Re: Re. Who's the Audience

**"* T* <m*@hort.net>**

> From: Doreen Howard <gardendiva@charter.net>
> Garden centers obviously have discovered what we gardener writers
are slow
> to learn--people want instant gardens and they don't want to do it
> themselves.  Groan.....I'm feeling ancient.
----------
Don't feel ancient, Doreen.  Personally, I think it's a shame that
magazines just go for fluff, but OTOH, there has to be something that
gets people started with gardening.  Many are never going to become
'real' gardeners, but some will and they have to start somewhere. 
Maybe today they buy the pre-planted container, but there just might
be something about those plants that intrigues them enough to start
to get curious enough to learn a bit...and then a bit more.  Younger
people often have little time for gardening, but if the interest is
there, when they get older and do have time, it may still be there
and become more developed.  And it just might be something you said
in one of your talks that sparked that interest.

It seems to me that this country (maybe the world, I dunno) is
extremely 'faddy'.  The herd mentality and it appears to be lowering
its common denominator yearly.  However, there are people out there
who are looking for solid information.  I get emails all the time
from people I've never heard of who have stumbled across one of my
articles and felt moved to write and thank me for the information I
provided.  Others write to ask me questions; I always try to answer
them - you never know what kind of influence you might be for good in
someone's life.

Seems to me that part of our role as garden writers is to encourage
new gardeners, as well as inform more experienced ones.  We need to
do both as well as we are able.  It's just a pity that it seems -
from all the posts on this list - that it is very difficult to
actually earn money writing articles of substance in the popular
press these days.  I'm sure it comes down to the almighty dollar as
related to advertising where numbers of eyeballs are more important
than content.  On the positive side, large turn outs of those wanting
'a' garden show some level of interest in gardening....no matter what
it is, it's better than no interest.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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