I have admit to being a little irritated with a vibe I got off the round of tweets and posts that seem to be a reaction to some discussion at the recent Garden Writers Association conference. I wasn’t there, so I can only comment on my impression of the subsequent talk about how different/ uninterested/ unique/ all of the above, etc. that Gen X and Gen Y gardeners are. My irritation comes from a sense that a lot of this talk went on amongst a lot of non Gen X/Y gardeners, writers, and professionals and that there was a whole lot of generalizing and presuming going on. A few blogs and twitter have had some lively debate, and as a result, Fern over at Life on the Balcony has created a survey to try and sort out some facts. So, if you are a GenX/Y reader of this blog (i.e. born between roughly 1965 and 1990), can you do a favor, and go on over and fill out that survey so some better information can be lent to the debate.
Interesting survey – I look forward to seeing the results!
Thanks for letting us genYers know about that. I’m 30 and happen to love gardening. And your blog. 🙂
I find the boomer laments kind of entertaining. They all seem to say “Hey, kids, get on my lawn!”
Ryan — you are my fav. comment today.
Gardening has the positive aspect of ‘slowing you down’ …some young folks find it unsettling in our fast paced world. As a GenYer I have found and worked with many young farmers, and youth who know how to grow food, using organic methods. That is a vibrant community. I am also finding many very excited Gen X/Yers in the sustainable landscape design world. I don’t however find genYers who are excited about horticulture/’gardening, which is a pity.