• Subject: Re: Re: Old vs. New
• From: J* S* <i*@q.com>
• Date: Wed, 29 Feb 2012 12:02:54 -0800

My thought when I read the article was "much ado about nothing."
Unfortunately, it's like too many about-gardening articles. Which is why long
ago (about the time when Organic Gardening went slick) I quit reading any of
the so-called gardening writers except Barbara Damrosch and a couple of others
(Vern Nelson, for one), and ditched my subscriptions to the dead-tree
marketers.


There are 40 million poor persons in the United States. Why?




On Feb 29, 2012, at 7:11 AM, TeichFauna@aol.com wrote:

> I'm posting this to Gardenchat since it might become an interesting
> discussion point suitable for gardenchat ....no?
>
> I found the article very interesting.....unlike Kitty, I didn't get that
> strong vibe of younger men vs. middle age women type thing.  Yes there was
> that between the writer and the guy that posted the tweet, however,  gender
> and age differences aside.......what I found interesting was how  gardeners
> have taken up "camps".   This is something that I have found  here in
> Texas....and was surprised to read was happening in other regions as  well.
> Perhaps this has always been the case, I don't know.  I'm  sure since the
60's
> there have been those that use chemicals, those that are  totally organic,
> and those in the middle.  Unlike was stated, I don't find  that the young
are
> more organic than the older gardeners.  I do wonder if,  as the article
> questioned, if it is along political lines.......with the  organics and
natives
> anyway.   Are those on the right less  concerned about environment, using
> more chemicals, having lawns, etc. and those  on the left more organic,
> native, etc.???  And as Kitty says, as we get  older, less energetic......go
with
> whatever works best and is easiest?  I  do remember in my earlier gardening
> years trying very hard to only  garden one way or the other (totally
> organic, totally native), less  compromising, and found that it was far too
much
> effort.
>
> I don't see sparks fly between the organic and non-organic groups as much
> as I do between the native purists and the rest of the gardening population,
> including commercial, govt, etc.   I did find it very interesting that
> there was mention of areas in the subdivisions being natural and native,
and
> others that were more manicured and tailored.  One thing that I've  found
> here is that the Home Owners Associations frown heavily on native or
> natural....especially when it is not what they would consider  maintained.
Neither
> of which will even consider a compromise, thus  never resolving anything.
> The native folks can't fathom that a  native could be considered an
> invasive, simply because it is native......and the  HOA's can't fathom the
thought
> that not all natives are weedy.    Again, I stand somewhere in the
> middle.....and successfully have a mixture of  both native and non-native
(all
> non-invasive)  with no complaints  from the HOA, but plenty from my purist
> friends.
>
> Among gardening clubs, MG's, societies, etc. here, for a time being (in the
> 80s, I was told) many of the groups were dying out due to the fact that
> all the  members were older, and no new blood (so to speak) was coming in.
> The  majority of the members were those that had been members for many many
> years.  This is still true for one or two.  Gardening groups in  general
were
> considered social, rather than interest groups.   However, it seems that
> since the Internet, there has been a renewed  interest, dismissing the
stigma
> that plants and gardening are only for the  old, and a change in societies
> (anyway) toward being interest groups with  furthering education rather than
> social.   Most groups  (especially the individual plant societies)  have
> seen more young  members in their late teens and twenties (apartment
dwellers)
> become  interested and joining.   I do notice that the younger generation
> tends to specialize more, I did too, having a cactus collection as  early as
> I can remember,  thinking that vegetable and flower gardening  was boring,
> done by the "older generation".   Still no  increase in members in the child
> rearing age group, unless they  are childless.   The greatest numbers are
> those in ages 40 and up,  with many new members. I find that among the
> Societes that men tend to  specialize more than women.  Women tend to enjoy
> different types of  gardening (plants) more or less equally.  Men on the
other
> hand, tend  to pick one or two, and stick with that almost exclusively.
Also I
> find that in garden clubs most members are female, however among  the
> specific plant societies, roughly half of the members are  men.  In the
local
> chapters of the Cactus & Succulent Society  and the Bonsai Society the
> majority are men.
>
> I have noticed the resurgence of vegetable  and edible gardening in recent
> years.....especially among the  survivalists groups, could be along
> political lines or economics there too,  perhaps.   I don't think it is
gender or
> age specific to garden for  food, beauty, etc. however it tends to be those
> with homes that do so  more.  Except that there are trends, and that the
> trend (here anyway)  to plant rows and rows of annuals every season vs. a
more
> natural look (with  perennials instead) to be outdated, and seldom seen
> anymore. Economics and  climate has had a lot to do with that, and the
increase
> in rain gardens and  sustainable gardening as well, in Texas.    Not
everyone
> has  the same amount of space, time, interest level, addiction, or passion
> regardless of gender/age.....but among the die hard  gardeners.......
> although one might become less energetic, I find that  the passion is the
last to
> fade away.
>
> Noreen
> zone 9
> Texas Gulf Coast
>
>
> In a message dated 2/28/2012 8:02:08 PM Central Standard Time,
> lindsey@mallorn.com writes:
>
> http://www.scrippsnews.com/content/growing-divide-taking-root-garden-world
>
> Basically,  it talks about 'old' vs. 'new' gardeners and their  differing
> viewpoints.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> In a message dated 2/28/2012 8:56:28 PM Central Standard Time,
> kmrsy@comcast.net writes:
>
> Oh wow,  what a can of worm castings!
> I see several attitudes in this  controversy.  A lot of middle-aged woman
> were the ones growing  organic veggies in communes in the 60s.  It's more a
> matter of been  there, done that.  When I began gardening in my very late
> 30s
> I was  all into the organic attitude.  I was also into every free the
> dolphins sort of thing too.  OK, I still am, but I'm just less  energetic
> about it.  My garden is my calm spot, not my demonstration  place.  Organic
> is nice, but I just don't want to dedicate my life to  it so I do take
> short
> cuts.   Ask one of today's 25 yr old  gardeners 30 years from now how THEY
> feel about it. Some will stick with  it, but the vast majority will make
> some
> changes.
>
> And did anyone  pick up on the specificity of the genders depicted for the
> age  groups?  In this particular article the older gardeners were women and
>
> the younger were men. They didn't touch on differences between younger vs
> older female gardeners.  I've noticed similar attitudes in men in my  age
> group as were depicted in the younger men.  Most men are more  practical,
> there needs to be a productive outcome, hence, food.  When  it comes to
> ornamentals most men seem more comfortable in the realm of  trees, shrubs,
> and lawns (present company excepted)
>
> The young guy  wrote, "A lot of what's out there is about growing
> ornamentals. It was  targeted to people with a lot of land and a lot of
> money."  Well, I  have to agree with him and I'm a middle aged woman.  Fine
> Gardening  annoyed the heck outa me with several articles, declaring that
> all
> their  featured gardens were DIY.  They said this woman converted a blank 2
>
> acre landscape in 18 months all on her own.  All on her own  checkbook,
> maybe!  SHE didn't put in those 30 foot trees with those  manicured hands.
>
> But I digress.  I do think we need to think  outside the compost bin. Make
> the site desirable to all kinds of  gardeners.
>
>
> Kitty
> neIN, Zone  5
>
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