What Kind of Gardener Are You?

May 12, 2000 - © Carol Wallace

There are so many different kinds of gardeners that it is always fun to watch two of them get together trying to scope each other out. In my neighborhood, for instance, if someone hears that I am a gardener their eyes light up. "What do you grow?" they ask - and I am at a loss as to how to begin, so I name a few random flowers - and watch the light die. "Oh," they say, almost sulkily. I thought you meant vegetables." Eventually the veggie people get into their corner and start the chemical v. organic gardening debate and the ornamentals - those few of us remaining, then try to find common ground. You would think this would be easy, Most of the gardening world is in the other corner. Here we are - we grow flowers. So what is the problem with common ground?

The conversation begins. "So - what do you grow?" (You'd think someone would come up with a better opening line.) And the answer is something like "Roses."

"Yeah - what else?"

"Just roses. I love them and they are plenty to keep me busy."

"I do a big bed of impatiens every spring," says another. There is a moment of silence as the "real gardeners try to find something to say about that. Finally someone ventures "Have you ever tried growing perennials?" The rest of us look relieved not to hear "What's a perennial."

Yes, it's true - even when you get beyond the great divide - those who garden for sustenance, and those who garden for beauty - there is often a huge disparity of gardening types, many of whom have great difficulty communicating with other types.

In the first place we have the belonger. She gardens because everyone else on the block has some flowers out front. She figures she'd better keep up with the Joneses. So every year she goes to the supermarket or flea market (whichever is cheaper) and gets a big flat of impatiens (usually in red and purple) and puts them in. Gardening duty done except for a bit of watering during dry spells, she is satisfied. And impatiens being such a wonderfully easy plant - so is everyone else. But Mme. Impatiens can never seem to find much to say in a heavy duty gardening conversation. What's to talk about? Plant in spring, pull up in fall. For that you need a shelf full of gardening books?

The copyright of the article What Kind of Gardener Are You? in Virtual Gardening is owned by Carol Wallace. Permission to republish What Kind of Gardener Are You? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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