Betsy's Garden |
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January 19, 2005 What type of gardener are you? According to a National Garden Bureau survey, over 70 percent of American households participate in some form of gardening. Belinda Jensen of KARE 11 TV said recently, “Minnesota has the shortest growing season of any major gardening market in the country.” It’s also been said that Minnesota has the highest number of gardeners per capita of any state in the country. That’s a lot of people who like to grow things. But not all may be enthusiastic about getting their hands in the dirt. Virginia Relf, Extension specialist in Environmental Horticulture, Virginia Tech, identified six categories of gardeners: the obligatory gardener, the employer, the designer, the nurturer, the beginner, the avid gardener. The “obligatory gardener” gardens because he or she must. It is her duty. He has a lawn, so he must mow it; some leaves, so she must rake; a hedge, so he must prune; bugs, so she must spray. The problem with the “obligatory gardener” is the effort is made out of duty not joy. The gardener rarely takes time to learn about gardening and may act on preconceived, but erroneous assumptions about what needs to be done in the yard. This creates more work, more expense, less pleasure, less interest in learning. A little study might reveal that the bugs weren’t doing damage, the hedge would be healthy and attractive if allowed to naturalize, the leaves could remain around the shrubs to compost and enrich the soil. Some obligatory gardeners could be a source of avoidable pollution problems. They could use pesticides when they are not needed, spread fertilizers at the wrong time of year, add leaves to the landfill. Obligatory gardeners may make gardening unnecessarily hard. Research has shown that being around plants helps people recover from stress. It works well if we allow ourselves to enjoy the process. The “employer” wants the landscape maintained and is willing to put money, but not time, into it. These gardeners fall into different classes. Some hire the cheapest bidder to keep the neighbors from calling the “grass police.” Some wait until it is time to sell, then bring in professionals to spruce up things. Some have the lawn service on a regular basis, whether or not pesticide or fertilizer treatment is needed. The key to being a successful “employer” is hiring well. Check the credentials and reputation of the company you plan to hire. For the health of the landscape and the environment, apply pesticides only as a last resort. The “designer” loves plants, wants a beautiful garden, wants to participate in its creation and maintenance. But she wants to do this primarily in a vicarious sense. This gardener hires a talented landscape architect to translate his vision into plans. She hires the best contractors to build and install walls, ponds, patios. He selects rare and unusual plants from specialty nurseries and has them maintained by a dedicated gardener with at least 10 years experience. The “designer” is perhaps the most knowledgeable of all the garden types. She takes immense satisfaction in her garden and is happy to share a relaxed evening in this garden with others. The “nurturer” loves plants and the act of caring for plants. This gardener is more concerned with the joy of seeing the plant grow and flower than with increased property value or enhanced aesthetics. A nurturer’s garden may be neither gorgeous nor large, but it shows evidence of satisfaction in gardening. Things may look cluttered because plants are placed where they will grow the best, not where they look the best. “Nurturers” come in different styles. Some have a mission to save the sick and neglected plants from the retail world. Others have created garden havens of happy healthy species from throughout the world. Others want their decks covered with containers of plants they can care for. “Nurturers” tend to get satisfaction from propagating their plants and sharing these “grandchildren” with everyone. The “avid gardener” may combine the best of all the gardener types. The avid gardener has a true love of plants combined with a desire for an attractive landscape that does not simply meet an obligation to the neighbors. The garden is a thing of beauty and interest. The “avid gardener” is insatiable in his desire for plants, knowledge, and experience. She has her hands in the dirt but has the wisdom to hire help when a task is too big. The knowledgeable “avid gardener” assures the best interest of personal landscape and the environment. The “beginner” has just discovered plants. With help and support from a “nurturer,” the “beginner” can develop a life long love of plants and develop the skills to care for the environment. She can learn to work with others to create a setting that is healthy for all. On the path to becoming an “avid gardener,” the “beginner” develops a relationship with nature based on knowledge and love that will bring a lifetime of joy and satisfaction. But if the love of plants doesn’t develop in this relationship, we can hope he will become a responsible “employer” to fulfill the “obligatory” gardening in a fashion that protects the environment and gives him the opportunity to appreciate his garden. Betsy Halden can be reached at eahalden@comcast.net. |
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