The Garden that Mr Chiots Built
Mr Chiots isn’t much of a gardener, at least not in the same way I am. He helps with garden tasks, generally those that involve power tools, spud bars or difficult heavy work. He asks lots of questions, loves to look at all the plants and enjoys the garden.
A few years ago he decided that we needed something around the mailbox. I didn’t want to dedicate any of my time towards it, so he decided it would be his garden. He chose the plants, transplanted them, surrounded them with rocks and keeps it weeded.
This year it’s looking very nice and he’s very proud of his little garden.
How many gardeners live in your household?
Chiot’s Run Garden Tour
The Middle Garden
The Side Garden
The Front Hillside Garden
Mr Chiot’s Mailbox Garden
Garden Tour: The Front Garden
Wow! A husband who shares your interests. That is a blessing to behold.Nice garden!
to Sue from Ky.'s comment
You can tell Mr. Chiots that his plantings around the mailbox have inspired me. So simple yet so pretty.
to jennifer fisk's comment
When I married my husband he was not a gardener either but after years of living with me he is now a convert! Give Mr. Chiot time and I bet as the years pass he will garden more and more.
to Canned Quilter's comment
Nice! This has inspired me to at least think about planting something around our mail box!
to Joan's comment
Nice! Does he know that it is addicting though? My husband doesn’t garden but is always will to help if I ask him to build something ie raised beds,stone walls etc.
to Kathi Cook's comment
I think he’s figuring this out. He’s been out helping me with the new garden area more this spring, asking what all the amendments are, what they do, why I add them, etc.
to Susy's comment
Two whole gardeners and two half gardeners. I do the vegetable garden for the most part; the MiL does the flowers (sort of . . .) and certain things in the vegetable garden–that is, for whatever reason she always takes care of the leeks and onions and this year planted all the squash too.
My husband and son are the halves. My husband is a reluctant helper in the vegetable garden, doing the tilling and grunt work with mulch and other things I can’t do by myself. He doesn’t really like vegetables, though, so he thinks it’s too much work for the results. My son is enthusiastic, but being only two, is more destructive than helpful at the moment. I have big plans to raise both of my boys into competent and hopefully enthusiastic gardeners who can hill potatoes for mommy in the near future. We’ll see.
to kristin @ going country's comment
Your Mr. and my Mr. sound very similar. I am the gardener of the family, but my children who check daily on the progress of each plant and give long dissertations each evening on each one. :-)
Just stopping by to say Hullo, after stumbling across your blog for a brown sugar recipe. :-)
Have a great day!
to Rebecca's comment
My hubby actually has the greener thumb in this house! We both enjoy the flowers but he is better at keeping them alive!
to angie h.'s comment
My Mr. Has been banished from the back yard. He was trying to “help” with the weeding and pulled/weed whacked every flower seedling I had sprouting along the fence line this spring. Ohhhhhhh what a bad day that was.
to Rhonda's comment
Oh mercy. Farmer MacGregor did the same thing to my sweet peas one spring. He has since been banished from weeding unless supervised!
to Maybelline's comment
My wife has had more time in, I’m usually asking her questions. However, I’m slowly getting my thumb greener. I’m in charge of the garden this year, a learning curve for sure. I am slowly turning our property into a more permaculture homestead, sustainable living for many years to come.
to John's comment
Like the Chiots, I garden while Farmer MacGregor enjoys the hardscape portion of outdoor work. Seems to work out nicely.
to Maybelline's comment
Moi…..Although he does wrangle the rototiller and that is really saying something….It is a monster and beyond my abilities:)
to amy's comment
…You go Mr. Chiots! Nice, very nice. :o)
…I’m the gardener, my husband is the harvester altho’ he has been taking more of an interest in it as the years go by. Just the other week I was talking about you and your post on Green Manure and he asked, “WHAT is green manure?”. I guess he had a vision of actual, real green animal manure. lol :o)
…Enjoy your weekend!
…Blessings
to tj's comment
Me mostly.. though m’honey will help when I ask & has been known to water & pick tomatoes when he hasnt been asked. That works for me since I really dislike standing around with a water hose.. He enjoys it. ugh.
I’ve been watering my veggie garden at the community garden using 2-2gal buckets and I’ll have to get a hose out soon since we added a second plot to the family garden.
He also does most of the heavy work & tilling if its to be done.. He never complains about it though.. cuz if it doesnt get done, then I complain & he hates that worse than anything. ;)
to KimH's comment
BTW… thats a very nice little mailbox garden there.. Thumbs up to ya Mr Chiots!
to KimH's comment
What is the name of the tiny plant in the bottom photo? I have some but no idea what it is. Thanks so much for the posting. The garden looks very nice.
to Deb's comment
It’s a small creeping sedum that was growing here when we moved in. We’ve since propagated it and it grows all over the gardens, a very useful low-growing, drought-tolerant plant to cover the soil.
to Susy's comment
I’m in process of slowly teaching my boyfriend about how to locate ‘weeds’ vs. desired plants. [me: “This is creeping charlie – PULL IT OUT and BURN IT in the firepit!!!”]
He came from a gardening heavy family, so in a way I think he hates the fact that I’m gung-ho about it, but he tolerates my bouts of insanity.
Maybe I’ll give him the mailbox to garden in, let him plan what to plant there… What advice can Mr. Chiots give to the guys in our households?!?! Hehehe!
to Donna B.'s comment
That looks so nice! It’s funny because this morning I was seriously thinking about moving some lilies to grow beside our mailbox!
I am the main gardener, but my hubby enjoys being involved. He didn’t grow up gardening, but he has learned a lot in the 6 years we’ve been together. He is great about doing the heavy lifting and tilling – not so much because I’m unable, but because he likes to help (and it’s easier to convince him to help with those tasks than weeding!). He enjoys the flowers, as well, and is sure to mention if he notices something starting to bloom (love that he has that slightly softer side to him). Although, I have learned finally to mark any flowers that grow outside of structured flower beds – if they’re not marked, he will demolish them with the weedeater! We also have a 16 month old son who loves to “help” me in the garden. He is hard on the plants sometimes, but I love that he wants to try to help. :-)
to Beth K's comment
How sweet! The Hubs has never showed much an interest in planting anything at our house besides his butt in a recliner! But he does like to come with me sometimes when I water the vegetable garden to see how its doing. And, he enjoys eating the fruits of MY labor.
to Jennelle's comment
If you count cats, chickens and the dog – all of whom like to “help” in their own special ways – then there are 10 of us. If you don’t count those, then it’s just me.
John has some apple trees which he tends, including weed management around them, but that’s it. He doesn’t even help me with building projects these days after we had a couple of “too many cooks…” disagreements how to do things. I don’t really mind – I’m happy enough pottering away on my own – but I am rather jealous of friends where both of the couple garden together.
to louisa @ TheReallyGoodLife's comment