Wish List

I suppose every gardener has a Wish List - those things that they dream of having or doing, related to their passion. It's the way of most hobbyists and collectors, and gardeners are no different.

My Wish List

• The Chelsea Flower Show - My mom has this dream of going to England for the Chelsea Flower Show, and I would love to go with her. I hope she gets to go someday. I hope I get to go someday. Going together would be the best.

"Every year, for five days in May, the grounds of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, are transformed into the fabulous show gardens, inspirational small gardens and vibrant horticultural displays that make up the world’s most famous flower show."

• Emily Dickinson's Herbarium - At $125, this 208-page volume published in September 2006 is a tad bit expensive, even for a bibliophile like me. It is slipcovered, though...

"The herbarium has long been a part of the Emily Dickinson Collection at Houghton Library, but due to its fragility the original had been in a vault for years--the last significant Dickinson Collection item completely off-limits. Now Dickinson devotees can finally examine what lies inside with a full-size, full-color reproduction of the album published in September...Dickinson, the reclusive poet whose extensive work was discovered and published in its entirety only after her death in 1886, was better known in her lifetime for her expert gardening skills than her poetry. She helped her mother in the garden from a young age and later tended plants in her own conservatory. As Dickinson admirers know, her love of the natural world comes through in her poems, which are full of flower references and themes--making scholars particularly interested in what they might glean from her herbarium." - Harvard University Gazette

• Green Japanese Maple tree - I have a couple of dark red Japanese Maples, but I'm taken with the lime green ones. So just buy one, you're thinking. Sure......God don't make no cheap Japanese maples. Here's one that takes my breath away (Full Moon Japanese Maple):

Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum'

• A Greenhouse - I don't want a big one. And it doesn't have to be heated, although that would be nice. And since I'm dreaming here, I want it be one of those Victorian glass ones.

Oh, and I want the shelving that goes inside, too, of course.

• Honda Mini-Tiller and Digging Tines - First, I wanted a Mantis. Then I heard it didn't handle our tough clay very well, so I looked to see if there was something a little more heavy-duty and saw this one. I think it would be just the ticket. This is also on Romie's Wish List, because the large tiller we have now has issues and the reason I know this is because every time I ask him to dig up some ground, he starts whining like a little girl. And when I finally convince him to do it, it takes him a very long time to get the tiller started and the entire time he's trying, he talks to himself very, very quietly. I keep asking him what he's saying, but he won't tell me.

Honda Mini Tiller FG110 $379

And during the month of March, you can get the digging tines free. ($150 value)

• $$$$$$$$ - Unlimited funds for buying new plants, trees, shrubs, flowers, mulch, garden decor, pavers...

Well, it IS a wish list...