WHAT TYPE OF GARDENER ARE YOU?

Discover regional options to learn more and dig in

Gardeners, like plants, come in all shapes and sizes. Some individuals learn from reading books, blogs and manuals. All those vivid descriptions and bright pictures generate ideas for their gardens. Others watch YouTube, Instagram and television shows that feature gorgeous gardens where the workload feels easy. As they observe from a distance, they learn the experts’ approach to landscaping. It’s relaxing viewing, and you get to see an instant garden transformation. Colorful media, whether in print or on the screen, spurs ideas. There are some who sign up for hands-on classes and workshops where gardeners learn by doing. This helps them understand and remember information, which improves their confidence and motivation. Which one are you? Perhaps, you might be a combination of the following. 

Photo: James River Media

The explorers
There are those who spend hours poring over garden books and seed catalogs. Their long winter days are filled with making lists and sketching articulate drawings for new beds and choosing plants to fit in them. These researchers take great care making detailed plans for spring, summer and fall plantings. They may prefer flowers to bloom in each season or desire a certain style of landscaping like ecoscaping for healthy native lawns. These self-taught gardeners are good to know as they often enjoy loaning their garden books and talking to their neighbors who walk by and admire their flora. Getting time with them is where new gardeners glean ideas for good seed catalog companies, and many of them know The Old Farmer’s Almanac predictions and how they may impact your garden for the upcoming seasons. 

Photo Courtesy of Sharon Burnham

The gatherers
Some gardeners are inspired by learning alongside others. These horticulturists often attend programs with speakers who concentrate on a specific topic for each meeting. Garden Clubs are ideal for their style where every gathering offers a presenter who teaches about the flora and fauna in their communities. Many local garden clubs are members of state-wide and nation-wide organizations, and while some have strict structures, other garden groups like Wild Ones or Tree Stewards, have open membership where anyone can join by paying an annual membership fee. 

Photos: Amanda Smithson

Some local garden clubs are members of the Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs. Their mission provides youth and adult education resources and opportunities for members to promote a love of gardening, floral design and civic and environmental responsibility. Other local garden clubs belong to a different organization, The Garden Club of Virginia. Those clubs come together each spring to host the largest garden tour in America — Historic Garden Week — which is held the last week of April each year and funds the restoration of historic gardens all over the state of Virginia. Both of these groups divide Virginia into six regions so their member clubs can meet as a geographical group a few times a year to exchange information and ideas on gardening. 

Some garden clubs are chapters of national organizations like the Wild Ones. Lynchburg started a seedling chapter this fall. As Blue Ridge Conservation grew and gained more responsibility, they decided to morph into a Wild Ones Chapter and acquire new members. “We want to be sustainable,” says Bette Bibee, a Wild Ones group member. Wild Ones provides a great organizational structure and joining their local chapter entails an easy online application and annual fee. Each meeting offers business reports and then moves to hands-on learning often after a speaker lectures on a subject such as starting native plants from seeds. Roanoke, Richmond, Norfolk and Virginia Beach have full-fledged chapters, and Lynchburg started a seedling chapter this fall. 

Jennifer Sittason has served as a member of Blue Ridge Conservation since 2019 and most recently as president. She worked with several members of the Lynchburg Garden Club and Hillside Garden Club to transition Blue Ridge Conservation to a Wild Ones Seedling Chapter. Bibee says their group was inspired to transition to a Wild Ones Seedling Chapter because “Wild Ones does a great job supplying resources. They have lots of zoom lectures, native plant information, native garden designs and lots of sourcing information.” 

In their new structure as a Wild Ones Seedling Chapter, they plan to continue work they started in conjunction with the Lynchburg BEE City Working Committee and Hummingbird Hill Native Plant Nursery in Free Union, Va., creating native garden plans using local genotype plant material. The plans are free to the public and ideal for all Central Virginia garden conditions — sunny, dry, moist, shady. Future plans include demonstration gardens that will use plant material from each design. These gardens will be accessible for the public to visit and learn about native plants. 

Photo Courtesy of Jennifer Sittason

Tree Stewards is another active group. They are an all-volunteer group who work with Lynchburg’s Urban Forester on a monthly basis to prune young street trees, plant new trees and promote public awareness of the benefits of trees. The Tree Steward’s mission is “to promote and support a healthy urban forest through volunteer activities and community education for the benefit of all citizens.” These volunteers work with the Urban Forester to promote conservation initiatives all across Lynchburg. 

Photos Courtesy of Bette Bibee

Our parks, medians and “tree streets” (those strips of grass and trees that fit between the sidewalk and city streets) look so much better thanks to the countless hours of hard work that the Tree Stewards donate to our community. The city couldn’t do it without them. 

The teachers
Our final group of gardeners want to learn as much as possible about gardening in a formal education setting and then use their knowledge to teach others. Master Gardener programs meet their needs. Those who study to become Master Gardeners are volunteer educators who provide research-based gardening information to the public through seminars and lectures. Master Gardeners keep up with the latest information on pests, disease and recent science-backed plant knowledge. These stalwart teachers make a meaningful difference in their communities. 

“This volunteer training program operates through the local extension offices, [and] trains individuals who are passionate about gardening,” says Scott Baker, Senior Extension Agent in Bedford. “It is a certification for lifelong learners who like to educate themselves and others in the science and the art of gardening.” Students learn in classes and through self-study, then pass a test to be certified as a Master Gardener.
Photo: Amanda Smithson

One piece of certification is giving back. Once the student becomes the master, they volunteer each month to educate their community on gardening and horticulture. It is a volunteer job where you continually learn as you research issues other gardeners encounter, give lectures on pest management and help train new Master Gardeners. If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener, Baker advises: “Go to the website, read about the program and use the link to sign up; each community has its own administrative extension office which is tied back to the land grant universities — Virginia Tech and Virginia State University.” BedfordAreaMasterGardeners.org or hcmga.com for the Lynchburg area. 

Choices abound for learning about gardening. Investigate some of these options, talk to friends and neighbors who garden, then take a walk on the wild side and try out one of these great garden organizations. Or, perhaps, head to your local bookstore or library and dive deep into reading. After all, there are many types of gardeners, and learning comes in many styles. It can be an adventure finding out which one is yours! ✦