Re: Last day - Something new to grow - Gardening in England


Louise,

actually, your idea of gardening is not much different from what I'm used
to.  When I first started, I raised a lot of those first perennials from
seed as an "experiment" in addition to my annuals.  Now it is a
full-fledged addiction.  I will usually buy the smaller pots of perennials
because my budget is limited, too.  From my viewpoint, the only difference
in our attitudes is that in your country, people have raised gardening to
the next notch, so to speak.  It is much more a national pastime than for
here.  Just look at how huge Chelsea is!  I don't know of an equivalent
here in the US.  Here, gardening is looked upon as a nice little hobby, or
something necessary to decorate the front of your home (The members on this
list certainly have a different view, though!).  For evidence, just look at
all of the offerings available in your local KMarts or Walmarts -- lots of
dying perennials in those little boxes right by the front door's vents,
stunted bulbs encased in plastic, run-of-the-mill varieties dried out in
little cell packs in the "garden center" of the store.  Obviously gardening
is not taken very seriously or considered profitable.

It could be that a trend is trying to start now that the so-called baby
boomers are getting up in age, have more disposable income, and can now
focus on other things besides their jobs.  Look at the popularity of Martha
Stewart's line of gardening materials.  We now have the cable TV channel,
HGTV (Home and Gardening Television).  Granted, it has more emphasis on the
home, but it's a start.  The only other venues was two shows on the public
television network and the local segments on the news here in Kentucky.
The shows on HGTV do tend to focus on quick fixes, makeovers, and tricks
for the novice gardener.  I enjoy the show on public television with Roger
Swain who travels around the world to different gardens and introduces new
varieties for both the flower and vegetable gardening.

Things are looking up for us here in the US, but we have a long way to go
until we can reach the heights that the UK does.  After all, we are still
obsessed with having the big patch of green lawn...

Val in KY
zone 6a

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