I have written hundreds of words about gardening over the years; from beginner articles all the way to advanced bulbing techniques. What I have never talked about though, and what I have always assumed, is that people had a basic, working knowledge of what gardening was. I assumed people knew the basics, the techniques and had a vested interest in the green arts. But what if people were coming to my articles and thinking “this is all very well and good, but what is gardening?” It’s not a question I’d ever considered.
Gardening is… well, that’s harder than I thought. At it’s most basic level gardening about the tending, nurturing and caring about nature. Specifically a small piece of nature that you can call your own. You choose the layout, you choose the plants and you can then shape the garden to your own ends. You can choose practicality; maybe you host a lot of parties or want to spend a lot of time sitting and eating outside, you could choose beauty, you could choose a more wild, natural look. Gardening is as much of an expression of your personality as the way you dress or the way you speak.