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Why We Garden

Why We Garden

Opining on an Ancient Connection

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Jan Johnsen
Feb 04, 2023
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Why We Garden
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Hands in the Soil - Always

The lesson I have thoroughly learnt, and wish to pass on to others,
is to know the enduring happiness that the love of a garden gives.

 - Gertrude Jekyll

Why do we love to garden? Ball Seed Company conducted a survey and found that we garden for beauty first and relaxation second. In essence, we enjoy creating a beautiful outdoor space and savor the calm it bestows upon us. Gertrude Jekyll, the famed English garden writer and designer, put it more succinctly, the love of a garden brings us happiness.

I have always thought that we garden for the good feelings it generates. We delight in connecting with the marvelous green world. It exalts the spirit. We look at a special tree, a zucchini plant, an evergreen shrub or a simple flower and, for a moment, our worldly cares disappear. We are in the realm of the plants.

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