Class, Taste and Gardening - A Taste for Gardening: Classed and Gendered Practices - page 111

which his house was built. The working-class people of this study 'know their place'
as gardeners within a community hierarchy in which they recognise themselves as
followers of rules set by others. For example, several of the working-class gardeners
gardened the council verge between the pavement and the street. This was seen as
part of the community service that they envisaged their gardening to be about. In
this way, as Keith's verge illustrates in Figure 6.1 (see also an illustration of Doris
gardening her verge in Figure 1.1), the garden was not entirely conceived as a private
space. Note how Keith's verge contains a wealth of perennial plants that require
labour and care to maintain.
Generosity to other gardeners was very much a part of the enjoyment of the
experience of gardening. Millie missed greenhouse gardening because growing large

Figure 6.1 Merging Public and Private Space: Keith's Council Verge

quantities of plants from seed meant there was always a surplus to give away. Keith's
generosity was extraordinary: he 'passes on' annuals that he has grown from seed,
'that's a service you know, for friends, neighbours'; and splits herbaceous perennials
for friends or admirers:

Keith : I know there's a couple of people and they often come like, and say, “Oh it's doing
well”, you know, and I've often said, you know, “if you wait while later I'll split it and
I'll bring you some over” and I always give them a good sample of soil as well and I tell
them what position it's been in … shady or well-drained … try and get them the same sort
of setting as what I've had.

He even offers to garden for local elderly gardeners. This ethos of helping others
with the physical work of gardening and sharing seeds and plants comes from a
history of conceptualising gardening as a community endeavour: