GARDENING IS BOTH SCIENCE & AN ART

Garden is a place for growing flowers, fruit or vegetables for pleasure or profit. Gardening differs from farming. Gardening is done on a smaller scale.

A garden may be small as a formal, parklike garden. Usually, it is a simple bed of flowers or shrubs in a front or backyard and provides flowers and vegetables for the home. It is also a pleasent place to sit or stroll during most seasons.

Gardening is both a science and an art. Gardeners must plan ahead. Some plants are annuals. They die after blooming and new seeds must be sown again for the next season. Marigold, Zinnia, Petunia, Melon and Bean are typical annuals, and they are plented each spring.

A number of plants, such as Carrot, Beetroot, forget-me-not, are biennials. They bloom for two summers but must then be replanted for the third. Perennials are plants that bloom every season and only rarely need reseeding. They include neem, mango, guava, etc. Perennials survive through cold winters by having a strong system of underground roots or woody stems and roots.

Soil is an important consideration for gardeners. Some plants grow best in rich, loamy soils, such as those found in forests. Others thrive in loose, sandy soils or in clays. Often, fertilizers improve the quality of the flowers or vegetables.

Rock gardens are quite popular. They consist of rocks and soil scattered around in which colourful plants can take roots and flourish. Rock gardens are made to reseamble rocky hillsides and similar attractive settings for flowers.

It is difficult to say when gardening began as an art. The ancient Egyptians were known to have carefully arranged plants along the banks of irrigation canals; in ancient Babylonia, King Nebuhandnezzar II (604 - 562 B.C.) created the famous "Hanging Gardens", one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Floating gardens were created by Aztecs in what is now Mexico. They had put layers of soil on rafts and cultivated plants upon them.

A different type of garden was created in the Renaissance by Italian designers. They developed the formal garden, with bushes, trees, flower beds, and paths carefully arranged in regular patterns. Fountains and statues were added as centrepieces.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, English gardeners favoured natural - looking creations. By the end of 19th century greenhouses were added. Today these green-houses are used for research into Botany and for growing rare plants.