philosophical question

Dear Medit-Plants list,


I have been enjoying the Medit-Plants email discussions a great deal, and I'm wondering something about the interests of the gardeners involved on the list.

Most inquiries and discussion revolves around individual plant species; how to make them thrive, what is wrong with them, where to find a certain species, etc. Are most gardeners on this list interested in plant collecting as a goal for their gardens, or are you interested in creating delightful outside places in which to live? Or both? Or something else?

I am finding myself feeling like the odd man out on email garden lists and meetings as well. My own personal need is to create an outside place that connects me to nature, that works well as a place to visit with my family and friends and that delights me with aesthetic and sensual pleasure. It's not important to me that I have unusual plant species or all the species of one genus, or plants from every part of the world. I understand that many people love collecting. My brother-in-law collects orchids. This gives him relaxation and pleasure. I'm not knocking collecting, just wondering if most gardeners on this list enjoy mainly collecting or other aspects of gardening.

I just finished reading the latest 'Mediterranean Gardener'. I enjoyed the articles that described gardens as an overview, such as, 'A Garden in Jerusalum, Pt.2', 'The Benefits and Challenges of Slim Rainfall', and a book review of 'Alhambra, A Moorish Paradise, by Gabrielle van Zuylen. I haven't visited the Alhambra, but I would love to as it seems to be an example of how to create a garden in a dry environment - that doesn't rely on many plants to give the feeling of oasis.

I am a Northern California landscape architect, and most of what I do is to design gardens for people who aren't gardeners. Most avid gardeners design their own. My clients want an outside place that is useful for them. Some of my clients are business owners and want a good-looking façade or entry for their business, not to mention shaded parking lots. The residential clients usually want an outside place that is a refuge from the outside world, a place for their children, or a place to entertain their friends. All of these people want a garden that is easy to take care of.

So, I look for holistic descriptions of gardens. I enjoy gardeners talking or writing about why they like/don't like their gardens and other gardens as well, or why certain gardens work/don't work as places to be. I find (at least at this point in my life) I'm less interested in focusing on individual plants. I realize that since I design outside places for people for a living, my outlook is different from an individual creating his or her own garden.

I'm wondering one thing about collecting - is it a cultural phenomenon? I notice that English gardens of the past focused on collections of plants as the British were ruling the waves. Older Japanese gardens didn't have this focus, neither Moorish or renaissance Italian or French tried to be vast collections. Did Roman gardens try to have plants from all of the Roman Empire? Maybe they did.

Anyway, fill me in. Is everyone out there a plant collector? Is it necessary?

Steve French


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