Why are people so uptight when it comes to gardening?

So many people want their gardens so perfect, everything in line, and every living thing besides the plants that were planted there dead. My garden is completely the opposite. My garden is beautiful and vibrant, and a habitat for several living creatures. I have 6 Dyanthis, 3 Cana Lilies, Carrots, Tomatoes, Radishes, Queen Anne's Lace, Morning Glories, Some sort of purple flower, peas, beans, Sunflowers, and even a single Corn Stalk! Some of those things were planted last spring, but many of them-like the tomatoes, Queen Anne's Lace, and the plant with purple flowers just decided to live there. It's one of my greatest joys, and I can't understand why people slave every day so that their gardens are absolutely perfect. Plants weren't made to be perfect. They were made to be unique. Gardens aren't only for humans to enjoy. Why can't many people understand that?

Why are people so uptight when it comes to gardening?
I think this comes from the conditioning that went on in the 50's to have "the perfect home". Like on all the shows from that time period everyone was all about having the perfect living room, and the perfect kitchen, and everything was so neat and orderly. And that's when all sorts of chemicals started to come in to the scene to help make your grass super green and keep the "pests" away.


We just have this idea burned into our brains now about how things are supposed to be from these companies and our parents.


Another point I think is that humans have tried to put themselves above nature and so that means having a perfectly manicured yard (or home) somehow means we're better than nature. We've forgotten our roots and our place on this planet.


I say go wild and screw all those uptight people who've forgotten how to enjoy nature!!!!
Reply:i agree w/you i plant everythingg a rowof flowers a row i veggies.i dont use any herbcides or insecticides i let nature do her thing and i always have plenty of food comming out of the garden.my neighbor manicures his garden %26amp; i'm always giving them food out of my garden.i prepare a 2ftwide bed for my flowers and just sow the flower seed from the flowers that i have grown and let dry out over the winter.i mix all the seed together and guess what i have better flowers than my neighbors who buy their seed .this fall i have broclic and romaine lettuce to set out for my winter garden ..
Reply:Maybe that is how they enjoy them: growing challenging plants. Why do you criticize? You don't have to do it and apparently don't; so be happy.
Reply:Some people are obsessive compulsive(they can't help it) and it shows in everything they do .I know ,I'm married to one. Your garden sounds like mine. I call the plants that just grow on their own, gifts from nature. I have a small tree that grows wild in the open areas and I pruned it as it grew and it is the most beautiful shape.It has berries on it in the fall and is a natural bird feeder, and provides us with shade in the hot summer. I have perennials mostly,all different shapes and colours. Every season looks different. Most flowers are derived from wild flowers and they aren't colour co-ordinated in the wild. just keep on doing what you enjoy and the birds and butterflies will come to visit every year.
Reply:So many things in people's lives are out of their control, so they try to control what they can. My garden is like yours, it decides what it wants to live there. I get a lot of pleasure in the volunteer plants. They chose to come live with me. The "critters" are welcome, too.
Reply:I AGREE. I HATE THE SHEERED SHRUBS PEOPLE PLANT ALONG THE FRONT OF THEIR HOUSE. THEY LOOK LIKE GREEN BOXES. A MORE NATURAL LOOK ENHANCES THE HOUSE
Reply:I want my garden to be exactly like yours! However... and I'm not sure it's my uptightness... if I waited for things to just "decide" to move into my garden, I think I'd end up with very little. =(





I love the natural look, but I must confess I also like the more formal gardens too. It's just a matter of taste, and certainly not a misunderstanding on anyone's part. That's the great thing about plants.... they certainly CAN be perfect if you want them to be... or they can be casual, or fancy, or shaped into animals, or overgrown with wild abandon!
Reply:One person's "uptightedness" is another person's idea of beauty. You might as well ask why some people like red cars and some blue.





Gardening is such a diverse hobby that there is something for everyone, whether it's a formal garden or landscape, a wild flower meadow or a large market garden. It's all good.





Visit our website for more gardening ideas at-


http://www.gardening-at-the-crossroads.c...





Good Luck and Happy Gardening from Cathy and Neal!
Reply:People want to create and control their little world with their garden. It's a creative outlet and everyone has a different point of view about what's nice and pretty and ugly.
Reply:Well, I for one am not uptight about gardening. I do have a problem with symmetry, but I am working to control the urge to make everything symmetrical. Lately, I've been purchasing only one plant at a time and just putting it in an empty spot and it seems to be working well. Now I finally have a cottage garden which I've always wanted. However, having said that, I also appreciate the well groomed and manicured formal gardens, but I wouldn't want to picnic there. Maybe read some Chaucer or something. Anyhow, I imagine that, like myself, most gardeners look at their garden as a work of art and either they are impressionistic like you, me, and RScott ;) or they are traditional or contemporary and like things neat and orderly and that is where they get their enjoyment. It's all just a matter of preference and each individual style deserves respect.
Reply:I would like to have a garden like yours in my back yard, but in my front yard I want everything perfectly neat and in a row.
Reply:I like you already !! I too am amazed at how many people are determined to drive round plants into square holes using every chemical known to man to "nuke" them into submission. When I try to describe my gardens, I tell people to imagine a beautiful English country cottage garden and the gardener has been dead for a couple years. That said, I'm not above using science to achieve my tangled look. It's fun to bury a little electrical heating tape to the root zone of a zone 6 plant here in zone 4 just to make people think my thumb is greener than it is. I know lots of other tricks but they're secrets. RScott

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