Unit3Part2

　　Some gardeners plan their garden

　　with meticulous attention to detail.

　　They choose colors that

　　will complement each other

　　and design their garden

　　as if they were

　　painting on a canvas.

　　Others are more spontaneous

　　and simply visit a nursery

　　and purchase plants

　　that appeal to them.

　　Often gardeners have a trademark plant

　　that is their specialty.

　　Perhaps they enjoy the velvet

　　texture of the leaves, or maybe

　　the flowers color attracts them.

　　The varieties of gardens

　　are endless. Terrace gardening

　　has become popular. With

　　a herbal garden, cooks enjoy

　　being able to use fresh herbs

　　from their garden to

　　add zest to their favorite dishes.

　　They simply visit their garden

　　and clip a few pieces of

　　the herb they wish to use.

　　Every garden is as individual

　　as its owner. Gardens come

　　in all shapes and sizes.

　　Some are in the shape

　　of a rectangle, while others

　　are circular or irregular in shape.

　　Some gardeners like the appearance

　　of an asymmetrical shape

　　while others work to

　　achieve symmetry in their gardens.

　　For vegetable gardens, the most

　　popular shape is rectangular

　　and vegetables are usually planted

　　in a linear fashion.

　　This method makes it easier

　　to cultivate between

　　the rows of plants.

　　You could mistake some gardens

　　for a meadow when the gardener

　　chooses to include only

　　wildflowers as a choice of vegetation.

　　Including a pond in

　　a garden is popular too.

　　Entrepreneurs are always looking

　　for innovations and gadgets that

　　will attract the attention

　　of devoted gardeners and

　　induce them to spend their money.

　　It has become a huge industry

　　in the last few years,

　　as the baby boomers reach

　　retirement age and have more time

　　to pursue hobbies such as gardening.

　　There are new products patented

　　every year to tempt the gardener.

　　It is possible to

　　buy a kit that contains

　　a complete set of tools

　　needed by the home gardener.

　　Unfortunately, often the quality

　　is poor and the product

　　is a fraud. Instead of

　　having something good to

　　work with, the purchase

　　turns out to be junk.

　　If you want to flatter

　　a gardener, and boost

　　their ego at the same time,

　　summon up the courage to

　　simply ask if you can

　　swap plants. Of course,

　　it will give them a thrill

　　if you also compliment them

　　on the hardiness of their plants

　　as compared to yours.

　　They might even try to

　　console you on your lack

　　of competence as a gardener

　　because your plants are not

　　as sturdy as their plants.

　　Irrespective of the competence

　　of the gardener, anyone who

　　augments the number of plants

　　grown is helping to conserve

　　our planet by averting erosion.

　　This pays great dividends

　　for everyone as it also

　　serves to protect the ozone layer.

　　Some people erect barricades

　　to keep small animals

　　from attacking the plants.

　　Squirrels love to dig up

　　flower bulbs. They find

　　them a tasty treat.

　　It is common to see

　　ceramic fixtures or figurines

　　in a garden. Even

　　the untrained eye can tell

　　that the imitations are a fake,

　　yet properly placed, they add

　　to the intrinsic beauty.

　　A rain gauge, attached

　　by a bracket to a fence,

　　is a common sight and

　　is used to enable the gardener

　　to diagnose the moisture level

　　of the soil around

　　the plants and determine

　　if they need more water.

　　If nature does not provide

　　enough rain, then the gardener

　　will use a plastic or

　　rubber hose to provide

　　more irrigation. With a twist

　　of a knob, or by moving

　　a lever, the thirst of

　　the plants for moisture

　　can be quenched.What greater pleasure,

　　than to work in your garden

　　and as you clip

　　the overgrown plants back to

　　size or prune branches

　　of fruit trees, hear

　　the buzz of bees?

　　You know that they are

　　enjoying your garden as

　　they extract the pollen

　　from the blooms. You relish

　　the feeling that you are

　　one with nature. The hum

　　of insects as they share

　　the garden is more pleasurable

　　than music from a stereo

　　or a symphony to

　　a devoted gardener. In addition,

　　the scent of the flowers

　　is an integral part

　　of the joy of spending

　　time working in a garden.

　　The irony of the situation

　　is that nature sometimes

　　conspires against the gardener,

　　and a hailstorm can riddle

　　beautiful plants, shredding their leaves

　　in minutes. Hurricanes can uproot

　　even the largest trees

　　although this is an event

　　that seldom occurs in Southern Ontario.

　　Tornadoes are more likely

　　in this area.Parasites can

　　attack plants and threaten their survival.

　　Any number of things

　　can become a plague.

　　It is often difficult

　　to discern exactly what it is

　　that is destroying the precious plants.

　　Any number of complications

　　can shatter the gardeners dream

　　of surpassing last years accomplishment.

　　An authentic gardener will not

　　brood about the disappointment

　　for long. Even as

　　the disaster is occurring,

　　you might overhear the gardener

　　murmur Theres always next year.