Top Ten Reasons Why I Buy a New Plant

10. The Garden Center e-mails the new products for the month
9. I am having a good day and want to reward myself
8. I am having a bad day and want to cheer myself
7. I learn about a plant that is new to me and NEED to add it to my collection
6. I find an empty spot in the garden
5. A certain plant begins to bloom in the garden (rose, hydrangea, etc.) and I realize that the arrangement of the ones I already have is out of balance - I need to buy another for symmetry
4. I come into some money
3. A friend suggests we take a trip to the garden center because she needs new plants (Well, I can't accompany someone to the garden center without buying something myself!)
2. I see a rose bush in a color that I don't have
1. It's Wednesday and I need something to help me get through "hump" day

Rationalizing...

I visited five garden centers last week. Only one was a planned visit. I spent money at each place I visited. Okay, I'll give myself that it is early in the season. I'm excited. My gardens are crying for attention. I'm yearning for bare spots to be filled. The garden centers entice with flowers already in bloom. My garden is still in its last stages of dozing. (Wait...none of the things I bought last week are in bloom yet.Let's change that thought...) The pictures on the labels promising what particular plants will look like when in bloom cried out to me. I've developed a thing for chartreuse too. I noticed that in my garden only my three eunonymous plants have chartreuse, so of course I had to buy the chartreuse sedum that excited me when I saw it. Then I had a thing going and had to buy the chartreuse artemesia to balance the yard. After all, artemesia is one of my favorite plants and I have never seen it in this color! I visited the Bedford Garden Club's annual plant sale and I have to support the local garden club right? My daughter and I always enjoy their plantings downtown and at the library. We want them to keep up the good work. I had to be fair and buy my daughter a plant too, for her new reading garden. She really liked the bleeding heart at the plant sale. How could I say "no"? And the new garden center that my friend Sara introduced me to this weekend? Well, the prices were too good to pass up! I bought a 'Dark Dancer' clover. I have never seen anything like it. It was loaded with four leaf clovers and I've been telling my daughter for two years that I will find her a four leaf clover for good luck , but our searches have been to no avail. Since this was loaded with them, I took it as a sign that I had to get it and it was only $4! They also had a yellow rose bush that supposedly smells like licorice. Considering that yellow roses are my absolute favorite and I am a fanatic for licorice, I couldn't let that one go either...It was another sign.

Well, it's too early in the season to declare that I have a problem. But I do need to rein it in now. I have some specific plans that need attention. I'm on the lookout for unusual herbs for my herb garden this year. I am also looking for a lovely smelling ground cover for my daughter's reading garden path. (I'm leaning toward creeping thyme, but need to watch the light to make sure it is enough for this plant.) Finally, I need a little ground cover for an area leading to my back yard. Otherwise, I'm done... At least for a few weeks... Oh yes, and I only need 20 more points at my favorite garden center to get $25 worth of plants free - I'm so excited that they carry over points from last year. Not every place does that - So of course I need to go there soon too...