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It use to be very common in the south even with those that tended them their selfs. But that was when most female tended them.Now days with two careers most choose more simple hedges because they do not have time to tend to a garden and the porper care that takes.Also people now days tend to do much more away from the home.But if yuou look the soputh has areas where garden are extensive because of course it year raround almost in most areas with the right plantings.Most of those have their own wells for watering in the south.The rich often have vast gardens in the south as its very popular in large tracts but usually in the rear and fenced for privacy.Also even small garden homes are popular especailly with the retired.Southern living is full of gardening and garden examples.Then of course many araes of Mansions of missippi and Louisana;new orleans charleston;savannah are where the rich europeans with vast homes settled and there are wanderful gardens much like english and french gardens.i alweays love to see the wanderful gardens with the huge live oaks with spanish moss when I visit Louisana.my wifes cousin has a liveoak that is around 450 years old and protected under louisana law as a example.
That too makes sense. I did visit Savannah once, long time ago and I remember thinking it was really beautiful.
Speaking of the Southern rich though - they clearly must have their gardens in the rear and nothing in the front, because I remember driving through areas of Buckhead and Sandy Springs (Atlanta) and being downright overwhelmed by the opulence of the real estate. It was gasp after gasp after gasp. Even the richest people in Massachusetts could not even begin to think of that level of opulence. Yet the areas still felt lonely, dry and way too quiet for my taste because I saw no trace of human outside, nor any flowers.
Just "in your face" quiet palaces.
wow ! we have gardens all over the place where i live in southern mississippi.
flowers, veggies, some small, some huge!
and i love mine!
i just wish i had more time and energy
to work outdoors with all my gardens.
Blooming things everywhere here in Central Florida, we are blessed with a lot of rain and a long growing season, 2 seasons, actually.
I have wave petunias in hanging baskets, blooming ginger, crepe myrtles, azaleas, and elephant ears in the front of the house, and a formal herb potager.
An extensive veg garden is located at the back of the house, as well as orange, lemon, peach, and fig trees, and lotus plants and palms by our pond.
Oh, how I love the South! We're on the Delmarva Peninsula, but always go south to vacation. Once, we tried North . What we see in the South are beautifully landscaped, lush, generous gardens and lawns. So picturesque! Love the people, too!
Atlanta just went through a very serious drought. That may have accounted for why there weren't as many gardens as usual in a newer subdivision. Now that the rainy weather has returend, I'm sure things have changed.
Blooming things everywhere here in Central Florida, we are blessed with a lot of rain and a long growing season, 2 seasons, actually.
I have wave petunias in hanging baskets, blooming ginger, crepe myrtles, azaleas, and elephant ears in the front of the house, and a formal herb potager.
An extensive veg garden is located at the back of the house, as well as orange, lemon, peach, and fig trees, and lotus plants and palms by our pond.
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..Syracusa...So my question is: why is it that the South does not seem to have the same interest/love for little gardens and flower pots around the house as Northerners do? Is it that plants in that zone are harder to take care of so most people just don't bother? Is it the heat? Aren't there some adequate plants that could fill Southerners' gardens? Why is it that most of them can't be bothered? Is it cultural - perhaps less interest in natural beauty and more in showing off relatively opulent, large housing?
My front yard is a butterfly garden with fountain, inground and potted plants and yard ornaments for interest, herbs and even some veggies in pots. It is a labor of love. My back yard is covered by oak trees and I have about 30 camillia plants there, as well as, african iris, Florida ferns, caladiums, staghorn ferns, ground orchids, birdnest ferns in pots, crepe myrtles, gingers, begonias, etc, etc. On my street, out of 15 houses, there are about 3-4 that are serious gardeners and the rest make do with neat front yards and shrubs, some veg gardens in the back.
The south is known for its beautiful old gardens.
Geraniums dont grow very well for me here in Central Fl. I guess too much humidity and I tend to keep their feet too wet, I think.But, my neighbor always has them in some pots for part of the year and they look good.
My love of gardening or plants in general, came from my mother and all of her sisters had lovely old roses, camillias or old fashioned plants in their yards.
I've met numerous folks who grew up picking cotton and tobacco by hand as children, and for them working the soil would be like a plumber taking a vacation by cleaning fancy sewer pipes.
see, I dont think that is necessarily true. Though I did not pick cotton, a lot of my family did and the women always, always, had a Louis Phillipe rose, Cape jasmines, crepe myrtles, four o'clocks, honeysuckle, petunias or a big bed of lilies growing out in the front and they were prideful about their plants......LOL.
AnnieA, I have never had good luck with geraniums, either, for the same reasons, I suspect!
Cant believe I forgot to mention my climbing roses on the fence, or my caladiums in pots on the steps coming up to the front door.
My grandmother was a rose consultant for Better Homes and Gardens for many, many years, and fostered my love of gardening.
My mom loves to tell the story about how as soon as I was old enough to realize there were seeds in an apple core, I wanted to go plant the core as soon as I had eaten the apple, I couldnt have been more than 4.
Been gardening ever since!
see, I dont think that is necessarily true. Though I did not pick cotton, a lot of my family did and the women always, always, had a Louis Phillipe rose, Cape jasmines, crepe myrtles, four o'clocks, honeysuckle, petunias or a big bed of lilies growing out in the front and they were prideful about their plants......LOL.
I'm not buying that, either....the grandmother I just spoke of lived on a cotton farm in Southern Missouri her entire life.
My mom grew up hoeing cotton every summer, and loved gardening, too, as did her 3 sisters.
you have obviously hit a nerve accusing Southerns of not loving natural beauty and being too lazy. We Southerners are tired of Northerners coming to our beautiful region and start whining about "Up north we have such and such" and "why don't you people have this and that"
We hear it all the time and get tired of it. Would you go into somebody's home and say "Why is your sofa covered in that yucky fabric?' or "In my house I have the most beautiful rugs. You should have some too."
That is what your original post sounds like and we take offense.
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. What we see in the South are beautifully landscaped, lush, generous gardens and lawns. So picturesque! Love the people, too!
