Help with Uni 2!

Hi

Some of you may have seen my previous postasking for help with my Open Uni course. In that I advised I am studying the topic of Nature and was looking at community gardens. I am also looking at why people may not keep plants at home and if they don't because they have found it difficult to care for them in the past (like me!) or they are intimidated by the thought ot plant care.

Can I ask a couple of quick questions? These may seem daft on a gardening forum but I am assuming you all had to start at the begining? So cast your minds back.....

• Do you keep house plants?
• Was there a big learning curve for you?
• Did someone show you or help you how to care for them?
• Were garden cenrtre staff (if applicable) helpful and knowledgeable?
• Do you think the instructions for the plant care was easy to follow?

Thanks in advance for any replies
Cheers

Jhon

 

Hiya John,

Delighted to hear that you're studying this topic as part of your degree. My own answers won't be much help to you, as I was brought up by gardening parents (father grows traditional veg and does the lawn, mother grows flowers and Mediterranean veggies) so learned at an early age and also got involved in nature conservation and plant ID when young.

However, some suggestions I've come across in a previous job:

Young people these days sometimes come into gardening from alternative routes. For example there is the Transition Towns movement that is about urban sustainability, so attracts a mixed group of 'green' people and often does community gardening. Young people with broader 'green' interests get involved through this. Some of the groups run plant give-aways (which is where my surplus seedlings using to go) e.g. of veg plants or plants that attract wildlife and there are older members with excellent practical knowledge on hand to advise newbies.

Another potential route in is free giveaways of seeds to attract insects or trees, that are run by not-for-profits and attract thousands of schools and youth groups (because they are free and not much is free these days!) So you can get some pretty new group leaders and members growing things and perhaps taking stuff home e.g. the classic primary school dwarf sunflower or beans experiment.

Also, a lot of people get given a plant as a housewarming or birthday gift, if they've got there own place. I've answered some pretty silly 'phone a friend' questions because people want an answer from a real person, rather than JFGI!

There is a bit of a cultural divide for a lot of people between gardening 'which is for old people' vs. their identity as a young homeowner/renter. But acquiring a garden to maintain helps break that down e.g. loaning hedge trimmers to young people, and develop a sense of community. Though I never had the heart to tell my neighbours that their houseplants from Homebase wouldn't survive the winter in their flower bed!

Edit: Also add young TV stars e.g. Jamie Oliver and James Wong, as a positive influence on young people taking up gardening.

I think people are pretty OK about asking gardening centre staff for help, or reading the labels. After all a lot of them will be in Homebase or B&Q asking a specialist gardening adviser and the mentality is more that of a consumer enquiring about a product they are thinking of purchasing.

(Just my thoughts though!)

 

• Yes
• Yes
• No and yes
• Not particularly, but then I didn't get them from a garden centre
• Extremely broad and not plant specific! E.G "Houseplant care .... " I know it's a houseplant, but it didn't tell me which one it was