Editorial

Where Are the Limits of Gardening?

Philosophical question: what does gardening include?

I love writing surprising articles on different aspects of ecology. Sometimes I even go a little beyond the subject of gardening, telling you about beekeeping, maple syrup production, beavers, strange and distant plants…

In fact, as far as I’m concerned, gardening is really very, very vast, and it’s all connected in one way or another!

For Me, Gardening Is…

Of course, when we think of gardening, we think of ornamental plants. We can think of our houseplants, our flowerbeds or even our window boxes on the balcony.

Then there’s edible plant gardening: herbs for cooking, a potted tomato plant, or a huge vegetable garden.

These are what you might call the “basics” of gardening. I think you’ll agree with me so far. So what do I consider gardening that you might not?

Anything that lets you enjoy the outdoors, develop your space and make the most of it is part of my description of gardening. You could also call it general maintenance, but that’s a lot less fun!

Photo: Mitch Gaiser

Lawn care, birdhouses, honey production and even the installation of a new pergola can all be included in the broad term “gardening”. Aren’t observing insects, gathering wild plants, listening to birdsong all part of the result of your efforts? After all, what’s the point of planting pretty flowers if you can’t smell their fragrance from time to time?

I also include in the gardening activity the whole aspect of finding information, shopping and merchandizing, no more, no less! You go to the garden center, choose pretty plants, find out which seeds to buy, buy a book, a pretty planter… All this fits into my vision of gardening!

Why Do You Ask?

Does cooking start with finding a recipe? With buying your ingredients? Does it end with washing up or eating your meal? It’s the same with gardening! If a baker is a kind of cook, how can a maple syrup producer not be a gardener? After all, harvesting maple water isn’t all that different from harvesting a cucumber! And when he’s looking for information, is that gardening too? Hard to put a start and finish line, isn’t it?

Humans have this strange habit of wanting to name absolutely everything they see or do. We name species, look for similarities and classify them into large groups with complicated names. But couldn’t a flower just be a flower?

I often have this discussion with my partner about the need we have to name everything, and I’ve come to wonder what gardening is? Where does it start and where does it end? When you call yourself a gardener, does it mean having dirt in your face 24 hours a day? Or that you have a large collection of pots and seeds somewhere in your closet?

According to Merriam-Webster.com “gardening is the act, activity, or pastime of planning and cultivating gardens.”

If they’re to be believed, caring for houseplants isn’t gardening…!

So Let’s Try to Make Our Own Definition…

Why Gardening?

First of all, we need to determine the purpose of gardening. It’s a means of production. Fresh fruit and vegetables, medicinal products, beautiful flowers and why not materials, maple syrup, honey and so on!

If gardening is so important, it’s because it’s the basis of our evolution as sedentary humans. If we had never learned how to garden, we wouldn’t have been able to create such a great civilization. Nutrition, art, medicine: so many things have been created as a result of domesticating plants!

Source: I Make

As well as practical use, we mustn’t forget ornamental gardening. Giving a bouquet of flowers or adorning our storefront with a few ornamental plants is part of our culture. Even if we don’t all live in a forest, nature can be enjoyed in many ways thanks to your green thumbs.

If we garden, it’s to reap the benefits. The satisfaction of picking a beautiful cucumber, watching the bumblebees foraging or drinking a good herbal tea from your favorite cup (full of herbs, of course!) is unparalleled for the gardener who has put all his heart into it.

Physical… and Mental Well-Being!

Gardening is good for the heart! Mowing, weeding, digging. The active side of gardening is undoubtedly very physical. Do you play sports in winter? No? Well, it’s lucky for your body that you garden in summer!

Your body works, but so does your brain! The needs of each plant, the location of your different varieties in the garden, all the knowledge you develop with the practice of gardening: it’s enormous! What to look out for, when to worry, how to differentiate your seedlings from wild weeds that need to be removed, recognizing undesirables, knowing where to go for information…

Just remembering the names of the plants is quite an exercise! Before you became interested in gardening, the words ZZ, dracaena and Fabaceae were foreign! But after a few years, the jargon: rhizomes, cotyledons, lacewings, mycorrhizae, etc., is well integrated into your vocabulary. You’ve developed a whole lexicon by taking up gardening!

Communion With Nature

Nature in the broadest sense has been proven to have a positive effect on mental health. It’s not possible for everyone to go for a walk in the forest every day, but taking care of your herbs, hibiscus and hostas counts as nature.

The peace lily from your grandfather’s funeral, the orchid given to you by your daughter, the mother-in-law’s tongue bought when you moved into your first home: these plants certainly make you feel good.

Although I’m skeptical of many popular beliefs, if it makes you happy to think that your apartment air is purer thanks to your schefflera, or that your chakras are well aligned because of the south-western position of your lucky bamboo, the important thing is that these plants help you in your daily life.

In short, gardening is good for your mental health.

Photo: cottonbro studio

We can also add that the islands of nature you create at home are generally havens for animals. The soil will be healthy, insects will live their lives, birds will feast on seeds and insects. In short, no matter where you are, city or country, what you plant usually has a positive impact on the environment. I insist, generally. I don’t see anyone planting Phragmites or Japanese knotweed on purpose!

Conclusion: I Don’t Have a Simple Answer!

In light of all this, I find it even more difficult to answer the question, “what is gardening?” Our lovely community of laidback gardeners will surely agree with me: there are probably as many visions and definitions of gardening as there are gardeners.

For me, gardening is a way of getting closer to nature, while taking care of ourselves. It’s a hobby, a return to our roots, a way of personalizing our space and providing for ourselves. It’s a celebration of life on every level.

What does gardening mean to you?

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Audrey Martel is a biologist who graduated from the University of Montreal. After more than ten years in the field of scientific animation, notably for Parks Canada and the Granby Zoo, she joined Nature Conservancy of Canada to take up new challenges in scientific writing. She then moved into marketing and joined Leo Studio. Full of life and always up for a giggle, or the discovery of a new edible plant, she never abandoned her love for nature and writes articles for both Nature sauvage and the Laidback Gardener.

8 comments on “Where Are the Limits of Gardening?

  1. Another great, thought provoking article Audrey. Your reader’s comments are so diverse and beautifully written as well. Thank you for providing ideas to contemplate.

  2. Blair Day

    Et bien, Audrey, gardening is all of the above. And more. It’s as diverse and far flung as our spirits and imagination. You present here a tidy summary of my daily gardener’s soul. In any season.
    Although now I am an octogenarian, I still garden just about every day. The current summer’s heat here in Southern Ontario means that I am not in the garden every day. So I am growing some lovely and stupendous plants that were not planned for. Alongside all that was planned for.
    I enjoy and profit from all of the Laidback Gardener offerings. I quarrel with paresseux. Although I did find myslf explaining to a young friend this morning that I will not allow my garden passion to become any sort of torture for me.
    Bon jardinage!
    Blair

  3. It’s my past, present and my future. It’s a great way to share and learn from other people. What children don’t like to play in the dirt! Above all, this it wonderful for the soul.

  4. There is no simple answer. Even your answer is not so simple, since it involves nature. (It is unnatural to grow species that were imported from other climates on other continents, and provide them with what they desire but would not get from nature, etcetera.) Gardening is as diverse as horticultural disciplines, . . . but those who are not horticultural professionals think that all horticultural professionals are ‘gardeners’. People are surprised by the simplicity and utilitarianism of my garden. I am a nurseryman, and I happen to enjoy simple and utilitarian horticulture.

    • I appreciate your thoughts tonytomeo. I am not sure I understand your comment about not all horticulturists being gardeners. Every definition I have looked up and reference to horticulturists I have located is directly related to plants or in reference to plants in some manner. Even those who do not have gardens – dirt, hydroponic or otherwise, but who study any aspect of plants and their biology are, I think, gardeners digging for new ideas in the field and improving sustainability of plants. I also agree that Audrey is able to see simple wonderful truths in the complex world of “gardening”. We are so fortunate to have this educational and informative blog to contemplate ideas and learn new things.

  5. Victoria

    An interesting and thoughtful write-up. One of the nice things about all of the above concepts of gardening is the variety—something for everyone all under one roof!

    For me gardening is a way to apply my personal take on the little piece of the world that is mine to deal with right now. Gardens that are planned, planted and maintained by the owners really do take on the personalities of their guardians. That’s for me one of the things that makes it so interesting, every change that I envision and implement makes my garden more “mine”, different from all the other gardens around me. It’s an expression of myself. Another good thing about gardening is that even when something is planted and doesn’t take hold and grow or doesn’t interact with the plants around it as planned there are always options available to me to change up the situation. I can move the plant to a more auspicious spot or take it out completely, dump it in the compost bin or give it to someone else to nurture. So many things in life are insoluble and just have to be lived with. Having something that you can change and possibly make better is a wonderful option to have so close at hand.

  6. Ann T Dubas

    Such beautiful thoughts Audrey! Gardening to me is the opportunity to put my hands on nature and try to care for the wonderful life around me. We feel deep serenity in the presence of our gardens. It’s also very humbling. We can never know it all. The complexity is dazzling. We can’t make it rain as we and our plants suffer through heat and drought. I feel compassion for people throughout the ages who won’t eat if their crops fail. I see the endless cycle of life and death. So physical, aesthetic, mental, emotional and spiritual experience, all in the presence of plants.

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