A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2004 Another newbie from Texas

I just dropped by to say hello and that I've enjoyed reading the posts here.

A little bit about me...I worked from home as an artist for the last three years. It allowed my wife to pursue a career while one of us stayed with home with our handicapped daughter.

I reentered the work force last July by being hired as a cashier at the local Home Depot. It didn't take long for the non-stop lines of customers waiting to be rang up because management thinks the store functions just fine with one register open to convince me that I needed to reconsider my "career" path.

So I began spending every lunch hour and days coming to work early, staying late, and some days off in front of their computer in the training room completing their Horticulture Certification program. It's actually very intensive; just not something that apparently very many employees...including Garden associates...undergo.

It's actually kinda funny that a cashier is the only person in the store in possession of a Horticulture certification...but I digress...

That rekindled a love that I'd had of flowers and gardening. Now don't get me wrong..."love" didn't actually mean "success growing." Bougainvilla speak my name in whispered tones. Canna refer to me as 'Nick the Merciless.' And to Christmas cactus, I AM the Axis of Evil.

Hopefully I can now make amends with the plant world.

I'll be moving out to the Garden Department in January...just in time for the spring.

In the meantime, I'm applying the stuff that I've learned so far to my own yard. Today was spent removing old landscape timbers held together by 12" spikes. My next day off will involve tilling new beds and aerating a very compacted lawn. Time and weather permitting, I'll apprehend one of these soil pH test kits that are mentioned in just about every piece of Home Depot's training yet we don't seem to actually have in the store. Then I'll work in some dolomitic lime and compost into both the planting areas and lawn areas. And by spring, my house will be ready to rock and roll with new flowering plants.

That's my story!

Hi! Welcome to the forum!!

Cool story. Can't wait to hear about your gardening ventures and your customers, too.!

Hi Nick....and Welcome.
Finally, a guy from H D that knows what he's talking about.

Just kidding...I'm a die hard bougainvilla fan.
'Bout 5 years ago I bought one in full bloom at H D.The sales guy said "keep it in the shade,it'll do great." duh on me Shari

Hi, Nick!
Welcome to the forum!

Nice to meet you!

Cindy
(I'm the shy one here)

Thanks!

I'd like to share a story real quick here...

As some of you know, Home Depot has a one year guarentee on the plants they sell. That's unconditional...for whatever reason...bring it back and, with a receipt, get your money back. Or without a receipt, you get store credit.

I'm working the Returns register and this lady brings back eight Poinsettias. I ask her what's wrong with them. She replies, "Something's wrong with them!" She's pretty peeved.

"Like what?" To me, they looked better than some of the ones we had in the store.

"The branches break off easily," she says as she pretty much manhandles one of them and dislodges a branch.

"And this white gooey stuff comes out."

Here's a pic of my reaction...


And when she wasn't looking...


There wasn't anything I could say to her to change her mind. She was determined those Poinsettias weren't going back home with her.

Thanks for the warm welcome! I paint a li'l bit of everything. I've got one of a Hibiscus bloom and some Wandering Jew from my yard that I painted and I'm kinda fond of it. One of these days I'll figure out how to post a pic of it here.

Thanks!