The sheer fact that this title prompted you to read this post is a small window exposing that you probably do care what your neighbours think about your post – or maybe you had nothing else better to do. I’ll assume the former and try to answer how it is that we can petition our neighbours to respect us, as gardeners, and our gardens.

If you’re an approval addict, like me, then getting the respect of your neighbourhood for your gardening achievements is possibly a deep-seated motivation. You long for people to take you seriously in this hobby and casually hope to overhear whispers where your name, your garden, and the phrase “I wish my garden was like hers” are mentioned in the same conversation.

And it’s not an atrocious desire to have, yet if it’s your only motivation for gardening then you may want to book yourself in for a few counseling sessions.

So, in this post I’m going to assume that you have a healthy appetite for earned respect. While you garden for yourself and the sheer enjoyment of it you also hold a desire for others within your location to appreciate your art – and as a garden artist, I think it was Kim who I first read coining the term, we love our masterpieces to be admired.

How do you earn the respect of those around you?

These days it seems like a border of spring/summer flowering bulbs and annuals won’t “cut the mustard” as it did in previous decades. People are more in tune with the environment and taking steps to ensure its well-being. So, watching someone pour chemical fertiliser and pet-harming snail pellets over their garden is likely to evoke feelings of angst rather than admiration.

The longer I garden the more of an education I receive and in some ways I’d like for my garden to be educational to those around me. I desire to always be on the cutting edge of making my yard sustainable, yet comfortable, and still a canvas of colour and beauty. If those who view it were to capture any part of that then I would feel that my efforts were rewarded.

And part of being respected is found in respecting others. Am I willing to learn from the lady down the street? Or do I diss her garden because it doesn’t fit my preferred gardening style? I think most people who tend their gardens, whether they call themselves gardeners or not, have something to offer and I believe that I will only earn their respect when I take time to consider, and accept, some of the tips and suggestions they propose.

But the big question isn’t whether the non-gardening fraternity will accept our artwork but instead those who have some garden acumen are possibly the people we most likely seek for some kudos. Admittedly, who wouldn’t want some gardening celeb to phone you requesting an interview? Or, the head of Kew Blotanical Gardens to seek you out requesting your opinion on some garden-related matter? We all would.

I’ve come to the point in my gardening journey where enjoyment of the small things ensures others’ admiration of the big things. And usually it’s only the big things they see – the micro is often overlooked. Therefore, my attention to detail in making my compost, as an example, has become the basis of my garden. If I can get that right then the rest will follow: my soil will be productive, my plants – healthy and my flowers – abundant.

The activities that others don’t see will become the reason why they will respect me as a gardener and, hopefully, my garden.

But I could be wrong. What are the factors that you think gain respect for you as a gardener? I’d love to hear your thoughts and continue the conversation.