Mar 21
2010
About that Garden Rant Post
I set off quite a stir with my guest post at Garden Rant. I have a love for over-stating things and I suppose I over-stated one too many times. Boy, am I taking a beating!
I feel badly that so many people thought I was taking aim them for having some weeds in the garden. Heck, I have weeds in my garden! I have apologized for my smart-ass remark about being embarrassed by some “gardeners.” I do get a bit carried away.
But I stand by my point that gardens take work, need maintenance and can be improved overall with some attention to design. I’m baffled that people would take issue with this.
There is a whole range of maintenance (or lack thereof) between the finely manicured potagers you see in the magazines and the type of garden I was taking about in my guest post—the one that was planted and never given another thought. It sounds like most of us, myself included, fall somewhere in the middle along that spectrum. Unfortunately, people interpreted my post as criticism of anyone who isn’t “clutching at pearls in their potagers.” That’s not true. I’m talking about abandoned, ugly gardens that have had no care.
Our instant gratification society has led some of us to believe that any effort is a good effort and everything should be as easy as pushing a button. I believe we do a disservice to would-be gardeners by perpetuating the myth that they can grow luscious rows of bountiful vegetables without putting in some effort. Gardening (life!) isn’t a six-year-old soccer team where everyone wins a trophy for showing up. Gardening can be damn hard work and I think people should go into the endeavor with realistic expectations.
Do I want people to give gardening a try? Certainly. Will they make mistakes along the way? Absolutely. We all do. But do I think gardening is for everyone? No. If you don’t have the energy and the time to pull some weeds and water when there is a drought, you’ll probably be disappointed unless you modify your expectations and scale back to what you can care for.
Many of the people who took issue with my post criticized me for not being encouraging of new gardeners. I will probably get pilloried again for stating again that gardens take work.
Okay, that said, I apologize for offending so many people. But hey, if we really want people to connect with the earth and grow food, let’s all pull some weeds, create healthy gardens and inspire with our results—both beauty and bounty.
March 21st, 2010 at 8:38 am
LOL you definitely did get it – think you hit too close to home for many folks and they did not like the direct bulls-eye criticism. I’m a messy veggie gardener myself, but, hey, I can admit it and also know I can do much better given more time to devote to it.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:10 am
Robin, I was talking about this with my mom yesterday and she was clearly in your corner, as am I. I told her I should come to your defense, so here I am.
Back when Michelle Obama was planting her garden on the White House lawn, she inspired a lot of people to garden. Good for her! But the reality of growing a garden was pretty well fluffed over, as another garden writer wrote about at the time. (I can’t recall who it was.)
Gardening is work, as veteran gardeners know and novice gardeners soon find out. The romance of growing your own green beans soon wears off when the weeds grow right along with the beans. It’s why I didn’t become a serious gardener until my kids were grown and my work schedule diminished to where I had the time and energy to do it.
When you live out in the country where I do, if you want to have a messy looking garden, it doesn’t matter. No one is going to see it except you. But if you live where you’ve got neighbors and especially if you live in a development that has association agreements, it DOES matter.
No matter where we live, we should be responsible neighbors. Who wants to look out their window at the neighbor’s bed of weeds? It’s like having a junker car parked in the driveway all the time.
I’m all for encouraging people to garden, but they need to understand just what ALL is involved in doing it. Someone needs to tell them and you did. So you stirred things up a little…I think people paid attention, even if they didn’t really get the point.
.-= Kylee from Our Little Acre´s last blog .."Indiana Gardener" Feature Writer =-.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:41 am
Kylee, you make a good point about our responsibility to the neighbors who have to look at our gardens. Like you, I live in the country, so the only people who see my garden are my family and the delivery people. But in a neighborhood where your garden is in view, we have a responsibility to be good neighbors and do our share to keep things presentable.
Robin
March 21st, 2010 at 10:06 am
I think it is an educational issue and time issue with all gardeners who kind of let their gardens go. Spring time comes and everyone gets excited and runs out to buy plants, plops them in then hopes for the best. Then time gets in the way and weeds grow and the garden is soon a big mess. I always laugh at my friends who say,”I’m not like you, I’m ONLY a spring gardener.” Well that says it all. But, if they took the time to mulch and properly plan out their methods of gardening then perhaps the garden would not get the best of them each year. Hopefully blogs, in addition to pointing out issues, will educate readers on how best to prepare and grow a good looking garden whether it is veggies or not.
.-= tina´s last blog ..Amaryllis: Size Matters! =-.
March 21st, 2010 at 10:16 am
Robin, I do live in a neighborhood where our gardens are in view, especially the front yards. I can tell you that the neighbor on the corner who took down the redwood fence and put up a wood framed chicken wire fence is often the talk of the street. She has a crammed full garden: plants, weeds, arbors, trellises, crates, woodpiles, buckets and even a toilet that sit crowded together. There is nothing pleasant about it, it is reminiscent of a constant garage sale. Many homes here have minimally landscaped yards with lawn, a few shrubs and sporadic care, this is not a picky neighborhood. But the mess on the corner has upset many people. There is a difference between a casual gardening approach and a trashy yard. And it does affect the neighborhood.
.-= Leslie´s last blog ..GBBD March 2010 =-.
March 21st, 2010 at 10:16 am
Don’t let the critics get you down. We all like reading articles with attitude – some of us because it gives us an excuse to get all offended.
Kylee is right; gardening is often sold as a romp in the sun with the gentle forest creatures looking on. Newbies are often surprised that there’s actual work involved.
If a gardener means well, but really is too busy to get to the weeding, that’s one thing. If he or she would simply rather sit in the recliner or go shopping…that’s quite another.
.-= Wendy @ Muck About´s last blog ..Mary Robson’s Spring Garden =-.
March 21st, 2010 at 10:41 am
I liked your rant, but I guess I know gardening is work. I took what you said as “tongue firmly in cheek” and didn’t think you were getting people about some weeds. I thought you were encouraging us to better design up front. Hang in there.~~Dee
March 21st, 2010 at 11:07 am
No need to apologize, Robin; your opinion is equally as valid as those who rushed to judgment on it.
March 21st, 2010 at 11:29 am
Bravo, Robin, for not pretending that you can have the pretty picture without doing any planning OR the dirty work. You’ve seen my corner of Katy and know just how much of it is devoted to gardens. I naively thought when I started ripping out grass and expanding my beds in front to plant for birds, bees and butterflies that it would be a low maintenance area. I’ve learned many times over how wrong I was. I want it to be a wildscape but in keeping with what Leslie said, there’s a difference between a wildscape and an overgrown mess. That difference is made by the time and effort I put into the garden, which in no way lessen my enjoyment of it but in fact increase it.
March 21st, 2010 at 1:18 pm
I am in complete agreement with you, Robin. As a garden designer and an avid gardener it frustrates me to no end that I have to travel far and wide before seeing a garden that delights my eye, and this in a neighborhood of million-dollar homes.
I am appalled at front gardens with knee-high weeds/flowers , sickly shrubs and patches of grass. These homeowners hire pros to paint and make repairs to their homes but pay no attention to what people see first – the landscape.
While gardening is work, and a pleasurable pastime for those who love it, it can also be low maintenance and lovely.
May the force be with you
March 21st, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Hi Robin, I’ve been commenting over at Colleen’s and want to comment here, too. I do feel strongly that everyone who wants to should grow veggies as they see fit and it doesn’t matter what materials they use, or if their beds are a little unkempt. I believe what I wrote. I did want you to know that I respect you for commenting so calmly at Colleen’s and that I do agree with your point that maybe not everyone has a mentality/disposition to garden. I often speak to or teach novice and would-be gardeners… many are enthusiastic and can’t get enough info. A few, however, aren’t interested in the concepts, whys, or wherefores. They think of plants as an inanimate accessory, like new window blinds, that won’t require much upkeep and which can be attended on their own schedule, not the plants. They are interested in quick results, easy answers, one-size-fits-all instructions. I can tell they are frustrated with my “it depends” answers… if I inadvertently turned anyone away from gardening because I made it sound too hard or difficult, so be it. It would not have been a good match. There are some basic tasks one has to take on to be successful and that’s that. I believe that is what you were trying to get across and that you were not trying to discourage anyone. We may not all agree on how a garden should look, how to encourage new gardeners, or how much work is the right amount, but everyone has a right to tell their own truth, as they see it.
March 21st, 2010 at 2:31 pm
“But I stand by my point that gardens take work, need maintenance and can be improved overall with some attention to design. I’m baffled that people would take issue with this.”
I don’t think that’s what people have/are taking issue with it. I know I don’t know you, but I never took you for being the kind of snooty gardener that rant has lead some people to believe you are.
I think the *if you can’t do it right, don’t do it attitude,* the dig at Wal-Mart shopping is what people are reacting to. I think everyone who plants a garden knows it takes work and effort.
Heck, at least I hope people understand it. LOL.
.-= MrBrownThumb´s last blog ..Bulb by Anna Pavord, Chicago Flower and Garden Show & new Succulents =-.
March 21st, 2010 at 3:04 pm
No one starts out as an expert at anything. We start with an interest, a curiosity, and we learn as we go. Sometimes, we learn from making mistakes–or, as I like to quote from a wonderful sign I have in the garden, from ‘gardening experiments’.
As I’ve said elsewhere, I just want to see people who WANT to try gardening, try it. Some will do brilliantly. Some will decide they don’t have enough time/energy/money/enthusiasm to do it.
As for those homeowner associations with delicate sensibilities about less than perfect gardens…I think it would be better to educate THEM on the merits of growing plants (food or ornamental) to undo some of the damage done by their three SUVs in their paved driveways of their McMansions made of chipboard, vapour barrier and plastic siding than to freak out over a few weeds or a bolted lettuce. JMO.
.-= jodi (bloomingwriter)´s last blog ..Spotlight Saturday: Have you visited This blogger? Introducing Cindee =-.
March 21st, 2010 at 4:22 pm
It seems to me that too often the discussion falls into the false dilemma fallacy: stating that veggie gardens shouldn’t look messy is automatically turned into: if you have a messy garden, you shouldn’t be gardening. Another one is either you’re a pearl-wearing snob, or a shlub who shops at Wal Mart. People who wear pearls shop at Wal Mart, and people who aren’t snobs don’t. I don’t see anything wrong with encouraging people to move outside of their comfort zone and try to think of their veggie garden as ornamental, just as I’ve been encouraged to think of my ornamental garden as being able to accommodate veggies. New ways of thinking are often met with resistance and hostility. Let’s broaden our visions, open our minds, and expand our concepts to encompass new possibilities. (Help, I’m stuck in a box and I can’t get up!)
.-= Mr. McGregor’s Daughter´s last blog ..Rites of Spring, Chicago Style =-.
March 21st, 2010 at 6:50 pm
I agree with all the points you made in your ‘rant’ and I agree even more with the statements you’ve made in this post.
Gardens are hard work … if you don’t want to put in the hard yards then don’t try to convert a yard into a garden.
March 21st, 2010 at 7:00 pm
Wow, I didn’t think I was that behind on my Garden Rant, but I certainly haven’t seen your post there yet.
I have mixed feelings about this subject. On the one hand, the fact that the manager of the research farm I work at has a “let the lettuce bolt and do the work for us” attitude drives me crazy… I like to have the final say in what goes where and when.
But, there are many weeds that are edible (dandelions, for instance) and they’re clearly better suited for our environment than all of the delicate annuals we try to grow. Maybe there’s a lesson to be learned in that.
And there’s also a question of what kind of garden one is attempting to grow. A perennial garden is low- or no-maintenance compared to an annual vegetable garden.
But yes, growing an annual veggie garden is work and it doesn’t take much for them to become unsightly. I would urge people to be more creative in their use of plants if annual veggies are too much work for them…
.-= GBMF-Matt´s last blog ..Nudity and sustainability: The cost of clothing on oil reserves, drinking water, and our state of mind =-.
March 22nd, 2010 at 12:31 am
If you really just wanted to make the point that gardens are work, why didn’t you just say that? To put in the comments about “rows rule,” Walmart tomato cages or describe a novice gardener’s lack of design knowledge as criminal tells a different story.
Honestly I would rather see a gardener try and fail than never try at all. We all start somewhere and I don’t think it is a crime to bite off more than you can chew. I have had some wonderful tomatoes from some of the most criminal (by your standards) of gardens that were given to me by some of the proudest first-time gardeners.
If we really want people to connect with the Earth, how about we just let them do it and keep our noses in our own backyards?
March 22nd, 2010 at 12:55 am
I think people are forgetting the ‘rant’ in Garden Rant. I took a tiny little bit of offense at your comment about wire tomato cages because I use them and in conjunction with a secondary source of support (a wooden stake or 3) they work quite well and are not at all unattractive. But certainly not enough to leave you a comment slamming your rant. I think there must have been a bunch of lazy vegetable gardeners with guilty consciences reading that day. That said, whenever I am asked about my garden I say that after a heavy push of effort in the spring, all it takes is a few minutes of attention each day and patience. But count on plenty of failure along the way. That’s how I give a novice gardener a realistic idea of what tending a small vegetable garden entails.
March 22nd, 2010 at 4:37 am
Anything worthwhile takes work. Gardens are like most topics – there are many styles and a many opinions. One of my neighbors collects cherub statues. Frankly they frighten me but we can only set examples, not standards.
However the toilet in the front yard is flat tacky. Seriously.
.-= Karyl´s last blog ..Native Trees and Shrubs in My Garden =-.
March 22nd, 2010 at 6:08 am
I may agree that the front yard with the toilet is offensive. However the front yard is a tough issue. It is the homeowners yard but also in the “view shed” of everone walking by driving by or ling nearby. At what point does one cross the line in offending the neighbors, with an ugly front yard, or offending the homeowner by complaining about a front yard that is not their own?
Back yards however are a different story. If I do not want to grow a picture perfect garden that is my choice
and my right. An ugly back yard has no effect on property values unless a neighbor is attempting to sell. Then ask my nicely and I will clean up the yard.
My back yard is not messy but not picture perfect either. My 8 year old is planting gardens in the front yard. Yes he crammed too manyplants in a small space but he learned.
Greg Draiss
March 22nd, 2010 at 8:30 am
Interesting that so many people responded. I believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, although weeds while some are lovely they’re not generally the goal of the gardener. Garden design is a first world problem, if we “had” to grow food to consume or go hungry, we’d have a lot less emphasis on design and more on production.
I for one love love love rowed old-fashioned gardens. I can’t have one, don’t have room, so I have a few raised beds and a few veggies tucked in among perennials.
I think people’s ornamental gardens are just as bad as many food gardens, people often buy plants with no regard to location or their property. It’s a sad indication that we’ve lost a lot of our gardening heritage, many kids don’t learn much about plants. I grew up with parents & teachers that loved to garden. So we had school gardens we worked in in biology class and we had huge gardens at home. I think many people aren’t getting this education so they don’t know. They think all you need to do is buy some plants and plant them, spray some chemical fertilizer on them and maybe mulch them and you’re good to go. Many of the farmer’s markets and libraries in our area are doing special classes to teach edible gardening to help with this.
My gardens are a work in progress, not perfect yet (but are gardens every?) but someday in 10 years or so I think they’ll be lovely. Until then, I guess when my neighber says to me, “I told my husband that I wanted to landscape our back hillside like your front hillside” I shouldn’t be too worried about upsetting the neighbers, I think they like it even though it’s not finished yet.
.-= Chiot’s Run´s last blog ..Spring Cleaning is for the Birds =-.
March 22nd, 2010 at 1:36 pm
I got no problem with the notion that it takes work to garden. I want to garden for reasons of nutrition and ecological awareness but I’m scared to get started because I’m worried I won’t be up to the task. I know. I’m savvy.
What pissed me off about your post was the tone that you expect to only have to look at pretty gardens everywhere you go.
I’m so sick of that tone of entitlement everydamnwhere I go anymore, you just don’t know.
March 22nd, 2010 at 8:30 pm
Robyn, you should be encouraged by the response. It provides you with proof that your blog is being read. Controversy attracts response. I wish I could get just one comment! My posts are obviously much too mundane, uncontroversial and boring!
.-= Bricky´s last blog ..Commonsense prevails =-.
March 22nd, 2010 at 11:50 pm
Robyn, I felt terrible for you for all of the nasty comments you received. You obviously hit a nerve. I did comment on that particular rant and agree with those that realize that a manageable garden takes work. Today I spent two hours double digging my raised beds turning over all of the kitchen compost and leaves that I placed in them over the winter. The soil is rich and dark and weed free! I will keep this up until I plant around mothers day (weather pending). Someone commented on this blog today that perennial beds are low or maintenance free, that I completely disagree with. I have put in countless hours already this season getting my perennials ready for their spring appearance. Again, an attractive garden is work, and work that I am very happy to do.
March 23rd, 2010 at 12:04 am
@tangledgardens
A correction: I didn’t say perennial “beds.” Beds are always work because they leave exposed ground where weeds and the elements can take their toll. I was talking about forest gardens, as pioneered by Robert A. de J. Hart.
It’s pretty low quality, but you can see Robert’s garden in a short documentary on Google Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=659155658226666080&ei=5EmoS8SqIoP-qAO385CfDA&q=permaculture#
The Permaculture Research Institute of Australia has an even better documentary on the subject which shows a forest garden that went 7 years without human intervention and was still extraordinarily productive. The documentary costs $30+ though, so you might see if you can get it through your local library.
It’s a much more sustainable option, in my opinion… but it does require more upfront planning. No exactly easy for a beginner to start one, but easier for a beginner to maintain once it is started.
.-= GBMF-Matt´s last blog ..Nudity and sustainability: The cost of clothing on oil reserves, drinking water, and our state of mind =-.
March 23rd, 2010 at 9:25 am
Robin, one of the purposes for blogging about any topic is to be able to express opinions, popular or otherwise, and I think one of the failures of the medium is that people somehow think being offended by the content of your opinions is license to attack personally. Web anonymity has it’s downsides. I think some of your reader comments are well thought out and in the spirit of debate and some are not. I say just ignore the later, and hopefully the former can benefit the gardening horizons and understandings of both readers and writer. Blog on.
.-= Jess´s last blog ..Here a Statue, There a Statue =-.
March 24th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
I have a little bit of chicken wire around some new raspberry bushes on the side of my house, and you know what… it’s UGLY. I don’t care how well it’s put up, or taken care of, it’s ugly. Just like a toilet in the front of that house is ugly. I haven’t seen it, but I know it’s true.
Keep on posting photos of your lovely garden and I will continue to feel inspired. Love your blog!
March 26th, 2010 at 12:36 am
Actually Robin, I don’t believe that you have a thing to apologize for.
Your opinion is what it is and some people don’t agree with it. Too fluffy bad for them. Boo Hoo, go kick another aphid infested weed in your garbage patch.
People who could care less what their gardens look like do not put a high value on aesthetics.
If they did, they would have an appealing looking vegetable garden.
It’s just like some people do not put much value on art or music and other put value on going to the car races or whatever….
It boils down to what you care about, and obviously many of the folks who commented at the Rant do not care about aesthetics.
September 12th, 2010 at 4:13 am
Robin,
I respect your comments hugely.
Fair play to you coming out with a follow up comment / post on your gardening blog.
I wish you all the best in the future.
(Sometimes people take blogs way too seriously).
Aanee xxx