Giving Up but not Giving In...

A e-conversation with Cindy Dye of Homeplace Gardens daylily fame brought to mind that the reality show "Hoarders" is almost too hard to watch sometimes, but I am stuck to it like glue. It does bring some faulty characteristics to light, but like most of you who have seen the show, I have seen the error of my ways and where they might lead.

Here is a good example of "good hoarding."  The pile of findings behind an out building in a garden in Illinois.  I call this ART WAITING TO HAPPEN.  Others would call it an eyesore or a junk pile.


But....when you can generate wonderful pieces of art like the one below which was made from materials found in this scrap heap, it is worth keeping- wouldn't you say?  That's the business case I make to my husband when he asks why I save some of the stuff I save.


Cindy said, "There - I have said it. I am a HOARDER. And saying it publicly is the first step to recovery - I have seen the light. I will clear out my garden this spring. I will leave space for space. I will purge my garden of objects that are in disrepair. I will take charge and regain control. I am strong. I am WOMAN. I just heard the mail carrier. Gotta run. New catalogues, shiny color pictures, and brand new……….well you get the idea."
Wow.  What a declaration!   You took the words right out of my head!

I have a large Rubbermaid storage unit that winters most of my garden "stuff" and I must tackle that. I have three shelving units in the garage that must be sorted. I must be ruthless in my selections. I have now internalized that the reason I have so much "stuff" is that I keep buying new stuff that I love individually, but when I get it home with all the other stuff that I love individually, it just doesnt seem to make it to use. I wonder why the garden sometimes seems to lack a cohesive backbone, and I'm beginning to think it is my shopping habits that cause this garden art ruckus.
Circa 2006...Hello, Nikki- Containers Anonymous called.  They want you to be their spokesperson.  Sigh. 

On top of my compulsive shopping, I have a really small yard that is already brimming with plants!  But how can I resist that shiny new globe or that awesome one-of-a-kind hypertufa trough?  How can I pass up a sale on windchimes that I can dismantle and make even more awesome with my collection of beads and copper adornments?  Who says I cant have another birdhouse?

Me.  That's who is in charge now.

I have stepped back to look more closely at the big picture my garden displays.  This year I'll ask myself some of these hard questions:

Is there a general color theme?  

Are the visual height and weight of the structures in my garden rhythmical? 

Do I have daylilies that are similar that can be eliminated to make room for others?

I think I'll use the 2010 SMDS Plant Sale as an opportunity to sell, trade or share some of this "stuff" with visitors who come to my booth to buy daylilies.  Maybe there are some hoarders-in-training that still have room for more stuff!

Here's me trying to justify buying more plants by dividing and selling some of my current daylilies. 

When I finish writing this I promise to go to my daylily list and choose several cultivars for the sale and to head south to my mom's.  Until next time, Ill leave you with one final epiphany- storage does not equal organization.  They are not the same thing.  Not even close.  I just have to find an organization strategy that works for me.

Now go throw away/recycle/Freecycle 10 things you haven't touched in a year. 

I dare you.  ;)

H. 'Lights of Detroit' - who could resist adding more of these beautiful hybrid daylilies?  And why isnt this one listed in the parentage of more daylilies?  The form and substance are outstanding and unique.  But, that is for another post.

2 comments:

Catherine said...

I object!!!!

1. There is something to be said for being eclectic. I do not like "cohesive color themes" and "rhythmical structures". I root for the collection of various beautiful things for the sake of their individual beauty, not because they match a color scheme. You don't create art to match someone's interior design, you make are to be beautiful on it's own. Of course, this comment would be summed up by a few pictures of my home. Maybe not the home I have now, which was decorated before I owned it, but previous homes where i was allowed to decorate my heart out.

Of course, you may see me on Hoarders or Clean House any day now. When you do, don't laugh too hard.

VĂ©rone said...

Sublime ce Jaune !!!
;-)

 

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