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Gardening is probably the most widely recognized and popular hobby in America. What is it about gardening that gives people so much satisfaction? Although I cannot speak for other people, I can try to articulate why I find so much joy in gardening.

I happen to love plants. It doesn't matter whether they are flowering plants, plants grown for their foliage or plants grown for food. I love them no matter what they are. Nothing quite compares to the satisfaction of watching a seed that I planted germinate and grow into a mature plant. A seed planted for a food crop is somehow different, though. It is no less satisfying; it's just different.

For many people like myself, there is great joy to be found in the process of creating a garden. The challenge of taking an area that consists of nothing but dirt or grass and turning it into a beautiful wildlife habitat, tropical paradise, cottage garden, or vegetable garden is nothing short of miraculous to me. When I grow my own vegetables, I feel wonderfully connected to the earth. As a gardener, I become a willing steward, charged with caring for the earth.

There is something incredibly spiritually fulfilling about taking seeds and gently placing them under the surface of the dirt, watering them and then standing back to watch them grow. The same can be said for bulbs, rhizomes and tubers. Every year, as I watch the things I've nurtured grow and multiply, I feel a sense of pride in the knowledge that as my garden expands and matures, it is the things that I have done to nurture it that have allowed this to happen.I don't even mind having to weed my garden because I cherish the feel of that cool soil.

My mother and I often spend time in her garden, working together. We weed, plant, transplant and just enjoy the time together. I never wear gardening gloves, and for some reason, my mother had never noticed that. She asked me why I didn't wear gloves, and I told her that I loved feeling the dirt in and on my hands. I always feel that way when I garden.

One of my greatest joys in gardening is the joy I get from seeing the hummingbirds that arrive at my garden around the second week of March of every year. Unfortunately, for the first month or two that they are around, there isn't much that is mature enough yet to provide them with sufficient nectar. I therefore must keep my sugar water filled feeders out and filled for them. Soon, however, my Rose of Sharon bushes will produce blooms that will provide nectar to both hummingbirds

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