What's so good about gardening?

If I'm out the front washing my car, do random strangers come up and start talking to me about cars? No.

If I'm out the front washing my windows, do random strangers come up to and strike up a conversation about windows? No they don't.

Yet almost every time I decide to do a bit of gardening out the front, random strangers stop and talk to me about gardening. I was just out the front earlier tidying up the disaster that was supposed to be the new hedge, when all the biddies started pouring out of the church club next door. A couple of them made brief small talk as they passed, like some remark about me gardening, or a simple hello, but one lady stopped and struck up a proper conversation. Soon she was not outside the garden on the street, but in my garden examining my climbing rose and giving me advice about pruning it and feeding it etc. We were chatting for quite a while. In fact, when I think back over the course of my adult life, most of the random conversations that have popped up from nowhere on or near my property have happened in the garden while I've been gardening. One or two have started while I've been tinkering with my car, but definitely mostly gardening.

The interesting part apart from the fact that people seem to be more approachable when gardening for some reason, is that it seems to transcend age, status, gender, ability and everything else. I can't say its mostly old ladies, or middle aged men, or well dressed people or scruffy people that randomly strike up a conversation while I'm doing the garden. Its just anyone.

 

I agree with you Clueless, gardening seems to be a subject for all. The only other thing I find that has the same effect is if you walk a dog.

 

I've seen the pics you've posted, your garden is very worthy of praise. Mine isn't unfortunately, but I think that's one of the nice things about people who like gardens and gardening. They don't judge. The most I do to my front garden as a rule is to just keep it fairly tidy. Nobody has ever had a go (ok, some bloke who I nicknamed the garden police made some remark not long after I'd moved in when I was still tackling the horrendous state of the place). It was the same when I lived in Sheffield. I knew even less then than I do now, while the old boy next door was a proper Alan Titchmarsh/Monty Don/Geoff Hamilton. He gave advice if I asked for it but never told me what to do or judged negatively.

 

Ah yes, dogs

When I was a young teenager I had a dog. A lovely border collie. There was a girl that I fancied like crazy. Not just for her physical beauty but she had the most heart melting smile and a heart of gold. Alas, I was too shy to even draw her attention to my existence. Then one day while walking my dog I bumped into her. She fell in love at first sight with my dog and made a great fuss, and then chatted to me. Well that was it. I knew where she lived (nothing creepy, small town and all that, everyone knows everyone etc). Every evening my dog walk would take me on a completely pointless detour past her house in the futile hope that she would choose the exact moment I was going past to coincidentally look out of the window, see my dog, and come running out.

 

I think you hit it on the head when you said it transcends all ages etc. Gardening can be enjoyed almost from the cradle to the grave by almost anyone so it is always interesting to see how others are going about it and to share your own experiences. I love chatting to other gardeners and finding out what works for them.

 

You could have been her Prince Charming Clueless, but she obviously fell for your dog instead......shame!

 

Worked out better in the long run. Had I have been less shy then I might have ended up with her for a few years and missed out on meeting my missus

 

I think gardening is something that we can all relate to because either we all have one, or where we haven't, we have certainly all had a granny whose garden we spent time in during school holidays when we were young and that's probably where most of our gardening instincts spawned from. After all, not everyone has a car and not everyone has a dog. Hopefully we've all got windows but you get the point.

My front garden particularly isn't anything special but when you consider mid-terrace among 9 other houses, a turfed garden next door to me and then block paving for the other 8, then my garden could be considered to be quite spectacular and that's probably what stops passers-by in their tracks for a convo when i'm out the front.

I garden for myself mostly but if other people like what i do then it's a bonus, more so when i'm indoors watching TV and through the nets, i see people stop and point at plants and talk among themselves, sometimes for ages. I don't mind at all, but when the dog owners stop for obvious reasons, then i must admit i do object. It's quite funny when i leap at the window or the front door and they see me and drag their dog along rather quickly when it's only mid-flow

 

disgusting carry on that, gives the rest of us responsible dog owners a bad name

 

Oh it's only the wee but we have had much worse. Still makes the fence posts go green and mouldy. Agree though it's only the few. I am actually a dog lover - it's just the few irresponsible owners i don't like.

 

Clueless, you just can't take the hint can you?

First chapter of "Selleri's guide to budget gardening: How to get free plants": When you see a nice garden with a plant you'd really love, slowly walk past it daily. Engage in conversation with the gardener and receive free cuttings and surplus seedlings. Repeat if necessary.


I agree though, gardening is a link between people of all ages and walks of life. Every gardener has an opinion of something, and usually is very willing to discuss it. It doesn't matter if it's just how your tomatoes are coming along in this very cold June or if the slugs are worse this year, it's just the sense of shared interest and interaction between people who share at least one thing in common.

Gardening was my introduction when we first moved in here 6 years ago... a big thank you to my lovely neighbourghs and passer bys for making us feel we "belong".