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just1morehosta

Is there a difference in gardeners?

just1morehosta
15 years ago

I was just wondering if any of you think there are several different kinds of gardeners?

I think there are at least two:

One that gardenes out of "desire"

The other who gardenes out of "Love"

A gardener who gardenes out of "desire" would be one that desires every thing to be perfect at any cost,one who might even garden so as to show a reflection on ones self,such as,"Oh see what I did",may even make fun of the other gardener who has a few weeds growing,"desire"would never have such a thing happen in her garden.

A gardener who gardenes out of "Love" would be one that plants because she-he,feels in touch with the creator,not in a religous sence,but in the sence of sprit(such as the Dekota Indians)weeds are just another plant of a different kind,a few here and there,no big deal,he-she plants, and when done, stands back and says,Thank you for allowing me this great privilage of caring for my small part of this earth,no credit to ones self,no harm to critters or the earth.

A gardener with "Desire"can at times pass over to gardening with love,

But a gardener who gardenes with "Love" can not pass over to "Desire"

I know this sounds strange, but i have run into both types,and was just wondering what ya all think,is there a difference?

It is not an earth shattering thing, just something i was wondering about(doing dishes)

Carol

Comments (14)

  • esther_opal
    15 years ago

    "A gardener who gardenes out of "desire" would be one that desires every thing to be perfect at any cost,one who might even garden so as to show a reflection on ones self,such as,"Oh see what I did",may even make fun of the other gardener who has a few weeds growing,"desire"would never have such a thing happen in her garden."

    I garden to amuse myself, it is all about "me". The most common thing found in any group including churhes is finding ways to exclude those not in "our" special group instead of include. Making fun is the easiest way to separate "them" from "us". Pointing out the "others" fopaws! (note it means so little to me I don't even bother to learn how to spell it)

  • hosta_freak
    15 years ago

    It is faux pas,Butch. I think there is even another type of gardener. When I mention to anyone I don't know that I am a gardener,they usually say what kind of vegetables do you grow? Well,I live in a wooded area,with very little sun,which most vegetables need,so that's why I am a shade gardener,because I have a lot of that! A lot of them don't even know there is a plant called hosta! But I like ferns,mosses,and Trilliums when they come up every spring. There are even a lot of Violets in my garden. I don't even weed that much,in the garden,unless it starts to take over my plantings. Phil

  • hostarhodo
    15 years ago

    There are different kinds of gardeners. As you say, some have a desire to have a perfect looking place and others love to just dig in the dirt.

    You can also tell the difference by looking at how they garden. There are those who look like they could be making a gardening show, they call gardening placing something in a hole that may have been dug for them and maybe pruning a bit or picking up branches or leaves that may have dared to fall on their property.

    Then there is me, currently wearing bright green old pants, and an old top that happens to be around, boots that have been cut and the tops turned down, because my lower legs are too big, also latex gloves with fingers torn out-on every outing.(Got used to wearing them at work, they help keep the fingernails clean.)Filthy dirty from carrying dirt, leaves, compost, plants, pots, etc. This is what I call gardening.

    I have thought about this many times. What kind of gardener are you-people on this forum. I am sure most are like me getting right in there doing your own work.

    My neighbor came over to get plants from me last year. There I sat potting up plants in old duds. She says I have been out in the garden I must go home and change I am filthy dirty and I have to go to town. My thoughts, I would have worn what she had on to town and thought I was dressed to the nines.

    By the way, how many have made a trip to town in your gardening gear and thought oh what the heck if they don't like it too bad.

  • alexis717_df
    15 years ago

    "By the way, how many have made a trip to town in your gardening gear and thought oh what the heck if they don't like it too bad." LOL, Me, Me Me.

    Big wet muddy knees, dirt streaked face and hands and my hair shoved up under a hat to keep it out of my eyes and face. I figure... what the heck, I'm working and if I have to stop to run to the store in the middle of it, too bad. I love my garden and gardening. I agree with E.O.; I do it out of love, for me and no one else. Weeds.. well I pull them when I feel like it but I don't stress over them. Give me a plant and a shovel and show me the door :) :)

  • jel48
    15 years ago

    I garden for love and sometimes I garden for therapy. I garden for love most of the time and ALL of the time at this point in my life. At other, less happy times, I've spent long days gardening because it kept me from thinking about other things and because it made me feel better.

    Gardening always makes me feel good. It's part of me and has been since I was a kid with my own spot for flowers, not too far from my mom's 3/4 acre vegetable garden.

    I love gardenng, whether growing veggies, flowers, or hostas. I DO like to make my garden beautiful, because nature's beauty does something good for my soul. But I don't make it beautiful because I'm worried about what the neighbors will think. I enjoy it when others enjoy my garden, but I also enjoy it when no one else is around to see it. The beauty of my garden would mean so much less to me if I couldn't be out there creating that beauty myself. I guess I'm saying I don't like to look nearly as much as I like to DO!

    I dress in old, sometimes raggedy, clothes. I get really dirty. I get sweaty and stinky, and yes, I go to the store JUST like that! Although if I know I have to go somewhere like the store or anywhere else, I do TRY to do those errands first so that I am clean. But if something comes up and I need to go to the store in the middle of a gardening session, well, sometimes I wash my hands if they're so bad they're going to get the steering wheel muddy :-)

  • hostahaveum
    15 years ago

    I do think there are many types of gardeners. I enjoy being outdoors & getting my hands in the dirt & nurturing ,whether it be w/ plants or animals. All the years I spent working indoors the thing that kept me motivated all winter was planing new things in my gardens & looking forward to seeing little rescue & hand me down plants turn in to lush plantings. Sometimes my friends come by & say wow where did you get THAT ?? I got it from them years ago , hmmm ..just grows much better in my soil . I also have plants from dear ones who have passed on , they are beautiful reminders of their former owners love. My gardens are for my pleasure , if others enjoy them thats great too! When I give plants away I hope the person receiving them will take good care of them & get as much joy from them as I did. ~Dot

  • gardengirl_nancy
    15 years ago

    I garden for love, my passion is flowers, can't get enough! Of course HOSTAS are probably my favorite thing. For me one of the best things about gardening is enjoying the sights, sounds, and fragrance in the garden. Gardening wouldn't be half as much fun if I couldn't hear the wind blowing in the trees or the birds singing, or smelling all the delightful scents in the garden. The very best part for me is the sights in the garden. Watching the butterflies, hummingbirds, and the "critters". I can't imagine not seeing the wildlife. I live in the woods and I love the critters. I especially love the "chippies". Whenever they hear me they come out to beg for seeds. I have some that even eat out of my hand. They are so sweet and even though they make holes here and there, they have never hurt anything in my garden or anywhere else. I can sit in my swing and watch the wildlife all day long, they are so entertaining. Squirrels, raccoons, chippies, you name it, they are here and I love them all. For me, gardening is all about nature and living in harmony with everything in nature. Life is too short, enjoy it all, there is beauty in everything, it all connects. Right now Mother Nature has her paint box out making the woods come alive with gorgeous color. Pay attention, notice everything, so many people miss out on so much. Oh and yes I have weeds too, I don't care, I'd rather watch the chippies play than pull weeds. Or those beautiful black squirrels that we rarely see but are here in the woods. One year I raised 3 baby raccoons who were orphaned, I can't begin to tell you how much fun I had and how much love they gave. Critters have feeling too. Geeeez I better stop, gardening just gets me going on all this stuff, sorry.

  • greenthumbz4mn
    15 years ago

    IMHO I think how one gardens has a lot to do with one's personality. I have a very precise friend who asks for my dandelion weeder when she comes over, and I can just feel the tension she is experiencing when she can't personally dig up each and every one and properly dispose of them. There are gardeners whom you can't visit without them insisting on digging up half their plants to share even tho it leaves holes in their gardens--these are the warm sharer personalities. The desirer gardeners tend to garden for show and to impress others--we all know people like that. I have an artist friend who blithly inserts gardens all over her yard and cares very little what others think. There are those who call themselves gardeners who think they want to garden but quickly run out of the energy and interest needed to succeed. Just from reading these threads and posts, I think most of the forum members garden from their hearts--we truly love our plants, our gardens, the friendships we make thru gardening, the animals that visit (except for those destructive ones at times), the seasons, the weather changes, etc. And we love the projects, planting, planning, problems to solve, and sharing with others. I think true gardeners are the greatest people out there, and I am always very happy when I run into a new gardener (especially a Hosta grower) to share experiences with. :O) Mary

  • just1morehosta
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Hi Guys,
    I love reading every ones replies,and i have done my share of running to the store with dirty pants on,i am a very hands on, in,and around, type of gardener,i just can not stay clean to save my soul,i love the smell of the soil,so i really don't mind getting dirty,i have even gardened in the rain.
    Like so many of you,it is a must that i have quiet,so i can enjoy the sounds of nature,have you ever just listened to a woodpecker calling,wonderful sound,even a bee buzzing around my head does not bother me, if left alone, it will go away on it's own,same with spiders, although, i must admit, i do not know the difference between a Good spider,or a Bad spider,i do not kill either, i need to learn more about these little wonders.I did learn from you guys,that the black jumping spider is harmless, i always thought they were ones that would bite ya.:0)
    Today is going to be a beautiful day here in the woods,colours are changing,light has shifted it's drift through the trees,smells have changed,& people are burning leaves,it is a great day to be alive eh?
    Carol

  • mctavish6
    15 years ago

    This has been fun to read. I'm with all of you in that it's my relationship to mother nature and mother earth that draws me. I love all aspects of it and it is the only time I will willingly do anything that causes me to sweat (exercise wise). I totally loose my consicousness and seem to be in an 'out of body' state most of the time I'm outside. I talk, out loud, to the plants the frogs whatever. I compliment a plant when she looks especailly pretty. It is such a many leveled creative outlet. I couldn't begin to create the plants but I can create their relationships to each other through placement, striving for harmony. It's a good thing we have no close neighbours or I'd be thought even weirder than I probably am.

    I often garden in my pajamas (which are sweat pants and whatever, barefoot) until noon or so. I go outside with the intention of just walking around with a cup of coffee but one thing leads to another - you know how that is.

    The flip side of this kind of gardening is a story about a friends husband. This is the exact opposite of me and by the sounds of it most of you. He wanted to plant bulbs. He took the bulbs with the recomendations on the package and a RULER and measured the exact distance between bulbs and exactly how deep they were to be. I don't know what the results were but I can picture them being like good little soldiers marching in a perfect line. The thought of it kind of makes me itch! Myrle

  • ronlarimer_zone7
    15 years ago

    I don't really enjoy gardening. I do it...

    a) so, my home will look nice
    b) so, my kids have memories of playing in a nice space
    c) for the mental challenge of putting the right plants in the right space

    I guess there is a little of the "I did that" aspect, but for the most part it gives my mind something to crunch on when there is a down moment.

    I made a quilt for my living room and I have a 1/2 built motorcycle in the garage that fills the same niche.

  • ronlarimer_zone7
    15 years ago

    Oh, I don't see anything wrong with gardening for any other reason than the absolute love of plants (which many people here seem to believe is the only real reason to do it).

    If you do it to learn, beautify something, make you home more valuable, take you mind off something, remember someone, artistic expression, hide a view or something ugly, save a tree, save the plant, all that should matter is that it is done.

    In my motorcycle circles the phrase is... "It doesn't matter what you ride, just that you ride."

    It really should be the same here.

  • just1morehosta
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    ronlarimer,
    Well, you are right ,i personally would love to see flowers in every yard i drive by,along streets and driveways,EVERY WHERE,be they in a bucket or planted in the ground,it would not matter why some one planted them,as long as we could all enjoy them.
    But----,there definitely is a difference in why people garden.You said you really do not like to garden,but you do it for your reasons,and that is the way it should be,then, there are others who Love, not only to garden, but can not seperate themselfs from creation on any level,would never dream of huring any living creation in a hateful manner,others that do not care,things must at any cost,look good.
    There are motercycle riders who are good, and others who are not,but you all enjoy the ride.
    These are just rumblings of who we are,and of others we have meet in our life time, we are all different,it's what makes the world go round eh?
    Some you want as your next door neighbor,and others,can not live far enough away.
    Every shrub,tree,flower,and hosta planted is what the earth needs,it is all good,no one judges,but there is a difference in Why,people garden.
    Carol

  • pzelko
    15 years ago

    Ok, I garden for "me", that is what is all about for "me". It makes me feel good! Calms my nerves. I have no problem walking past weeds one day and pulling them all out the next!! Depends on my mood, which is usually pretty lax. and the only time i go to the store when in the middle of my gardening (wearing a ripped up tank top and tattered jeans) is when I am OUT OF BEER!! This time of year is when I start thinking "why do I do all of this work, everything is dying or going dormant, the season was so short! I have so many plants to take inside!! WHY?!?!?!?!?!!!!!

    I dont have a DESIRE to have the best looking place on the block, most people think my choice of plants are odd, one lady asked if i was a, oh jeez what word? a Herbotanoligist? (as her dog PEED on my lawn!!) Hmm Castor Bean? Didnt your mother give you Castor oil when you were a kid? (probably not enough!!) Oh sorry, that was my grandmother!!


    Because I ABSOLUTELY love doing it!! think about what i can do or grow next year. Dont care what type of Garden classification I fall into!! And Just hope everything grows bigger and better next year!! For "me"

    And hope my neighbors dont ask for advice that they wont listen to (like call a tree doctor, your oak drops leaves all summer and has spyder mytes too!!)hmm should start a thread on that one. my neighbor knows that i garden by the look of my yard..(or sees me out there).... what can I do with.....

    omg sorry (listening to the dryer going this whole time sent me into self induced hypnotism and now my fingers are feeling numb like they have been typing but my eyes dont see anything on the screen! oh oh oh hmmm la la la la ( shake the head) no just dosing off here!!

    NIGHT!!

    Paul