Motivation

Oh why oh why do I get to this time of year and lose interest.

In spring you cannot keep me down, every windowsill and surface is covered with seed trays and every waking moment spent gardening. By October I have completely fizzled out, meaning half dead bedding plants are languishing in my pots still, bulbs are sprouting waited to be planted, geraniums and fushias that could be overwintered are at risk of frost. Roses which need pruning are straggly leafless affairs. Apples lie strewn on the lawn etc etc etc.

I don't know if it's the fact that it's cold and there is so much less light or just that after two rotten summers, lots of hard work but hardly any opportunity to sit out and enjoy it, I just get downhearted.
More likely it is that all the jobs now are mainly about tidying up and preparing for next year. I guess it's a bit like being in the kitchen - I love cooking but hate the washing up afterwards!!

Does anyone feel the same - can someone come round and give me a kick up the bum? I will only regret it next year, when I have no geraniums and fushias, no daffodils and lots of broken pots thanks to the frost!!

 

Oh Ellie, I know just what you mean. I lose my mojo about mid summer. I don`t know-I like working in it, but it doesn`t feel right just sitting and enjoying it. I always have to nosy round to see if I can split some irises or a very last minute prune of something.

Not too bad at this time because the trees come into their own and because of whis4ey I now have a baby staghorn sumach to enjoy next yr.

It`ll come back, try ( I know it`s pointless advice ) to enjoy your hard work. You have very much deserved it.

 

:thumb: I feel exactly the same elliegreenwellie, and i hear gardeners go on about Autumn Planting and winter pansies etc, but to tell you the truth i dont go into the garden in winter, just a quick trip to the greenhouse every few weeks for a quick check on my treefern My garden furniture needs putting away, tender plants need dug up for the Ghouse, Tulips to go in, Banana and tropicals to protect and Fleece, Daliah's to sort out, etc :p and the shed to sort out first so i can get all the garden stuff in. Sigh..:D Youv'e Depressed me now :lollol:

 

ellie
From Yorkshire.... shame on you.
I shall be sending around the guys in black shortly to sort you out.
Thats after they have finished giving me some motivation...............
robert from York

 

:thumb: Done:

I have grubbed out TOMs in the greenhouse (still got to do melons and Aubergines - might get a few more yet).

Trampoline is in, garden table has its Winter cover on ...

Sweet Peas and Broad Beans are sown (in pots)

Part Done:

The Fushais which are in pots are in the conservatory, the ones in tubs in front of the house still look good, so are still out, but I don't want them getting frosted ... need to get cracking on that one. I have a few Standard Holly plants that will do in front of the house for the winter.

I've planted about 100 daffodils that I want to naturalise in the lawn. Got about another 100 to go (they are in the bucket where I threw them in the Spring when I lifted them for "being in the wrong place"; they've got a little soil on them, but the roots are already well established, so makes planting a bit more of a chore)

I have cut down half the hedge that is to be replaced but I still have not ordered the replacement plants for planting next month.

Some grass seed is in, more to do. Plus want to lift the turf where it is uneven and sort it out properly. I might just lift some turf from a "don't care" area and turf the area that needs seeding - then re-seed the area I have stolen the turf from, next spring. (Although I'm kidding myself that an area to be turfed needs less preparation then an area to be seeded :( )

:( Not done:

I've bought a few dwarf tulips to put in the Summer urns - as an experiment. Need to plant them

Need to erect some "pergola-style" supports so that I can transplant the climbing roses I bought to plant last Autumn - and have been heeled in since then :( I've also got a dozen other Wisteria, Clematis and Climbing roses in pots that I wanted to create a bigger pergola for. They could be planted in the spring I suppose ...

Oh blast, I've got 100 lavender plants in pots to put alongside the grass seeded area to make a Lavender Path. That's only half the length it should be because I accidentally stole the top soil from the other half for an earlier project, and hadn't realised it was from the new lavender walk at the time

Hmmm ... I think I a) need to get more motivated and b) need to take a few days off work. If I leave it much longer it will be too late :( and I want to play with a JCB to get the old hedge out anyway. Writing it down has helped my planning, but made me more aware of how much there is to do before Winter sets in :(

I might just set up a free-single-user-account using BaseCamp to get it all planned - having a list where I can tick things off might help the motivation :yez:

http://www.basecamphq.com/tour

 

Kristen, sounds like you're going to be busy!

I too lose a bit of motivation in autumn, especially as the perennials are all dying away, the borders look miserable and the weather is colder and damper. But I still have to go into the garden to look after the chickens, so once a week, when I'm giving them their weekly clean out, I spend time on the plants as well. Helps me keep things ticking over.

Actually, I really, really dislike winter:(

 

A rough guess would be because everything is dying.:dh:

 

I agree Woo, we have to keep our chin up and carry on regardless.

I was having a chat with one of my neighbours the other day, she was so up and chipper she came across like a hyperactive born again Christian-I had to walk away, my brain switched off with all of her false ebullience, but your words are quite uplifting. Thanks very much.

 

No problems for me, as long as Im warm and dry (thank goodness for gortex!!) im happy to work on regardless, always something to be done.

Although Summer is by farr my favourite time of year theres something quite nice about autumn/ winter days, even working in some of the gardens around here that are on the valleyside and so dont get direct sun from November to Feb.

Woo.... Can you do a readable translation without the smilies lol!!!

 

Together now Woo...."ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE........":D..:thumb:

 

my father in law had it play at his funeral Woo.

He was like that too

 

Yes, indeed I do. He was always laughing-he was a very passionate fellow, when he was happy he was ecstatic, mad-he was fuming etc.

Great fellow, very much missed. With one thing and another my relationship with my own father has deteriorated, and he was a Dad when I needed one.

I loved him very much, and miss him dearly every day.