Re: Decline in Gardening/native plants/decorating

**"Dan Clost" d*@sympatico.ca**

Here, here to an optimist. I share Ellen's views.

I don't necessarily agree that the boomers have eschewed gardening for other 
leisure pursuits. I think part of the reason that they aren't in the 
nurseries en masse is that they are still busy chasing whatever dream for 
which they began their careers. Or still paying the mortgage on the 
MacMansion (new term for me.) At the moment they only want to decorate their 
place in order to fit in. This "facade of gardening" is, I believe, a 
temporary phenomena particular to a demographic group that is present within 
every generation. It's just that the boomers and echoes have a hockey sock 
more of these work machines as part of their make-up.
Yvonne pointed out the therapeutic nature of horticulture: I'm confident the 
boomers'll be travelling along the garden path fairly soon.

The issue of natives and non-natives etc. is a bit touchy isn't it? My read 
is it is the ignorant folk or the ones who stand to lose the most money that 
are deeply entrenched in their views. The rest of us entertain rather 
enlightened understandings of the issue.

This discussion brings up another question- what is a native plant? When 
does a naturalised plant become native? Somewhere I read that any plant 
present in N.A. prior to European arrival is considered native. Does that 
arbitrary date still stand and was it selected as a convenience? Does a 
plant that has had it's offspring selected over many many years bear any 
resemblance to the one that has never had the benefit of human intervention? 
Are they both native? If I propagate a sport from a native, is it also 
native?  Does the means of propagation matter, i.e, a seed, a cutting, 
tissue culture? If I walked into Tom Ogren's yard, would I find a native 
plant? (Yes, I would, I'm just pulling his leg. For sure, though, I would be 
walking into a beautiful garden.)

There is yet another area of discussion this thread might lead us to and 
that is : "What is gardening?" (Not "why do we garden?)
As a group (generalisations can be dangerous, eh?) we seem to get our 
knickers in a knot because of the limited selection at the box stores. Folks 
bring home a flat of pansies, petunias, geraniums maybe even a daylily and 
hosta. They prepare and amend the soil in a proper manner and pop their 
plants into the ground.  They foolishly planted a Zone 6 plant into Zone 5 
and it died on them. You and I spend a lot of time researching the plants, 
using  our considerable store of personal knowledge, selecting the "right 
plant" for the "right place" and only then do we pop it into the ground. We 
selected a Zone 6 plant for our Zone 5 garden because we were confident we 
could create the micro-climate needed. Unfortunately, the experiment failed 
and the plant died. You and I are gardeners, those other louts are 
horticultural cattle being herded by greedy marketers who know how to get 
their greenbacks.
Does this imply that the definition of gardening rests solely upon plant 
selection?
Isn't today's definition of gardening the cultivation and tending of plants 
for leisure and enjoyment?
Have we set ourselves apart, as the informed and informing gardening elite 
and in doing so, lost track of its evolution? (I expect some clever soul is 
going to call it the devolution, but that's okay.)
What are our expectations of common home gardeners? Are these expectations 
valid?
What is our understanding of a free market and where do the box stores fit 
in?
Why is it that the business of gardening, as defined by the box store, has 
over run our ideas of gardening? Gardening is, arguably, the number two 
leisure activity, after walking, in North America. Every major paper has a 
gardening column, there are hundreds of dedicated magazines, and an 
astonishingly large number of garden communicators. You and I are certainly 
doing our parts, and getting paid for it. How come folks aren't getting it?
I guess that's enough, eh?
Dan
Dan Clost's Greenscapes
The Good Earth Columnist. 

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