CO-Horts

One Gardeners Search to Become a Gardenista.

        Carrie Shimada, Weld County Extension

Among my Co-Hort bloggers, I’m known as a fashion maven.   Yes, I love to garden and play in the dirt, but I also like fashion.   I will admit I have a closet that’s overflowing with clothes, many pairs of shoes (okay-many, many pairs of shoes), and handbags.   I follow fashion trends and I have been known to rock a pair of 5” in a snow storm, that’s why it pains me, a little, to admit that my typical gardening attire is far from fashionable. 
 

Just this past weekend, I would have been fined by the fashion police- my paint-splattered shorts, my slightly yellowed tee-shirt, and green gardening clogs were far from fashionable.  So, in fear of being issued a citation for my crimes against fashion, I decided to check out what was in style for the avid “Gardenista”.

My green gardening clogs, while washable and comfortable, they're not very stylish.

What I found out, was just what I expected- gardens on apparel were more common than stylish apparel for gardening.  Spring 2013 is the year of floral printed dressed, leaf printed blazers for men and women, and anything foliage-related on clothing.  In spite of all the fashion inspired by gardening, I kept searching for a website that would lead me to that great fashion find.

And did I find a couple of interesting sites!  (These websites were research, not an endorsement of any product)

Girliegardening.com, a site FULL of pink.  Of course their pink lip patterned Wellies caught my eye in an instant, but it was the ‘girlie’-named’ gardening products that kept me clicking through the pages.  Let’s just say the names of the quite fashionable garden products, keep your mind wondering to other adult products ;)  The website does use words like ‘allotment’ and ‘brolly’- mind you it’s a British company that brilliantly took the idea of the ‘plastic-wear party’ and adapted it to ‘Girlie Garden’ products.  Who’s in for adapting this to the United States?

From: girliegardening.com
 

Kusashoes.com, a company dedicated to “the sensation of walking barefoot on grass. Anywhere! Anyime!”  Who knew that searching for garden fashion would get you to a site that produces parts of the garden as fashion.  Kusa took the well-known donut company’s idea of grass lined flip-flops and made it wearable- because wearing a shoe with grass growing in the foot bed is not practical- I guess (that coming from a girl who wears 6” platform heels).



From: kusashoes.com

So, maybe my search got a bit distract by the all the pink lips and faux-grass shoes, but what’s wrong with a little fun! 

When I finally got back on track, I found that no matter how far I searched, woman’s gardening apparel was not that fashion worthy.  Instead I decided to compile a list of fashionable gardening accessories- a Gardenista’s best friend.

A Gardenista’s must have accessories:

1. Gloves- leather gloves are useful when pruning, gripping wheelbarrows full of mulch, and dealing with thorny rosebushes.

2. Pruners- for dead-heading, for nipping string, and of course, pruning.  By- Pass pruners are the only way to go, when in the garden.

3.  Rubber Shoes- adapted from the wooden clogs of Holland, the washable, versatile rubber clog is a garden must-have.  A good pair of Wellies is also a must- muddy soil and wet lawns are easier to navigate when your entire foot is covered.

4.  Big Floppy Hat- protects you face from the sun’s ray, because wrinkles are a no-no for guys and gals- need I say more!

5. Sunscreen- a broadband UVA/UVB sunscreen is a definite must.  The sun is great, but its rays are not.

Whether you dress to the nines, or the opposite of the nines, in the office or the garden, there are many stylish ways to make your gardening ventures a bit more Gardenista-like. Whether you choose a pink pair of Wellies, or a pair of faux-grass flip-flops- I know I will still rock a pair of paint-splattered shorts, a face hiding big floppy hat, and a pair of Wellies.  Gardening is messy, so why ruin my fashions with dirt J

Me in a floral print dress and my trusty Wellies...with my Maggie!

 

*Gardenista was the only fashion-maven word I could think of- sorry men!  But by no means are men exempt from looking stylish- even in the garden!