Gardening

The laying out and taking care of a plot of ground devoted partially or wholly to the growing of plants like flower, herbs, or vegetables can be defined as Gardening. 

It can be considered as both an art and science from different angles of perspective. It can be considered as an art, concerned with arranging plants harmoniously in their surroundings, and as a science, drawing and knowing the principles and techniques of plant cultivation. Because plants are often grown in conditions markedly different from those of their natural environment, it's necessary to use their cultivation techniques derived from plant physiology, chemistry, and botany, modified by the experience of the planter. The basic principles involved in growing plants are an equivalent altogether to parts of the planet, but the practice naturally needs much adaptation to local conditions.

Nature of Gardening

Gardening in its ornamental sense needs a particular level of civilization before it can flourish. Wherever that level has been attained, altogether parts of the planet and in the least periods, people have made efforts to shape their environment into a beautiful display. The instinct and even enthusiasm for gardening thus appear to arise from some primitive response to nature, engendering a wish to supply growth and harmony during a creative partnership with it.

It is also possible to only be the spectator of the plants and the garden. However, most of the people who cultivate a domestic plot also derive satisfaction from involvement within the processes of tending plants. They find that the required attention to the seasonal changes, and to the myriad small “events” in any shrubbery or herbaceous border, improves their understanding and appreciation of gardens in general.

A phenomenal upsurge of interest in gardening began in Western countries after World War II. A lawn with flower beds and maybe a kitchen garden has become a sought-after advantage to homeownership. The increased interest produced an unprecedented expansion of business among horticultural suppliers, nurseries, garden centres, and seedsmen. Books, journals, and newspaper columns on garden practice have found an eager readership, while television and radio programs on the topic have achieved a fanatical following.

Several reasons for this expansion suggest themselves. Increased leisure within the industrial nations gives more people the chance to enjoy this relaxing pursuit. The increase in the public appetite for self-sufficiency in basic skills also leads people to take up the spade. In the kitchen, the homegrown potato or ear of sweet corn rewards the gardener with a way of accomplishment, also like flavour superior thereto of store-bought produce. Increased awareness of threats to the natural environment and therefore the drabness of the many inner cities stir some people to cultivate the greenery and colour around their own doorsteps. The competition involved in this 20th century life leads more individuals to rediscover the age-old tranquillity of gardens.

Varied Appeal of Gardening

The interests of gardening are many and various and, to a degree perhaps unique among the arts and crafts, maybe experienced by any age group and at all levels of ambition. At its most elemental, but not least valuable, the gardening experience begins with the child’s wonder that a packet of seeds will produce an enthralling festival of colour. At the adult level, it can be as simple as helping to raise a good and edible carrot, and it can give rise to almost parental pride. At a better level of understanding, it involves an understanding of the complexity of the gardening process, equivalent to a chess game with nature, because the variables are so many.

The gardening experience may involve visiting a number of the world’s great gardens at different seasons to ascertain the relation of individual groups of plants, trees, and shrubs to the entire design; to review the positioning of plants in terms of their colour, texture, and weight of leaf or blossom; and to understand the utilization of special features like ponds or watercourses, pavilions, or rockeries. Garden visiting on a world scale provides a chance to know the broad cultural influences, also because the variations in climate and soil, that have resulted in so many different approaches to garden making.

The appeal of gardening has many faces and a wide range. It is often the only place where someone without the requirement of any special training can exercise creative impulses as a designer, artist, technician, and scientific observer. In addition, many may also find it relaxing and therapeutic practice too. It is not surprising that the garden accorded respect as a neighbourhood of nature and an area of contemplation, holds a special place within the spiritual life of many.