in a place that seems perfectly logical at the time but my logic is an ever-moveable feast. Even labelling doesn't work . Did I put cushed chillies with peppers or spices or whole spices or curry ingredients? I once had a very small garden that used to get finished - very frustrating!
I think there is possibly something in what @Songbird-1 says too @B3.
At work, as a restauranteur, I have very good background systems in place, a good infrastructure as it were, but then as each day is different, with pressure points at different times, and often mini crisis that need sorting out at pace, I most certainly have to 'flit' around and fix things - probably not quite so butterfly like in the restaurant...our staff sometimes describe themselves as swan like, gliding around the restaurant calmly for the sake of the customers, whilst their feet are going like the clappers.
As far as clothes are concerned @madpenguin, I can't tell you how many 'nice' clothes I have muddied because I was 'just' going to check on something and .....
“Coffee. Garden. Coffee. Does a good morning need anything else?” —Betsy Cañas Garmon
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That being said, now and again, I take agin things and they get recycled
Ps Weirdly, I like hand weeding
I do finish things, as far as a garden can ever be finished, but definitely flit between tasks. 🦋
Sometimes things just have to be done in the moment, the other day I pruned a shrub that was definitely getting too big for itself, I thought if I don't do it now, as I saw it, the next thing I know it'll be a mammoth task, so I did it. Then I found some lovely hellebores and snowdrops underneath, but getting swamped by ivy, so off I went again, chasing ivy.
Today I rescued some daffodils from yet more ivy and honeysuckle, it needed to be done before they bloom.....the patch I really want to prepare for grass seed, unfortunately, is still not prepared....but it's a bit early for grass seed....yet!
I'm trying to get every where under some kind of control so that I can then focus on one bit at a time - but it's just not happening, I suppose that's just the nature of gardening. 🙄😀
I actually like weeding too @B3. 😆
If I went as far as the woodshed @Fire I'd be gone a week, I keep telling myself that's my ' nature' patch, although today I noticed the vinca major is getting ahead of itself as I drove past it.... 🤔 See I'm off again.
Having a "new" garden with nothing in it except trees, "lawn" and weeds, there's always more needing to be done than time available to do it. I always intend to make a plan and stick to it, but it never works...
As far as remembering to stop is concerned, if hubby is at home (all the time at the moment, of course) I have to stop to cook meals, since his cooking skills are negligible. He makes a mean cup of tea though
Other times I start at the bottom of the garden in the front and work my way up each flower bed in turn. By the time I reach the very top of the garden at the back, it's time to start at the front again! This can take a couple of weeks, just doing an hour or two a day which is about my limit these days. I'm seriously considering whether to simplify the garden, most of my beds have perennials in and I have over 20 roses and about the same in clematis.
I used to be able to do 6 hours or so a day but don't seem to have that energy any more. Fortunately OH is in charge of the veg beds but as he now has a gammy knee that might be a problem this year.
I like the butterfly analogy, just about sums it up !
'Proper' gardening needs my gardening clothes (old jeans,t-shirt,fleece,gloves etc!!).
i feel uncomfortable if my house is too tidy - I can't find anything. I put things away in a place that seems perfectly logical at the time but my logic is an ever-moveable feast. Even labelling doesn't work . Did I put cushed chillies with peppers or spices or whole spices or curry ingredients?
I once had a very small garden that used to get finished - very frustrating!
At work, as a restauranteur, I have very good background systems in place, a good infrastructure as it were, but then as each day is different, with pressure points at different times, and often mini crisis that need sorting out at pace, I most certainly have to 'flit' around and fix things - probably not quite so butterfly like in the restaurant...our staff sometimes describe themselves as swan like, gliding around the restaurant calmly for the sake of the customers, whilst their feet are going like the clappers.
As far as clothes are concerned @madpenguin, I can't tell you how many 'nice' clothes I have muddied because I was 'just' going to check on something and .....