Page 1 of 2

Garden

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:39 pm
by Dr. Goodword

• garden •

Pronunciation: gar-dên • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: 1. A plot of land devoted to the cultivation of a variety of flowers and/or vegetables. 2. Such a plot devoted to the cultivation of only one variety: a flower garden, a vegetable garden, a rose garden.

Notes: Several dictionaries claim that the plot must be enclosed. That sense is correct if we consider a lawn an enclosure. However, my gardens, like many of my neighbors', lie around my home unobstructed by fencing. This noun may be used as a verb 'as is', that is, to garden. From this verb we have a gerund, gardening, which may be used as a noun or adjective, plus a personal noun, gardener.

In Play: Did you ever have this problem in your garden? "The foxgloves in my garden don't fit the foxes in the neighborhood." Here is an experience I'll bet many of you enjoy: "April Day loves to sit in her garden with a glass of wine on a warm spring day and watch the last remnants of the sun disappear behind the horizon." I hope you all see our website as a garden of words.

Word History: The reason today's Good Word is associated with enclosures is that French reduced the Late Latin phrase hortus gardinus "enclosed garden" to gardin, at which point Middle English borrowed it. (Today, gardin is jardin in French.) Latin borrowed gardinus from a Germanic language; its normal derivation from the PIE root was hortus, from which horticulture derives. English already had the Germanic version of the Proto-Indo-European ancestor of gardinus in geard "enclosure", which went on to become yard. The Russian word gorod "city" came from the same root back in the days when cities had high walls. We see an earlier version of the word in the names of former Soviet cities: Leningrad, Stalingrad, Volgograd. (Let's all wish Christy Nichols gardens of happiness for her suggestion of today's Good Word.)

Re: Garden

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 5:33 am
by MTC
Defining a "garden" as "A plot of land devoted to the cultivation of a variety of flowers and/or vegetables" is like defining the Taj Mahal as "a mausoleum." It leaves out a lot. Gardens are one of mankind's crowning achievements. They are places of leafy repose, of philosophical and spiritual inspiration. They are islands of beauty in an often ugly world. They are many things more than Farmer McGregor's cabbage patch. When we cultivate gardens we make love to the land.

Re: Garden

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 1:29 pm
by LukeJavan8
I'd love to have a 'secret garden' as in the movie.

Re: Garden

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 11:39 pm
by Philip Hudson
There are some subtle themes that run through "The Secret Garden" by Burnett. This is similar to the Disney movies "The Lion King" and "Pocahontas". Subtle themes can weaken one's own philosophy if she/he isn't on guard.

Re: Garden

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 12:16 am
by Perry Lassiter
What if the subtle themes are compatible with your philosophy?

Re: Garden

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:02 am
by call_copse
The main theme for me of the Secret Garden is that accepted wisdom often diverges from common sense, and when you note this occurring, don't be afraid to go ahead and think for yourself.

I'm guessing the rejected theme in this case involves the mystical elements related to Christian Science and God as life force. Personally I only see different ways of looking at the world, and while rejecting anything mystical, including Christianity in general, I can enjoy the perspectives found within.

Overall I'll go along with the garden of any type being restorative and am happy that modern town planning at least in the UK goes along with that theme.

Re: Garden

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 2:07 pm
by LukeJavan8
I just like the 'hidden', secretive place aspect. I am working at
making my yard into such. Already I cannot see the houses of
any of my neighbors. Don't know any of them anyhow, so does
not matter. Yes I know the psychological aspects of this,
but, hey, it's my yard, and am becoming 'reclusive' in my old
age I guess. Tells a lot about me, I'm afraid, am closer to you
all here, than any neighbor, and there is no law saying just
because you live next to someone you have to have community
with them. Oh, well, I just love the garden. My bee balm are
seeding, and birds are happy, and Monarch are all over my
milkweed.

Re: Garden

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 4:24 pm
by Philip Hudson
Perry: If subtle themes are compatible with your philosophy they will do one of two things: confirm it or expose it to you as doubtful or weak. I have no problem with incompatible philosophies or with subtle themes. I just want people to be sure to look for subtle themes in whatever they read or view. Else one might take on a philosophy unawares. C. S. Lewis in his little book “The Abolition of Man” presents analyses of subtle themes in popular English literature textbooks for high school students. One particular incident was from a book debunking the existence of anything sublime and mocking Coleridge’s description of a waterfall. This was during WW II. No matter what your philosophy, I commend this little book to everyone. It can be read in a single sitting.

Re: Garden

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 8:22 pm
by MTC
And speaking of unifying themes, I share Luke's and cal-copse's notion of the garden as a secret, restorative place. That's the effect I tried to achieve in our last home in L.A. behind an eight foot eugenia hedge which surrounded the property. Recessed into the hedge I sank doors of distressed wood to give an Alice-in-Wonderland, secret garden effect. White roses climbing over garden arches greeted visitors as they entered through the doors from the street. A curved path over the sweeping lawn led to the front door. Bouganvilla spilled abundantly over the palladain windows of the two-story, vintage Spanish home, and wisteria hung from the triple-arched trellis which extended from the house to the pool. Breezes on a warm day spread the smell of jasmine, and numerous wind chimes in the trees added their sunny, mellow notes. Against it all the San Gabriel mountains formed a silent backdrop. Was it beautiful? Yes it was! A slice of heaven? To be sure! Refuge from the stresses of a hectic law practice, from screaming clients and angry judges, from demanding employees, from traffic-numbed freeways, from the whole screwy soap opera that is modern urban life. My secret garden and refuge are now only a memory, but like Wordsworth's daffodils, "They flash upon that inward eye. Which is the bliss of solitude;. And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils..."

Re: Garden

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 8:39 pm
by Philip Hudson
My real garden tends to tomatoes, peppers, squash and cowpeas. In this turbulent, troubled World, I could not exist if I didn't have a secret garden to regale me with Wordsworth's daffodils and other delights of the imagination.

Re: Garden

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 9:45 pm
by LukeJavan8
"They flash upon that inward eye. Which is the bliss of solitude;. And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils..."


I wish I could have seen it.

Re: Garden

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 6:32 am
by call_copse
"They flash upon that inward eye. Which is the bliss of solitude;. And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils..."


I wish I could have seen it.
I'll second that. Wisteria is always good. Sounds like a nice place for a glass of wine or two.

Re: Garden

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 11:43 am
by LukeJavan8
Interestingly an article in today's paper about a local
hospital for cancer patients. It is building a garden full of
trees, shrubs, perennial, seasonal flowers available all the time
for patients and families. Quite large. they must have been
reading this thread.

Re: Garden

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 11:55 pm
by MTC
You'd all be invited if I still lived there. On one occasion friends from Bideford, England stayed with us for a while. The more the merrier!

Re: Garden

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 9:45 pm
by bamaboy56
My garden has seven raised beds and leans toward the vegetable in nature. Recently I planted two types of lemon trees and one grapefruit tree, though. To round it out, I also planted marigolds and impatiens. It also has some type of flowering tree I don't know the name of, some cacti, a large Rose of Sharon and a crepe myrtle. Nice place to relax and forget the weight of the world. A few hours of work there sure puts things into perspective.