What Kind of Gardener Are You?

Datura is a genus of nine species of highly poisonous, vespertine-flowering plants belonging to the nightshade family. Shown here volunteering out of a crack in the patio—attracting sphinx moths at night. | Mary Sirgo

By: Mary Sirgo, Permian Basin Master Gardener

As the weather warms here in Texas, I find it increasingly difficult to focus on the demands of daily life. The garden calls my name a bit louder each time, and I grow to resent the obligations that keep me staring at a screen instead of taking in the sky. In attending seed swaps, tabling events, and garden workdays, I am consistently learning new motivations for gardening. If you do not spend time in the gardening world, it can be easy to imagine that gardeners are all the same—a monoculture of people who plant things in the ground to watch them grow. If you spend even a few days amongst gardening communities, it becomes immediately clear that there is a vast range of interests, pursuits, values, and philosophies.

Some gardeners are driven by production. The vegetable gardener is practical, observant, and often highly strategic. They are paying attention to timing, spacing, and soil health to achieve a predictable outcome. There is a clear sequence to what they do each year: plant, tend, harvest, repeat. Success is measured by what makes it to the table.

Others are drawn to beauty. The cut-flower gardener thinks in terms of design principles. They are noticing color, shape, texture, and how something will look, not just in the ground but also arranged

and brought indoors. There is an artistry to their work, and an understanding that a garden can be both functional and expressive.

Then there are those who garden with something else in mind entirely. The pollinator gardener is paying attention to who shows up. The presence of bees, butterflies, and birds indicates they are doing something right. Their garden may adhere to conventional landscapes, but it is alive in a way that is hard to replicate. They are willing to leave things a little undone, trusting that the system knows what it’s doing.

And of course, there is the chaos gardener. You know who you are, and if we are honest, there are days when we all bring a bit of chaos to our outdoor spaces. A plant catches your eye, and you find a place for it. You come across a packet of seeds, and you scatter them. There is less of a plan and more of a willingness to try. Some things thrive, some things don’t, but there is always movement. Over time, even chaos reveals patterns, and nature promotes the species that will endure.

Most of us are not just one type. We might grow vegetables in one bed, plant flowers for cutting in another, and leave a corner for pollinators to do what they will. We might start with a plan and abandon it halfway through the season. We might learn, adjust, and try again.

What matters is not the category, but the awareness. When you understand what draws you to the garden, you can work with that instinct instead of against it. You can make choices that feel aligned with your time, your space, and your goals, rather than trying to meet an expectation that may not fit.

We may all garden for different reasons, but we all reap the same rewards. We all promote a healthy lifestyle that centers on time in nature; we beautify our communities; and we sustain life—whether it’s vegetables for our families, habitat for our pollinator friends, or the plant material itself.

To connect with a community of gardeners of all kinds and discuss your gardening questions, call the AgriLife office in Odessa at 498-4071 or in Midland at 686-4700. Additional information is available at westtexasgardening.org.