Hi, Today I read a comment online saying I should not seek gardening advice from a plant collector. I should only seek advice from a gardener. How will I know the difference?

Isn't this a problem in many fields? Other than evidence of some credentials, you never know who is talking. Best advice is to listen to many. If one says A and 8 say B, I might lean toward B. Gene

Aspen7 said:Hi, Today I read a comment online saying I should not seek gardening advice from a plant collector. I should only seek advice from a gardener. How will I know the difference?

I might just need to take offense at who ever is making that broad statement.

First of all....
A collector can explain how different varieties compare in the garden...

A gardener can tell you what his experience has been with plant A, but probably not why plant A is easier to grow in his area than plant B.

What specific advice are you seeking?

A lot of weekend gardeners are out there cutting the wilted flowers from stuff, and a full time gardener who collects plants would strongly advise against that wasteful practice...

Now.... A collector who has a greenhouse full of hot house flowers probably couldn't advise you on growing tomatoes.... But a tomato collector... Probably could advise you on taste, ease of growth, and any number of things that a weekend gardener really couldn't...

So...
What specially are you struggling with?

stone said:

I might just need to take offense at who ever is making that broad statement.

First of all....
A collector can explain how different varieties compare in the garden...

A gardener can tell you what his experience has been with plant A, but probably not why plant A is easier to grow in his area than plant B.

What specific advice are you seeking?

A lot of weekend gardeners are out there cutting the wilted flowers from stuff, and a full time gardener who collects plants would strongly advise against that wasteful practice...

Now.... A collector who has a greenhouse full of hot house flowers probably couldn't advise you on growing tomatoes.... But a tomato collector... Probably could advise you on taste, ease of growth, and any number of things that a weekend gardener really couldn't...

So...
What specially are you struggling with?

Well I don't remember where I read it at this point. It was to the effect that a collector just collects plants. Some live, some die, then they go buy more. The gardener learns the art. Something like the difference between a breeder and a puppy mill. Not judging just asking.

Depends on whether you want to grow what the collector collects or a different plant. Most hybridizers have to collect alot of the type of plant
they want to hybridize. They usually have the best collections and are
experts in their area. They may not have alot of knowledge of other plants.
A gardener may be more of a jack of all trades, and maybe a master of none of what they grow. I do not mean this to be rude to gardeners, just meaning gardeners collect a broader base of knowledge. Gardeners can also master a specific plant, but it's not a requirement for being a good gardener.
May you be blessed with a wonderful month!

LOL -- I don't think there is an official definition of "gardener" or "plant collector" -- so no real way to define which is the one to seek advice from. There are lots of people with gardens, some with more experience, some with less. I would say they are all "gardeners."

The great thing about a site like this one is that we have a large group of people with a cumulative vast amount of experience... and, as the owner of a totally different website (not related to gardening) once said -- "All of us are smarter than any of us."

I like that quote.

Aspen7 said:
Well I don't remember where I read it at this point. It was to the effect that a collector just collects plants. Some live, some die, then they go buy more. The gardener learns the art. Something like the difference between a breeder and a puppy mill. Not judging just asking.

K...
My concept of "collector"

https://books.google.com/books...

Still curious what your original question was.... The question that had someone making vague unsubstantiated remarks about collectors vs gardeners....

LOL, I consider myself a quasi (seemingly; apparently but not really) gardener and plant collector.

I wish I were a serious gardener but with age my attention span has become like that of a gnat, flitting from one thing to another. Nowadays my gardening skills are just puttzing (my sister's word) around the garden; pulling weeds, pinching back this and that, occasionally planting something or dragging garden hoses and watering cans around to water.

I've also been a quasi plant collector for many years ( both house plants and garden plants.) I've been known to visit a nursery or garden center and see a pretty plant that catches my eye and I purchase it just to get home and find that I already own one ... or two, of the same exact plant! I've also been known to purchase plants with really good intentions of coming right home and getting them planted or perhaps planting them tomorrow and I blame it on the fact that I live in Florida because months or even a year or two later ... there they still sit.

I love garden.org I've learned so much from the knowledgeable as well as the novice gardeners here! It's just so amazing to have a site like this with such friendly, funny, gracious and caring members who are always willing to share advice, tips and their love of gardening, no matter their level of experience.

Maybe check out nancy ondra's blog as an example of a collector's garden...

https://hayefield.com/

That's a lot of plants. Looks robust with plants but healthy.

The problem with words is that they have different meanings to different people, and sometimes we get to tied up in the minutia. I think all gardeners are people who like to grow plants. That can be plants of many kinds or multiples of one. Probably it's a waste of time to worry about which is better then the other, or that there is a major difference in their abilities as a gardener. (IMHO) We as humans sometimes get caught up in the evaluation of others. We seem to need to have things quantified, graded, and organized for some reason. I have times when I think I am a good gardener, and other times I would be embarrassed to have someone see my gardens. But the important issue is that I garden for ME! If I am happy with it, that's all that matters. If I'm not happy with it, then I need to do something about it.

Wise words. I will also garden for myself. I did not like the look of the gardens in those links. I need more clarity. I intend to grow veggies.

It is all very relative. Learned that when I was in Viet Nam. We'd be sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves and someone way worse off than us would walk into the tent. Gene

I may be he who is worse.

Aspen7 said: I intend to grow veggies.

Finally....
an answer to my question...

Hmmm...
You know, Nan grows veggies too...
Matter of fact, when she was offering seeds at the end of the year... I got some corn from her.

Corn sounds great along with tomatoes and melons.

It seems to me that I am neither...............*sigh*...............judging from what I have all around here, I appear to be a hoarder.

However, I think that there are a few things that are not gonna see heat this winter. I've taken leaf starts from all the orchid cactus. I have at least a dozen pieces and I'd like to plant them all in one container. Anyone have any ideas what would be good for this and show them off? Haven't been able to gather my brain around that one. Maybe I'll wander over to a more appropriate forum and ask.........perhaps the Containers forum.

I plan to hoard something soon enough when I decide what it will be. I hope doing so will not impede my growth as a budding master gardener.

oops...wrong thread