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The Gardening Humour Facebook group has been around since October 2019, and it has a simple mission: it’s “a group for all things humorous, that are gardening or plant related.” And clearly, it’s been quite successful, as the community has amassed over 130k plant lovers over the past few years, who are happy to share hilarious memes and relatable pics with their fellow gardeners. To learn more about how this entertaining group came about, we reached out to the community’s creator, David Griffiths, and lucky for us, he was happy to have a chat with Bored Panda.
First, we wanted to know what inspired David to start this gardening-loving group. “It was simply a marriage between two of the most popular types of groups on Facebook: gardening and humor,” he explained, adding that his main gardening group has just under one million members.
We also asked David what it has been like seeing this community grow so large, and he noted that he never sets any expectations for how successful his groups will become. “I guess if they are good enough, then people will think they are worth joining,” he told Bored Panda. Clearly, many people have found this one to be more than adequate!
Part of the success of the group might come from the fact that David certainly knows what he’s talking about when it comes to gardening. “I have been a keen gardener for over 40 years, about half of those as a professional gardener,” he shared. And when it comes to what he loves about it, he told us, “I think I enjoy the creative side of gardening the most.”
Despite the fact that the group has been around for a few years, it’s still incredibly active. “The group seems to be highly engaged,” David says. Just this week, it has gained over 3,000 new members, and there have been 745 new posts in the past month. And David loves being able to engage with his community. “It’s good to be able to put a smile on peoples' faces,” he told Bored Panda.
We asked the creator if he favors any particular kinds of posts in the group, and he simply shared that any post that makes him laugh is a success. And if you’re interested in getting started growing your own garden, David encourages you to embark on that journey. “Gardening can be challenging, especially when you are new to it, but the physical and mental benefits of gardening are well documented,” he says.
To gain even more insight into what it’s like to be a gardener, we reached out to horticulturist and award-winning author of seven gardening books, Jessica Walliser. Jessica, one of the experts behind Savvy Gardening, was kind enough to share with Bored Panda how she first got into gardening.
“I started working in a greenhouse and flower shop when I was 15 years old. My mother and my nana both had big vegetable gardens, so I’ve always been around plants,” she noted. “When I heard you could make a career out of a love for plants, I knew what my life’s path would be!”
Jessica went on to share that some of her favorite aspects of gardening are being out in nature, absorbing vitamin D and putting her hands in the dirt. “It’s a quiet activity in an otherwise loud and rowdy world. I’m a high-energy extrovert, so I use time in my garden to settle my soul and slow down. It’s therapeutic in a million different ways.”
Jessica also shared that it’s important for gardeners to have a community to be a part of. “Generations of gardeners did this by joining a local garden club or volunteering at a nearby public garden or park, but modern gardeners don’t necessarily have time for a monthly meeting with fellow garden clubbers or countless volunteer hours,” she explained. “Instead, today’s gardeners seek out a community of fellow plant lovers online, where information is free flowing and kindred spirits are easily found.”
“Plus, it’s easy to find ‘your people’ [online],” Jessica added. “If you approach gardening from a scientific angle, find a science-based online gardening community. If you are more about finding the humor in gardening, then seek out a lighthearted community. If you want to know the latest research, there are groups that focus on that. You can also find communities based on your subject of interest: veggie gardening, cut flower growing, houseplants, ‘nerding out’, plant propagation, etc."
But Jessica also reminds readers that they can't always trust what they read online to be accurate. "Find a community to join, but also continue to rely on expert sources for factual gardening info, especially when you are investing a lot of time and money into a garden project or plant," she says.
