Biking and Gardening
 

When seasons change and the weather turns warm, I find myself torn between my two favorite activities: biking and gardening. I was thinking about the similarities I find between the two.
Both:
Get me outside in nice weather
Make me aware of the beauty of nature
Help maintain fitness levels
Help clear my mind and help lower stress levels
I know some others here garden, notably Stepfam, whose gorgeous photos of his own garden inspired me to get out and get working on my own, which is a never-ending work in progress. I have been working on it for 17 years as I started with a blank piece of land. My new bike is seen lurking in the background in a few photos and my first "adult" bike (green) has become part of the landscaping!

I was hoping some others would be willing to share photos of their gardens/landscaping.


http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6408329_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._8335599_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4065253_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1382768_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1530682_n.jpg

Beautiful. However, rather fortunately, I hate gardening and I hire the lawn mowing.

Thank you, Denver. Fortunately for me, I married a lawn mower.:lol:

Impressive garden. I used to be torn in a similar way, but my green thumb is not as prolific as yours. So, riding gets the nod and the garden only gets 3 hours a week. (yes, I time it, and when I hit three hours I walk away before I do any additional damage.)

Very nice miss k.

I recently discovered a similar symbiotic relationship between biking and plumbing. It turns out the leg muscles required for biking are useful when you're a DIY'er doing attic plumbing. Unfortunately, I couldn't get our tandem through the attic trap door to take a picture of same surrounded by my most excellent plumbing job. BTW, beautiful garden Miss K.

Very nice garden. If I took a picture of mine it would show the neglect of an avid cyclist with a full time job.
I try not to let my other activities get in the way of cycling, I try to separate my passions by season, cycling in the warm weather, skiing in the cold and wood working in between. The yard gets worked on from time to time but as long as it is mildly under control I let it go.

:lol::lol:

Beautiful gardens Miss K, beautiful indeed.

I'm not much at gardening. I did have a Dandelion out in front but alas, my bride pulled it out, sigh. :(

Wow, Miss K, your hard work is quite evident. I really enjoy gardens...other peoples gardens. I got my fill of toiling in the soil as a kid working for low pay at the "muck farms".

I gotta say, you and stapfam are the BF 50+ King and Queen gardeners.:thumb:

You are, as always, very kind, Louis. I appreciate the the others kind words, too, yet I was truly hoping that there were others who bike & garden and would post their photos! I like the inspiration. Maybe they were just too tired from biking to the garden shop to post tonight! :innocent:

I'm betting there are plenty of other gardeners who frequent this forum. In time this thread will be blooming :innocent:with pics.

I'm an apartment dweller. If not for that, I'd probably have a small vegetable garden,
just so I could have some tomatoes that aren't like tennis balls.

My stoker/wife got this lovely "phlox" at a garden club sale a year or two ago and it was going great in our backyard.
Saw an article in the Indy Star last week describing the nasty invasive Dame's Rocket, which is what our "phlox" really is.:eek: We cut it down and poisoned the roots.
Dame's Rocket has 4 petals on the bloom, while phlox has 5. Note the 4 petals.
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z...M/IMG_1068.jpg
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z...M/IMG_1065.jpg
http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/invasiveplants/states/in.asp

I grow a fairly decent "free range" vegetable garden. I share the produce with various insects and animals.
I consider my lawn to be satisfactory if I can walk across it without getting my feet muddy.

Be careful. PETW will be on your case. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Weeds)

Been riding from and gardening in the same lot for 30 years next month, but it never occurred to me to compare the two. Pictures next time i find the digital camera, maybe...it drifts around the house popping up here and there.
As for your pictures: They'd put me in jail if my garden looked like that. I live in the desert, and while water isn't officially rationed, you get VERY hard looks from the neighbors if you exceed the prescribed lushness level.
I grew up in a wet part of California, and it took awhile to get used to the xeriscape look, but i find I prefer it now. I appreciate the work and planning that went into your yard, but my first thought when i saw the pictures was "claustrophobic."

It is a shade garden and I live in Jersey. I rarely water.

Beautiful garden, Miss Kenton.

My wife's garden is spectacular; I try to stay out of it. In fact, this spring I finally ended up killing off the final remnants of our lawn (which is my job). My clever plan to avoid mowing this summer has failed, though -- she paid someone to replant the lawn and it's now doing great.

I'd prefer asphalt.

Beautiful job Miss K, but when does gardening transform into landscaping? That space makes me want to "Bungle in the Jungle." :thumb: :lol:

That's a really nice garden, Miss K. Obviously a lot of work and TLC went into it.

Where are the blueberry bushes?

:lol::lol:Yes, I get that feeling, too. Especially when the monkeys swing past.
In answer to your question, I suppose gardening becomes landscaping when the garden 'scapes its borders!:D

Thank you! The blueberry bushes are there, but not in this part of the garden as they need to be near the house so that I can keep an eye on them in case Jdon tries to steal the berries on one of his jaunts to Jersey.

Hi Miss K, WOW--- BEAUTIFUL!!!

I bike and I garden. When I do too much of one, I begin longing for the other. Since I moved into this house 14+ years ago I did my best to transform the front and back yards. I gave up on the front yard and we hired a landscaper. Now, the backyard is my sandbox. Gardening can be great exercise --- lifting, hauling, bending, kneeling, pushing, pulling, etc. I garden organically and compost most of the yard clippings, or use the shredded clippings as mulch. I squeal with delight when I find worms in the soil. Gardening allows me to express my creative side and to produce living beauty around me. My inspiration came from my mom who has gardened for years.

No pictures to share at the moment....

Thanks, Yen! Very well said. Nearly all my plants are indigenous and drought tolerant, I use no pestisides.
When I sit in the attached screenhouse in the morning, drinking my coffee and watching the bluejays in the birdbath, the finches at the feeders, the hummingbirds flitting about the flowers, the butterflies resting on the rocks, and the chipmunks scampering down the paths I have the feeling that God approves!
I would love to see any future photos!