I can completely relate to Gardener's Guilt. I only recently came to understand the peat issue (thanks to Gardeners World), but finding alternatives over here is more difficult. We reuse plastic pots that come to us via garden centre purchases, but we have also laid in our own supplies that are not as environmentally friendly as I now wish they were.
Use of native plants is another guilt-inducing aspect of gardening. I don't know if this is a hot topic over your way. I've seen it bring out the worst in people on social media. Some seem to believe the only "good" garden is 100% native (often unrealistic), and will excoriate someone for choosing a non-native.
Personally, I appreciate becoming more educated on these subjects so I can change my practices, but I'm not going to throw out everything I already have and start fresh!
It’s really interesting how ecological awareness and/or priorities can be as much a cultural thing as anything else. I came across an Instagram account the other day belonging to a very well followed Spanish language houseplant influencer, and every other video on their feed was of them spraying their plants with pesticides. Hard to imagine that from a UK influencer. Then again, they would probably be horrified by some of our practices.
As for the native/non-native debate, it is definitely playing out here, but has a slightly different flavour to it. Partly it comes down to the question of what we mean by “native”. In the US, you possibly don’t have to go back quite as far in order to track which species are indigenous and which introduced. In Europe, I think it might be a little more complicated. Many wild flowers that most Brits consider to be “native” actually originate from various parts of Europe and indeed all over the world, though they have been here in some cases for centuries if not millennia.
And then there’s the question of future-proof planting, and gardening in sustainable ways by selecting plants that are adapted to our country’s changing climate, which might mean non-native. It’s a huge topic and one worthy of further exploration!
Love this, Dan. I found you via Boaz's newsletter and am heartened to find a fellow geranium hater 😊
My husband lost his mind when our children started messing with "his" garden -- particularly when they picked all the native plants he'd so carefully and tenderly cultivated, still in their infancy and prone to damage. I am... not the gardener in the family and thus am not as attached, but also understood his unwillingness to let them pick (even sometimes destroy, in the innocent way of little kids) his plants and flowers.
We solved this, mostly, by planting a children's garden -- we helped them pick out seed mixes (developed for as many blooms as possible), involved them in preparing the beds and planting, then let them go whole hog when everything came up. They also help with -- and pick whatever they want -- in the vegetable garden.
Neither solves every problem but both solved a lot of them, and now that they are older and understand better why they need to leave certain plants alone (so the plants can grow and flourish, not because Daddy is being unreasonable), they take great pride in their garden and spend many happy hours literally *in* it, under and amongst all the blooms, lost in imaginative play and always ending with picking a huge bouquet for the dinner table.
Does it look perfect? Lord no. It's the first bed you see when you arrive in our driveway, and it is the garden equivalent of a long-haired woman's wind-blown hair after a high-speed ride on a motorcycle, but, who cares? They are only little for a short period of time and we have the rest of our lives (and the rest of our yard) to build tidier gardens. It's 100% worth it.
Hi Sarah, thanks so much for your thoughtful comment, and welcome to The Earthworm!
I absolutely love the idea of the kids having their own garden or space within the garden. Great call. That’s something for me to aspire to. There is currently NO SPACE for any of MY new plants let alone my son’s, but I think I will have to make space, or risk losing his interest.
We have two blueberry bushes (which produce decent fruit despite our soil not being as acidic as they are supposed to enjoy), a few raspberry canes, and several strawberry plants. These are The Big Three when it comes to my son’s fruit-eating habits, so the challenge will be encouraging him to wait. And wait. And wait some more, before raiding the plants.
Though if my son has inherited my propensity for patience, those plants don’t stand a chance…
Ha! Well, who can resist blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, adult or child?
I think, as with anything, our children learn about the garden by watching us -- by how we treat and take care of our plants, by how we tend to our patch (literally and metaphorically). He will glean all the good things from you (and won't be a toddler for long).
If there is no space, could you give him some pots of his own on the edge of your existing beds, on paths, or on a deck/porch/balcony/even windowsill? We've had great success with getting the kids started on indoor seedlings, which they can then transplant to bigger pots outdoors when the weather warms, as well as going to the local farmer's market and letting them pick out starter cherry tomato plants for pots on our deck (which, like berries, yield much for little fingers and mouths to love!)
Yes, I think containers will be the way to go for now! I’ve got a handful of strawberry plug plants that I’m yet to pot on - will involve my son in that task for sure.
In the long term, it’ll be great for him to understand where his food comes from, and to build that connection to the natural world and the seasons and the literal fruits of his labour and care.
I also don't like geraniums but love nasturtiums! I haven't attempted any hanging baskets yet but now you've got me curious about where I might be able to put some. I did start a bunch of nasturtiums from seed last week but no sprouts yet. Maybe they'll be destined for a hanging basket.
I was in a big public space yesterday and every single inch of soil was planted up with pelargoniums/geraniums - it looked hideous!
But I live in hope that the ones in my hanging baskets may yet look OK, if I’ve got the planting around them right. But that, of course, remains to be seen…
I can completely relate to Gardener's Guilt. I only recently came to understand the peat issue (thanks to Gardeners World), but finding alternatives over here is more difficult. We reuse plastic pots that come to us via garden centre purchases, but we have also laid in our own supplies that are not as environmentally friendly as I now wish they were.
Use of native plants is another guilt-inducing aspect of gardening. I don't know if this is a hot topic over your way. I've seen it bring out the worst in people on social media. Some seem to believe the only "good" garden is 100% native (often unrealistic), and will excoriate someone for choosing a non-native.
Personally, I appreciate becoming more educated on these subjects so I can change my practices, but I'm not going to throw out everything I already have and start fresh!
It’s really interesting how ecological awareness and/or priorities can be as much a cultural thing as anything else. I came across an Instagram account the other day belonging to a very well followed Spanish language houseplant influencer, and every other video on their feed was of them spraying their plants with pesticides. Hard to imagine that from a UK influencer. Then again, they would probably be horrified by some of our practices.
As for the native/non-native debate, it is definitely playing out here, but has a slightly different flavour to it. Partly it comes down to the question of what we mean by “native”. In the US, you possibly don’t have to go back quite as far in order to track which species are indigenous and which introduced. In Europe, I think it might be a little more complicated. Many wild flowers that most Brits consider to be “native” actually originate from various parts of Europe and indeed all over the world, though they have been here in some cases for centuries if not millennia.
And then there’s the question of future-proof planting, and gardening in sustainable ways by selecting plants that are adapted to our country’s changing climate, which might mean non-native. It’s a huge topic and one worthy of further exploration!
Love this, Dan. I found you via Boaz's newsletter and am heartened to find a fellow geranium hater 😊
My husband lost his mind when our children started messing with "his" garden -- particularly when they picked all the native plants he'd so carefully and tenderly cultivated, still in their infancy and prone to damage. I am... not the gardener in the family and thus am not as attached, but also understood his unwillingness to let them pick (even sometimes destroy, in the innocent way of little kids) his plants and flowers.
We solved this, mostly, by planting a children's garden -- we helped them pick out seed mixes (developed for as many blooms as possible), involved them in preparing the beds and planting, then let them go whole hog when everything came up. They also help with -- and pick whatever they want -- in the vegetable garden.
Neither solves every problem but both solved a lot of them, and now that they are older and understand better why they need to leave certain plants alone (so the plants can grow and flourish, not because Daddy is being unreasonable), they take great pride in their garden and spend many happy hours literally *in* it, under and amongst all the blooms, lost in imaginative play and always ending with picking a huge bouquet for the dinner table.
Does it look perfect? Lord no. It's the first bed you see when you arrive in our driveway, and it is the garden equivalent of a long-haired woman's wind-blown hair after a high-speed ride on a motorcycle, but, who cares? They are only little for a short period of time and we have the rest of our lives (and the rest of our yard) to build tidier gardens. It's 100% worth it.
Hi Sarah, thanks so much for your thoughtful comment, and welcome to The Earthworm!
I absolutely love the idea of the kids having their own garden or space within the garden. Great call. That’s something for me to aspire to. There is currently NO SPACE for any of MY new plants let alone my son’s, but I think I will have to make space, or risk losing his interest.
We have two blueberry bushes (which produce decent fruit despite our soil not being as acidic as they are supposed to enjoy), a few raspberry canes, and several strawberry plants. These are The Big Three when it comes to my son’s fruit-eating habits, so the challenge will be encouraging him to wait. And wait. And wait some more, before raiding the plants.
Though if my son has inherited my propensity for patience, those plants don’t stand a chance…
Ha! Well, who can resist blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, adult or child?
I think, as with anything, our children learn about the garden by watching us -- by how we treat and take care of our plants, by how we tend to our patch (literally and metaphorically). He will glean all the good things from you (and won't be a toddler for long).
If there is no space, could you give him some pots of his own on the edge of your existing beds, on paths, or on a deck/porch/balcony/even windowsill? We've had great success with getting the kids started on indoor seedlings, which they can then transplant to bigger pots outdoors when the weather warms, as well as going to the local farmer's market and letting them pick out starter cherry tomato plants for pots on our deck (which, like berries, yield much for little fingers and mouths to love!)
Yes, I think containers will be the way to go for now! I’ve got a handful of strawberry plug plants that I’m yet to pot on - will involve my son in that task for sure.
In the long term, it’ll be great for him to understand where his food comes from, and to build that connection to the natural world and the seasons and the literal fruits of his labour and care.
I also don't like geraniums but love nasturtiums! I haven't attempted any hanging baskets yet but now you've got me curious about where I might be able to put some. I did start a bunch of nasturtiums from seed last week but no sprouts yet. Maybe they'll be destined for a hanging basket.
I was in a big public space yesterday and every single inch of soil was planted up with pelargoniums/geraniums - it looked hideous!
But I live in hope that the ones in my hanging baskets may yet look OK, if I’ve got the planting around them right. But that, of course, remains to be seen…
Good luck with your nasturtiums!