A very good friend suggested that we make flower gardens and help each other with them and share plants. That was summer of 2010 ~ about 6 months after my mother had past away. Now that I look back, I think my friend knew I needed something to do to get my mind off the loss of my mother. Although I still think about my mother a lot, the gardening has been a good outlet for me. It makes me feel so content and I love experimenting with all the flowers. There is always something to do in the garden. Flowers, Flowers I must have flowers, always ................. Claude Monet[/b][/i]
It's very interesting reading through what encouraged everyone to start gardening. Everyone has a different story and it's nice that in the end it has brought everyone together.
The increasing presence of GMO food, often produced with the use of pesticides and other artificial fertilizers is a good reason to consider to start my own garden. Growing vegetables in the backyard may be a form of relax which will turn into satisfying passion.
I went to uni with no gardening experience and commenced a degree in agriculture. Before I quit I completed subjects in horticulture, soil science and quite a few other subjects relevant to horticulture. I went on to work for a tree services firm and, because of my previous study, it wasn't too hard for me to study further to become an arborist. Working practically in the field gave me an appreciation of the conditions that affect plant health. What tipped me over from being someone who just gives advice to actually doing it was an interest in breeding Callistemons. It was interesting encountering difficulties that affected me, as I had to remediate the issues myself rather than just telling someone else what they needed to do. I still struggle a little with actually doing what I know it will take, largely because of my keener interest in the gardens of other people rather than my own.
I really started flower gardening when we bought our first house on 7 acres of land but didn't start vegetable gardening until our son was diagnosed with ADHD. I did not want him on medication and wanted to know what I could do. My Doctor said there were rumors that pesticides, artificial fertilizers, preservatives, etc. was being investigated at that time, but nothing proven. I not only started growing as much of my own vegetables and fruit and preserving them, making my own bread. And started raising chickens, beef, and pork also. He was 9 when he was diagnosed and barely passing from one grade to the next. By the time he was 15 his grades were average. I'm not going to say my efforts worked but I do believe they helped. I still continue growing my garden and preserving but now it's mainly because it tastes so much better. My flowers though, just make me feel good. PS, living in a town that has a Monsanto plant, Agrium plant, an Simplot mine, I have learned to keep my opinions to myself. Everyone has their own beliefs.
2ofus, I had to laugh at "I have learned to keep my opinions to myself." When we first moved to Texas and I started planting all over the place, a neighbor offered me some pesticide, then an herbicide, and had all sorts of tips about how to kill off everything with a chemical. Finally, I told him I used the gentlest and least harmful things in the gardens. As I stood there in shorts, tee shirt, and sandals, he asked me, "Are you Amish?"
"As I stood there in shorts, tee shirt, and sandals, he asked me, "Are you Amish?" That sentence was almost a ROFLOL experience for me!!! I think about / visualize the probable expression on your face and laugh some more.. Hank
I was 12yrs old when i first noticed I had a love for gardening. My weekend chores was to get up at 5am & help my elderly neighbor in his 2acre garden which had growing just about everything. After a few months of digging, planting & picking he told me one morning I was going to plow potatoes.. yes, I finally got to drive the tractor, I'll never forget that day. After a long day of work, i'd ride in the back with all our pickings from the day. I lived next door so he told me that when he slowed down I could hop off the back.. and so I did (as it was moving a little to fast) & busted my rear end on the gravel road. Dusting myself off all I could think was "I hope I get to drive the tractor again". Few months later, we moved never seeing my lovely neighbor since. Years later I met a friend & her office was in her home. I'd find myself admiring her gardens & she offered some clippings. I then learned how therapeutic gardening could be. Haven't stopped since & I don't think I will ever stop gardening, no matter where I live. It has done just as much for me (if not more) as I have done for the garden ;-)
My mother loved her plants and especially roses and allowed me when I was younger to cut the lawns and attend the plants and since then always liked a nice garden.
I moved to an urban area and have constantly been getting air quality alerts. To remedy this, my boyfriend bought a fancy air purifier. I’m not convinced this machine does anything worthwhile. I bought as many plants as I could, and felt it was easier to breathe in my home. It brought some “zen” into my life after dealing with some intense anxiety. I do my best to keep my home a relaxing space, and I don’t think it’d be half as calming without the plants. Now all I have to do is keep them alive lol
Hello 20somethinggardener, plants in the home put oxygen in the air which will help you better...I've never used a air purifier and humidity levels here have been totally sick, I've tried plants in our property here but for some reason they die and fresh flowers
Gail-Steman, that’s got to be it. Nonetheless, it’s inspired a newfound love of helping these houseplants of mine grow to their absolute best! That and getting to know them all
Just call me Gail ….yes getting to know them is very important..I've been messing with the plants in our garden a good while but when it comes to knowing about other plants well it's the remembering with me
My mom had a small (then a large!) greenhouse when I was young and it was usually stocked with succulents like cactus and aloe, the odd jade plant, etc. As I grew the veggie garden became my and my brother's chore as did sprigging centipede grass for the lawn and gardenias and azaleas for the hedges. But it wasn't until I bought my own land that it became a priority and that grew into a genuine devotion for landscaping. One of my friends from college had a nursery that specialized in Japanese maples which I found to be gorgeous! In short, it has been a long journey from very long ago that had flowed and ebbed at different times with varying interests. Currently my wife and I are getting our gardening jollies with a container garden of tomatoes and peppers (which will be expanded next season) which allows her to participate without being too taxing.
It all started with a phone call. I was at work and my wife called and said I had to come get the porsche in Atlanta because she had hurt her knee at a some art show and had to be moved by wheelchair. Well it turned out to be a torn meniscus in her knee, and she had planted the garden but I would have to tend it while she recovered. Having no real experience with the power of heat and humidity in an Alabama garden, I produced a fungus jungle. I was determined to get control back from nature and spent the winter reading everything I could. It was a much better garden the second year.
