You’ll never guess what my 24-year-old housemate and I did yesterday; we only went and harvested a few successfully home-grown potatoes. In spite of our debilitating age, we’ve also managed to grow some salad, some herbs, garlic and onions.
However, according to the Evening Standard, we can’t even identify a hoe.
Now, calm down. Don’t get all caught up in how funny the headline “Young British gardeners unable to identify a hoe” is, and please focus on the terrible discrimination we’re suffering here. Have a read of the story and riddle me this: where’s Mauro Galluzzo’s research?
He says: “the new breed of ‘Instant Bloomers’ don’t understand latin [sic] names, don’t know what a perennial is and aren’t able to identify a hoe.” For starters, Galluzzo, how many gardeners over 30 really know the Latin names of plants?
I’ll agree with Miracle-Gro to a certain extent, us young-uns may be concerned with aesthetics, but show me a gardener that’s over 30 that doesn’t care what their garden looks like.
It’s very important that the industry stop patronising younger gardeners. There are some rubbish gardeners among our ranks, but they need support not the disapproval of older generations that may or may not know the Latin names of plants.
Sorry, rant over … as you were.
on Jul 15th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
I’m a keen gardener, even a paid gardener who does not know Latin plant names, although i do know how to use a hoe, even though i have not used one for over 20 years !
More than anything else during my 20 years gardening the one job most hated by all my customers and that which keeps me gainfully employed is weeding beds and borders, so much so, i have invented a better hand fork to make my life easier and possibly that of the many new gardening enthusiasts too.
I would hate to think that the research suggests my customers will not know how to use simple garden hand fork, meaning i still have to do all the work and never make the tool for mass public use !
on Jul 30th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Looking forward to coming to Glee. Very interested in this hoe thing - is it anything to do with Pirates and Rum or WHAT?
We are working in reverse - swimming pool installers, who once we have sold the swimming pool, sell little else to the client but water treatment products. So what else could we sell them? How about statues and pots - reasonable success but need a better quality with less joint lines showing - so come up trumps please Glee.
Now said my wife, you are selling pots (urns and the like), why not sell the plants to put in them. So we have just taken in the first 100 with a further 100 coming tomorrow. Now we have the basics and loads of space fillers, we are coming to Glee looking for inspiration and of course will be comparing HOES. By the way, I’ve just grown a good crop of potatoes, if the flowers on them are anything to go by. How do you know when it is time to dig them up? We have written to clients to ask for their top 40 garden wants. We shall be bringing this list to Glee.
And the very best news ! Our City Council have given the go ahead for Sainsbury or Tesco to build a mega store just at the top of our street, so the foot pad up here should wonderful come next year, if the two giants can stop fighting and start building instead.
on Aug 20th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
I was shocked when I showed a photograph of our terracotta rhubarb forcer the other week to a group of Masters students and not one of them could identify itdespite the offer of a £5 gift voucher for the first (that made them sit up).
At least I can proudly say that I’ve hopefully inspired a small group of (mainly overseas) acorns to investigate the delights of the pink wonder next springtime. But seriosly guys - what do expect from a soul-less manufacturer that’s let Smith & Hawken wither on the vine. Baseless research designed solely for publicity. It’s no wonder people of all ages have reacted indignantly. The media fall for it every the time.