Why Gardeners Garden – Part II

pausing for a moment of reflection by ecstaticist
pausing for a moment of reflection by ecstaticist

In Part I of “Why Gardeners Garden” post I gave 5 reasons why I garden.  They were to honor my mother, to help the earth, to bring more bees and pollinating insects, to attract butterflies and moths, and to attract birds. Here are 7 more reasons for why love to garden.  Do you garden for any other reason?  TheGardenLady would love to know.

6. Like the people of my parents’ generation, I love sharing my plants with others. One buys a $5 plant one summer and 3 summers later you have to dig it up because it has outgrown its site. I hate throwing plants out so I love to be able to give plants to friends and neighbors. And family and friends have often given me plants from their yards. Some plants come from the family farm- lilacs, rose of sharon, wisteria, irises. Many of my best plants came from friends or family- my crepe myrtle tree, my lilacs, hostas, helleborus, etc. I often donate plants to local fund raisers. Or I have bought plants at garden fund raisers that were donated by other gardeners.

Water Lillies by digitalART2
Water Lillies by digitalART2

7. I am so appreciative of those wealthy philanthropists like the DuPonts or the Rockefellars who had the foresight to back the creation of many of the gardens that have been left to mankind to enjoy: gardens like Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania or Asticou Gardens in Maine. I feel that if I were wealthy that I would want to do the same and leave beautiful gardens for posterity to enjoy. Well, that is a pipe dream because I will never be wealthy. However, I do have my flowering gardens near the street in front of my house for everyone to enjoy. And people do enjoy my flowers. Hardly a day passes that a person doesn’t stop to tell me how beautiful the garden is, or how much they enjoy walking by my garden to see what is in bloom. One family told me that they make a point of walking past my garden every day. I have looked out to see people photographing my plants. People have stopped their cars and gotten out to tell me how much they enjoy my garden. I find this amazing and it is such an added bonus.

8. Because of the flower garden I have made many new friends and met more of my neighbors.

9. I enjoy teaching people about plants when asked. People have asked many questions, like how I prevent deer or rabbits from eating the flowers, etc. I share my information with them much as I share my knowledge with readers of TheGardenLady.org.

amsonia tabernaemontana, little river canyon national preserve, cherokee county, alabama 2 by Alan Cressler
amsonia tabernaemontana, little river canyon national preserve, cherokee county, alabama 2 by Alan Cressler

10. People stop to ask me names of plants that are in my garden that they have fallen in love with or asked where I bought the plants. One lady, a Master Gardener, saw my Amsonia tabernaemontana and didn’t know what it was. She wanted one for her garden. A professional landscaper stopped to ask where I bought my Hydrangea Annabelle and then said he would rush over to see if he could buy some at that nursery. I see many more front yard gardens popping up around town and like to think that my garden has in some way inspired these gardens.

Hydrangea Annabelle by bluehazyjunem
Hydrangea Annabelle by bluehazyjunem

11. I also feel that by having a garden I am helping the nursery business. No one that I know gets wealthy by being in the plant business- it is generally a labor of love. So by buying a few plants to add to my garden each year, I feel that I help keep nursery people in business.

12. And gardening is healthy for me. The more one reads about things one should do for oneself, gardening is one of the healthy exercises and being in a garden is one of the things that brings emotional health. So my gardens are good for me. And I can’t stop telling everyone how much I love having the flowers and the color in my garden with all the good that it brings.

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