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Monday, February 6, 2012

Showing a bit of Versatility


Farmer's Market Dahlias from this past summer.

I have been honoured thrice over with a Versatile Blogger Award. Many thanks to the thoughtful blogging friends who have given me with this award.

I believe that as the recipient of this award, I must reveal 7 random things about myself. I have decided to stretch this mandate just a bit: I am going to divulge 7 random things about this blog and in a roundabout way, tell you just a little bit more about myself. So here we go:

1. With the exception of one guest post, all the content on this blog is original. That's right, every spelling mistake, every grammatical error, every instance of word repetition is all my own doing. No one else can be held accountable.

Recently, I have been approached by several parties offering their services in creating fresh "content". I never ever think of any of my posts as "content". This blog is more personal than that.


Farmer's Market Dahlias from this past summer.

2. Except where indicated, all the pictures are my own. Not everyone is a photographer. I get that. Sometimes you need to use an image to illustrate a subject you are describing in words and I think that is fine. I've done it, but always make a point of crediting the source and photographer.

I do have a pet peeve about blogs that show nothing but magazine photographs, and present them without any credits, as if they were original images. Some of the interior design blogs are notorious for this.

I would much rather read a post with a well-intentioned, soft focus picture that has been taken by an amateur, than a post with a professional shot appropriated from a magazine.

One of my peonies and some lilacs.

3. It takes time to be original. I wish that I could post more often and more regularly. It takes hours and hours of my time to do the photography for this blog.

I also have to add that taking the pictures is not work, it is pure pleasure.


4. I am not a gardening professional or even a master gardener. If I could go back and do it all again, I would probably be a landscape designer. (I may yet make the transition. Becoming a master gardener is also of great interest.) As a non-professional, I can only humbly offer my knowledge as an experienced amateur gardener.


 5. This is not a money making enterprise. My meddling son, greatly concerned about the amount of time I was spending working on this blog without remuneration, pressured me to add Google AdSense. To shut him up, I relented, but banished the ads to the bottom of the website.

I think I made a big $8 in the first month or so. (I hate to think about the hourly wage I received for putting that month's blog posts together.)

When this morning, I checked on the total amount earned, so I could write about it accurately, I noticed my AdSense account had been suspended because of some unknown violation. Gosh, I guess I never  see those 8 bucks now! Oh well!

Mixed flowers from my garden.

6. I am willing to get personal. Perhaps I am foolish, and should guard my privacy more carefully, but I have made this blog a personal account of my garden.

Even evil Goutweed can put on a pretty face.

7. Don't imagine for a minute that my garden is anything near to perfect just because I take pretty pictures. One of the flower beds has been completely taken over with goutweed.

Japanese knotweed continues to send up fresh shoots at the back of the yard, despite all attempts to eradicate it.

There is a temporary, ugly-as-hell shed that my husband uses as a workshop opposite the main flower border in the back garden.

... and I could go on.

I make lots of mistakes too. I always plant perennials too closely for one. Even after years of practice, gardening is still very much a learning experience.

Siberian Iris from early summer in the garden.

Finally, I want to say thanks again to the bloggers who have given me the Versatile Blogger Award.

I know the rules state that I must now pass on the award, but I think instead I will highlight the bloggers who have given me this award. They are:

Tammy a science teacher and gardener whose blog Casa Mariposa always makes me laugh. You can always count on her blog posts to be written with great wit and creativity.

Patty a fellow Canadian, who manages two garden blogs: Garden Pomona about her own garden and Women in the Garden that highlights the contributions made by women throughout the long history of gardening.

Life is Just a Garden is a blog that I am just getting to know. I notice that from her Versatile Blogger Award post, that we not only share a love of gardening, but dogs and ice cream as well (chocolate for me please!).

24 comments:

  1. Wow, these flower pics takes my breath away - beautiful! If my garden one day looks half as gorgous I´d be a happy camper..! :-)

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  2. Awwww Jennifer, so sorry about your 8 bucks! lol I've certainly had more than $8 worth of pleasure reading your posts - want me to send you $8??

    Congrats on the Versatile Blogger award, it is very well deserved (and I love your photos).

    xox

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    1. Hi Anne, Thanks for offering to make up for those AdSense losses. LOL! Blogging may never make me financially well off; just rich in so many other more valuable ways.

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  3. Congratulations on your award. I enjoy your posts very much, and am more than a little envious of your beautiful garden!

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  4. Lovely photos. Oh, and nice to be reminded that the gardeners we so admire online don't always have perfect gardens. :)

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  5. This made for enjoyable reading and as always...your pictures are marvellous. Each one is a beautiful masterpiece!

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  6. Congrats on the award and yes you do take pretty pictures and I like pretty pictures..............lol

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  7. Congratulations on the award and for the revealing facts. I too plant perennials too close together. I can't wait for them to fill in. By the third or fourth year, they are rampant and climbing over each other.

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  8. I always enjoy reading your blog and seeing your beautiful photos. It always makes me feel better when someone with a marvelous garden says it isn't perfect. Lol!

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  9. Congrats Jennifer, you are most deserving. Your images today may be your very best, they are stunning.

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  10. Jennifer - your blog is lovely! Your photographs look very professional although you insist that you are an amateur. I enjoyed reading a few of your blog entries and plan to read more……if i can ever stop working on my own and checking out all the other blogs on Blotanical!! (Don't even get me started on Pinterest!)

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  11. I see we are like-minded in our blogging. I have often thought of adding ads through Goggle and have wondered what kind of money might be involved, and now I know from you that it does not seem worth it. Keep up the good work.

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  12. Congratulations on the award. I could relate to a lot of what you had to say, except, of course, I don't take beautiful pictures like you do. I can see that you spend a lot of time with your photography - they are truly frame worthy. I wonder why you got suspended - ridiculous! They just don't want to give up their $8, I bet!

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  13. Good to know what did you earned before you got suspended! I have thinking about getting adds but always thought they are ugly and annoying but now I'm sure not adding them...8 bucks is just too little for ugliness and annoying:)
    We all should be paid big money for blogging, we take so much time for this but this is not about money, isn't it!
    Your flowers are just what I need and I SO love the second last one one, there is SO beautiful colors in that picture.
    Have a nice week

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  14. Hey Jennifer congratulations !
    I follow just about every statement you have listed .. my blog is personal and follows my ups and downs .. I am not shy with writing about mistakes or triumphs .. it is meant to be fun and that is something I cherish in life and blogging and fellow bloggers !!
    Joy

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  15. Thanks so much for posting this, Jennifer! I, too, received this award, and I've been putting off acknowledging it because I really don't want to have to choose other blogs to award it to. Not because I can't think of any, but because many prefer not to receive awards, and of those that don't mind, it would be hard to pick some over the others. I like the way you handled this!

    I had to chuckle about your experience with ads. I toyed with the idea of adding them to my blog, but didn't think I'd make enough money to make it worthwhile. I get annoyed enough with all the ads on Facebook. I can relate to the way you choose your photos--I prefer not to show the weedy areas in my garden, too:) Your photo of your mixed bouquet is so beautiful!

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  16. Jennifer, I think your skill as a gardener IS perfect. Perfectly relatable. Congratulations for being honored by your peers 3 TIMES - that's an admirable endorsement.

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  17. I love the light, details, and colors in these flower images. I wish I could have a garden where I live.

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  18. I love your photos and truly appreciate the time you take in getting them to your blog posts. I do all my own writing too, except for one guest posting from a fellow MG. I wouldn't worry about a garden being perfect, mine certainly isn't!

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  19. My AdSense was cancelled within a month due to "inappropriate clicking". How dumb is that!! Thanks for your kindness. :o) I love your dahlia photos. Can you imagine the war that would be waged if every invasive plant were planted in the same garden bed?

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  20. I agree with so many of the points you make about blogging. The time spent on the photography for my blog is a labor of love, for sure. Your images, as always, are stunning but I admit my favorite this time is the goutweed!

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  21. Congrats!!! I always enjoy reading your blog. Funny you mentioned that - I had an email from someone in London asking if I wanted her to write for me - I was like WHAT? I take all my own pics of what I see that day or day before by the time it is posted but how on earth could she write for me? Funny. I know mine was spam and I am sure sent to masses but just the thought of having someone else write the blog I didn't get then I see you touched on that. Never occurred to me that one of the blogs I read was not written by the person I think I am commenting to etc.... This is all new to me though but I have always enjoyed your blog. Colorful and fun to read. You deserve the award- congrats!!!! Have a good trip- I see you will be out for a week. I haven't had a lot of time to post myself lately. Busy season for us planting and cutting back etc... and getting things ready with this crazy Texas weather we have. 80 the other day and 46 today. HA. Keeps you on your toes. I know you say you have area that are problematic but I just bet that they are still pretty. =0)
    Congrats again! K

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  22. Jennifer,
    I don't know what the whole "fresh content" offer thing is, but I get it all the time. Some freelancer, or so it says, offers to fill in, because I guess I could be doing so much better?
    I, too, received the versatile blogger award, but those awards kinda feel like chain letters to me. You handled it beautifully, girl!
    I am also irked by some of the blogs that rip pics off and say, isn't this nice, I would love this, and on and on. Not very original and gets old, fast. I enjoy your blog very much...

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  23. Seems there's a few of us who've had 'offers' lately for guest posts. Your blog wouldn't be what it is without your personal touch with a camera or your personal insights into gardens. Congratulations on the award.

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