[00:00.00]Some gardeners plan their garden
[00:02.61]with meticulous attention to detail.
[00:04.80]They choose colors that
[00:06.44]will complement each other
[00:07.75]and design their garden
[00:08.85]as if they were
[00:09.83]painting on a canvas.
[00:11.03]Others are more spontaneous
[00:13.00]and simply visit a nursery
[00:15.08]and purchase plants
[00:16.40]that appeal to them.
[00:18.14]Often gardeners have a trademark plant
[00:21.10]that is their specialty.
[00:22.96]Perhaps they enjoy the velvet
[00:25.15]texture of the leaves, or maybe
[00:27.12]the flower's color attracts them.
[00:28.97]The varieties of gardens
[00:31.60]are endless. Terrace gardening
[00:34.01]has become popular. With
[00:35.65]a herbal garden, cooks enjoy
[00:37.73]being able to use fresh herbs
[00:39.04]from their garden to
[00:40.35]add zest to their favorite dishes.
[00:43.31]They simply visit their garden
[00:45.28]and clip a few pieces of
[00:46.81]the herb they wish to use.
[00:48.78]Every garden is as individual
[00:51.62]as its owner. Gardens come
[00:54.58]in all shapes and sizes.
[00:56.66]Some are in the shape
[00:58.14]of a rectangle, while others
[00:59.67]are circular or irregular in shape.
[01:01.97]Some gardeners like the appearance
[01:03.93]of an asymmetrical shape
[01:06.13]while others work to
[01:07.88]achieve symmetry in their gardens.
[01:09.73]For vegetable gardens, the most
[01:12.03]popular shape is rectangular
[01:14.22]and vegetables are usually planted
[01:16.84]in a linear fashion.
[01:18.70]This method makes it easier
[01:21.33]to cultivate between
[01:22.65]the rows of plants.
[01:23.95]You could mistake some gardens
[01:25.92]for a meadow when the gardener
[01:27.46]chooses to include only
[01:29.10]wildflowers as a choice of vegetation.
[01:32.49]Including a pond in
[01:34.13]a garden is popular too.
[01:36.10]Entrepreneurs are always looking
[01:39.17]for innovations and gadgets that
[01:41.02]will attract the attention
[01:42.56]of devoted gardeners and
[01:43.76]induce them to spend their money.
[01:45.95]It has become a huge industry
[01:48.57]in the last few years,
[01:50.76]as the baby boomers reach
[01:52.40]retirement age and have more time
[01:54.59]to pursue hobbies such as gardening.
[01:57.32]There are new products patented
[01:58.97]every year to tempt the gardener.
[02:01.37]It is possible to
[02:03.78]buy a kit that contains
[02:05.42]a complete set of tools
[02:06.73]needed by the home gardener.
[02:08.48]Unfortunately, often the quality
[02:11.33]is poor and the product
[02:12.97]is a fraud. Instead of
[02:14.83]having something good to
[02:16.25]work with, the purchase
[02:17.57]turns out to be junk.
[02:18.99]If you want to flatter
[02:21.17]a gardener, and boost
[02:22.71]their ego at the same time,
[02:24.13]summon up the courage to
[02:25.88]simply ask if you can
[02:27.52]swap plants. Of course,
[02:29.49]it will give them a thrill
[02:31.24]if you also compliment them
[02:32.45]on the hardiness of their plants
[02:33.86]as compared to yours.
[02:35.29]They might even try to
[02:37.15]console you on your lack
[02:38.35]of competence as a gardener
[02:39.56]because your plants are not
[02:41.31]as sturdy as their plants.
[02:43.28]Irrespective of the competence
[02:45.46]of the gardener, anyone who
[02:47.10]augments the number of plants
[02:48.96]grown is helping to conserve
[02:50.71]our planet by averting erosion.
[02:52.46]This pays great dividends
[02:54.87]for everyone as it also
[02:56.18]serves to protect the ozone layer.
[02:58.26]Some people erect barricades
[03:01.43]to keep small animals
[03:02.97]from attacking the plants.
[03:04.61]Squirrels love to dig up
[03:06.47]flower bulbs. They find
[03:08.33]them a tasty treat.
[03:09.97]It is common to see
[03:11.61]ceramic fixtures or figurines
[03:13.14]in a garden. Even
[03:15.22]the untrained eye can tell
[03:17.19]that the imitations are a fake,
[03:19.05]yet properly placed, they add
[03:20.80]to the intrinsic beauty.
[03:22.88]A rain gauge, attached
[03:24.74]by a bracket to a fence,
[03:26.38]is a common sight and
[03:27.91]is used to enable the gardener
[03:29.44]to diagnose the moisture level
[03:30.97]of the soil around
[03:32.18]the plants and determine
[03:33.82]if they need more water.
[03:35.90]If nature does not provide
[03:37.54]enough rain, then the gardener
[03:39.40]will use a plastic or
[03:40.49]rubber hose to provide
[03:41.81]more irrigation. With a twist
[03:44.21]of a knob, or by moving
[03:46.18]a lever, the thirst of
[03:47.93]the plants for moisture
[03:49.03]can be quenched.What greater pleasure,
[03:51.55]than to work in your garden
[03:53.19]and as you clip
[03:54.39]the overgrown plants back to
[03:55.37]size or prune branches
[03:56.58]of fruit trees, hear
[03:58.22]the buzz of bees?
[03:59.53]You know that they are
[04:01.39]enjoying your garden as
[04:02.37]they extract the pollen
[04:03.25]from the blooms. You relish
[04:04.89]the feeling that you are
[04:06.86]one with nature. The hum
[04:08.28]of insects as they share
[04:09.70]the garden is more pleasurable
[04:11.13]than music from a stereo
[04:12.33]or a symphony to
[04:13.32]a devoted gardener. In addition,
[04:14.85]the scent of the flowers
[04:18.90]is an integral part
[04:19.77]of the joy of spending
[04:20.86]time working in a garden.
[04:21.85]The irony of the situation
[04:24.37]is that nature sometimes
[04:26.55]conspires against the gardener,
[04:28.31]and a hailstorm can riddle
[04:30.06]beautiful plants, shredding their leaves
[04:32.90]in minutes. Hurricanes can uproot
[04:35.30]even the largest trees
[04:36.83]although this is an event
[04:38.81]that seldom occurs in Southern Ontario.
[04:41.10]Tornadoes are more likely
[04:43.73]in this area.Parasites can
[04:46.25]attack plants and threaten their survival.
[04:49.20]Any number of things
[04:50.62]can become a plague.
[04:51.93]It is often difficult
[04:53.25]to discern exactly what it is
[04:54.78]that is destroying the precious plants.
[04:56.86]Any number of complications
[04:59.59]can shatter the gardener's dream
[05:01.89]of surpassing last year's accomplishment.
[05:04.30]An authentic gardener will not
[05:06.59]brood about the disappointment
[05:07.80]for long. Even as
[05:09.22]the disaster is occurring,
[05:10.97]you might overhear the gardener
[05:12.83]murmur “There's always next year.”
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