What is it to ‘garden’?

WITH THE LULL in garden activity that inevitably comes in February, what better time to ponder etymology? (Etymology, not entomology, the study of insects; aphids, mealybugs and whiteflies will be crawling around soon enough.) What exactly do we mean when we talk about a “garden” or “gardening?”

The word “gardening” is pretty much synonymous with “horticulture,” the latter word from the Latin hortus meaning a garden, and cultura, to culture. According to Webster, horticulture is the “art or science of cultivating fruits, flowers, and vegetables.” The word “horticulture” was given official recognition in The New World of English Words in 1678 by E. Phillips, though the Latin form, horticultura, first appeared as the title of a treatise of 1631.

Horticulture, then, is about growing fruits, flowers, and vegetables; nothing is said about cultivating a field of cotton or wheat. These latter

Notes

crops are in the ken of agronomy, from the Latin root ager meaning field. Once again quoting Webster, agronomy is the “science or art of crop production; the management of farm land.” Horticultural crops are more intensively cultivated than farm crops — and more apt to be threatened by neglect.

In fact, “gardening” and “horticulture” are not exactly synonymous. Horticulture is usually associated with growing plants for a livelihood, and is broken down into pomology (fruits), olericulture (vegetables), floriculture (flowers) and landscaping. Gardening usually implies something more homey and intimate.

Over the centuries, there have been many spellings of “garden.” “A chronicler of the 13th century wrote “gardynes,” in the next century Chaucer wrote the word a bit differently: “Yif me a plante of thilke blessed tre And in my gardyn planted it shall be.” We see yet another spelling early in the sixteenth century: “My lord you have very good strawberries at your gardayne in Holberne.” Finally, by the time of Shakespeare, we have: “Ile fetch a turne about the Garden.” Here, “garden” at least, is spelt the moderne way. The root of the word “garden” comes from the Old English geard, meaning fence, enclosure, or courtyard, and the Old Saxon gyrdan, meaning to enclose or gird. These words are closely related to our modern words “yard,” “girth,” and “guard.”

Medieval gardens were physically enclosed. Mine is too, but mostly as protection against rabbits that love my peas and beans, not against knights practicing their jousting or wild pigs roaming the fields. The medieval garden was against the house and protected by a high wall, or, perhaps a wattle fence. Over the centuries, “garden” and “gardening” have come to mean more than the fenced medieval garden. The archetypal Persian garden is dominated by refreshing pools or fountains of water. In the Italian garden, we find trees and shrubs, and stone stairways, balustrades, and porticos. Grand parterres characterize the French style of gardening.

About a hundred years ago, the increasingly grand style of gardening fell from favor as an Englishwoman, Gertrude Jekyll, came forward to laud and design gardens that emulated intimate, colorful, and informal cottage gardens. She wrote that the “... first purpose of a garden is to give happiness and repose of mind, which is more often enjoyed in the contemplation of the homely border ... than in any of the great gardens where the flowers lose their identity, and with it their hold on the human heart.” will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Smith Vocational High School. There will be displays of blooming orchids from local growers as well as growers from other New England societies. Commercial growers will have plants for sale as well. For more information visit amherst orchidsociety.org/clubevents/our-show-sale/ applications must be received on or before Feb. 28. Applicants being considered will be contacted by the East Longmeadow Garden Club’s Scholarship Committee for an interview.

What does “garden” and “gardening” mean today?

A few tomato and marigold plants, separated from the dwelling by an expanse of lawn? A woodland glen of ferns and bleeding hearts? Or a knot garden of herbs within a white picket fence — in the medieval style, one might say?

Any gardening questions? Email garden@leereich.com. Come visit my garden at www. leereich.com/blog.

The relationship between temperature, water, light, fertilization, plant health and diseases will be covered, with a strong emphasis on integrated pest management. Cost is $60 members, $65 nonmembers.

For more information, or to register, visit www. berkshirebotanical.org. Berkshire Botanical Garden is located at 5 W. Stockbridge Road.

High School senior or a recent graduate of East Longmeadow High School, be planning to attend an institution of higher learning, or a graduate student who is a resident of East Longmeadow and is attending or planning to attend an institution of higher learning, or an East Longmeadow student who is a resident and has been accepted to participate in a special program.

WILBRAHAM Garden Club meeting

NORTHAMPTON Orchid Show

The Amherst Orchid Society is having their annual Orchid Show after a 2-year hiatus. The show

EAST LONGMEADOW Garden Club Scholarship

Applications are now open for the 2023 Esther A. Rosati Memorial East Longmeadow Garden Club Scholarship in the amount of $1,000. Applicants must presently be an East Longmeadow

All applicants must be planning to pursue a degree in agriculture, botany, conservation, ecology, environmental engineering, environmental science, floral design, forestry, landscaping architecture, oceanography, perma-culture/agro-ecology or a related field. Applicants must include a copy of an official grade transcript and

The recipient will be awarded the scholarship at the annual May meeting of the East Longmeadow Garden Club.

Scholarship applications can be picked up at the high school guidance office or the East Longmeadow Public Library or download it from eastlongmeadowgard. wixsite.com/gardens. Send completed application and transcript to East Longmeadow Garden Club Scholarship Committee, c/o Diane A. Tiago, 38 Rogers Road, East Longmeadow, MA 01028.

The first meeting of the 2023 year of the Wilbraham Garden Club will meet on Thursday, March 2, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Cecilia’s Parish Center on Main Street. Coffee, tea and breakfast type refreshments will be served. The speaker for the meeting will be Bobbie Albano, whose topic will be “Art Influence in Wreath Making.” Bobbie will be making floral wreaths incorporation her artistic background. She will discuss and demonstrate how art influences the making of floral wreaths and arrangements. These wreaths will be available as

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Terry & Kim Kovel | Antiques and Collecting