Eight Signs Of A Gardener

As Lloyd Grossman said "who would live in a house like this?". This was inspired from Kylee's post about someones household items that signify they are a gardener.
http://ourlittleacre.blogspot.com/2008/01/can-you-tell-im-gardener.html
I had a quick look around at what signs of Gardening madness there was in the house.
Mine are much more obvious than pictures, ornaments, and garden hats. I do have a hat though, a sheepskin flat cap, very Yorkshire or Del Boy.
The First sign is an obligatory Gardens note book. My scribbled seed lists, planted seeds, and garden summer plans are all written in here. My fermenting imagination draws and writes, puts arrows, and dreams come together in the book. Not as grand as the nice Ten year diary with spaces for minimum and maximum temperature, but good enough for me to keep track of umpteen projects. I guess if I do not lose it then I can look back at what I dreamt of, and how it turns out..ready for another growing season better than the last one.

The second Sign is bird books. This is a free booklet I got from the Rspb. Garden birds are a big part of my day now, just watching them for a while lowers my blood pressure. This simple booklet has advice about attracting the birds, plants for wildlife, what to feed them, how to have feeders and water stations, and of course a simple list of what common garden birds you might be able to see.Its normally near the blue chair by the back door with the binoculars.

Hmmm, The Third sign of a Gardener is Seeds. My seed packets in a Terrys Chocolate orange tin. The seed packets are almost as bright as the coloured wrappers around the single chocolate segments. These should be eye candy :)

The fourth sign is Garden shoes like Clogs.
For Oldroses my well worn xmas present gardening shoes from Town and Country. These are usually near the backdoor ready to slip on. (In fact I have them on now). I love the earthy green colour and the footprints they left in the snow the other day. Daily use has moulded the cloggie parts to my size 11 feet! I got fed up of getting mud on my trainers. At least these wash clean.

The fifth sign is gardening related magasines or booklets from the RHS. Hils keeps me supplied with her magasines. These can be found lying on the sofa, coffee table, or upstairs in the bedroom. I love the photos, the plants, the gardening letters, and suprisingly the adverts from garden sheds to organic products to seeds..
After a day in the garden what better way to unwind than reading and being inspired.

The sixth sign is what books are in the house.
Books bought and given. A gardener is quite easy to buy for with so many books, and items related to the garden. My fav book from above is the Heirloom Garden, an American book about heirloom plants that have been passed on between generations, and survive in wild gardens where they wait to be found. Like Foxgloves and the Madonna Lilly! The gardeners yearbook is so nice that I have not written in it. I guess I need lined paper to write on. I do not like writing on books..
The seventh sign is paraphanalia like tools or twine lying around the kitchen especially if your backdoor leads to the garden. Also bags of compost sat on the kitchen floor.
Gardening tools that always seem to end up in the Kitchen, washed and dried after being used in the borders to dig holes for new plants, or to upend perennial weeds.

The Eighth sign of being a Gardener is the home becoming an extention of the garden.
The Kitchen sink has been press ganged into an ersatz growhouse, it is being taken up by plant pots and seed trays. The Amaryllis Apple Blossom is two feet high now but too floppy so its being leaned against the window. Chilli plants nestle with pots of Basil seedlings. The Phalaenopsis sits on top of the baby Venus Flytraps in their mini greenhouse. The seed trays have Agastache, Heliotrope, poppies, and Evening Primrose.
There you go! Eight signs inside the house that my passions are outside in the trees, shrubs, flowers, and wildlife outside the door.