"And You Shall Teach Them to Your Children"
By Marvin Miller, America in Bloom President
As I grew older, the house and garden changed to a slightly
larger property, and I took over the responsibility of much of the gardening
activity. I learned that Mother Nature was in charge, and that the garden was
just part of a larger environment that, along with me, equally affected our
success. But I still consulted with my parents, as the garden was often part of
dinner or other conversations. But if asked, even today, how I got into
horticulture, I go back to those first-grade experiences under my father’s
tutelage. Though the biblical verse about teaching your children that “the Lord
is One” is much more heady, I dare suggest that teaching your children to
garden will have equally great rewards. Horticulture can certainly make for a
great career! Yet, gardening can also provide for a life-long avocation, as
well.
Finally, when gardeners were asked to classify themselves as
enthusiastic versus casual gardeners, 73
percent of those who claimed to be enthusiastic gardeners reported viewing
gardening as a family activity, while 43 percent of casual gardeners preferred
to garden alone.
My first recollections of gardening were those of a
first-grader. I distinctly remember helping my father plant and care for a row
of tomato plants along the side of the house we rented. The plants were staked
and tied with strips of old bed sheets. And as the plants got pollinated and tomatoes
grew, I was there alongside my dad, helping to harvest the ripe, juicy fruits. Running
that first big red tomato into the house to see my mother’s reaction was also
quite the experience. I could say, “We grew this!” as if we had handled the
bees, watered, and fertilized the plants and watched the fruit size up and
ripen with 24-hour surveillance.
As I grew older, the house and garden changed to a slightly
larger property, and I took over the responsibility of much of the gardening
activity. I learned that Mother Nature was in charge, and that the garden was
just part of a larger environment that, along with me, equally affected our
success. But I still consulted with my parents, as the garden was often part of
dinner or other conversations. But if asked, even today, how I got into
horticulture, I go back to those first-grade experiences under my father’s
tutelage. Though the biblical verse about teaching your children that “the Lord
is One” is much more heady, I dare suggest that teaching your children to
garden will have equally great rewards. Horticulture can certainly make for a
great career! Yet, gardening can also provide for a life-long avocation, as
well.
Recent market research, comparing gardeners to
non-gardeners, has confirmed that gardeners are much more likely to have had
parents who gardened. Indeed, in a recent study, 75 percent of gardeners
reported their parents gardened, while only 58 percent of non-gardeners made
the same claim about their parents. (I dare suggest than grandparents, too, can
play a role, but this was not studied in this research.) Furthermore, gardeners
reported helping their parents with the gardening activities, as children, 60
percent of the time; this compared with only 39 percent of non-gardeners, who
said they, too, helped with gardening activities when young.
Finally, when gardeners were asked to classify themselves as
enthusiastic versus casual gardeners, 73
percent of those who claimed to be enthusiastic gardeners reported viewing
gardening as a family activity, while 43 percent of casual gardeners preferred
to garden alone.
Clearly, people garden for various reasons. Casual gardeners
reported gardening for mostly
extrinsic reasons, claiming flowers and plants
added beauty, improved curb appeal, and were a reflection of themselves. Enthusiastic
gardeners were more likely to cite intrinsic values as their motivation, and
claimed gardening reduced stress, was relaxing, connected them to nature, and
expressed their creativity. Not surprisingly, enthusiastic gardeners tended to
spend more time and more money on the gardening activities than did the casual
gardeners.
Gardening can certainly provide rewards throughout one’s
lifetime. As with most good things in life, having the right nurturing start
can make all the difference in the world. A good beginning can create the
passion needed to make gardening an enriching endeavor throughout one’s
lifetime. Yet, I must ask if your city is doing all it can to portray gardening
in a positive light? Is gardening part of the curriculum in your city’s
schools? Is your own garden a positive reflection on your gardening values and
passion?
Why not plan now to plant some pride in your community this
year? There’s no telling what impact it might have on a first grader.
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