ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, June 2, 1996 TAG: 9606040013
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: D-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
THIS is the year the first of America's baby boomers turn 50. It's a milestone that brings with it a certain sense of deja vu. For the generation that ushered in the Age of Aquarius is once again wielding "Flower Power."
According to a recent survey by the Rodale Institute, baby boomers have sparked a boom in gardening. The survey found that over the past three years the number of Americans who identify themselves as gardeners has risen more than 30 percent. Baby boomers make up the largest single group of gardeners, representing just over 60 percent, the Rodale survey found.
Says Bruce Butterfield of the National Gardening Association, an organization that tracks the $22 billion U.S. gardening industry, "Traditionally people's interest in gardening grows as they get older. It starts in their late 30s and 40s and really takes off when they reach their 50s. Statistically, the influence of baby boomers is just beginning to be felt. We've literally just scratched the surface."
Government research bears him out. U.S. Census Bureau statistics reveal that an estimated 10,000 baby boomers turn 50 each day. As the boomers continue to mature, they will have a significant effect on the statistical profile of the population. By the time they're eligible for retirement benefits, it is estimated that surviving baby boomers will have pushed the country's median age up by 15 percent.
Polls show that the post war generation's gardening interest has already pushed the gardening hobby to first place among America's preferred outdoor activities.
"This generation has had a significant effect on the lifestyle and popular culture of every era they've passed through," says Todd Steadman, editor of Garden Gate magazine. "This seems to hold true for gardening as well."
Steadman, whose year-old magazine is itself part of the gardening boom, says that today's gardeners differ from previous generations in that they are more environmentally aware and more pressed for time.
Low maintenance is a trend
"People garden for a variety of reasons," explains Steadman, "but many cite the desire to improve their immediate environment. They like gardening work, but they also want to have time to enjoy their gardens. With today's hectic lifestyles, time is definitely a commodity in short supply."
The interest in low maintenance has put a focus on products that save time in the garden. Plants that are naturally resistant to disease, and therefore need no spraying or dusting, top the list. "Everyone wants to have beautiful, colorful flowers," says Steadman. "But if the price for that is going to be endless spraying and pruning, then people today tend to think twice."
Steadman advises that disease-resistant varieties can be found in most nurseries and garden centers. They range from plants native to an area, and thus naturally adapted to the conditions, to plants that have been especially bred for hardiness and disease-resistance.
A good example of the latter, says Steadman, is a new disease-resistant rose called Flower Carpet. "Normally when you think of roses, you think spraying. Most hybrids are susceptible to diseases like black spot and mildew. The Flower Carpet rose, however, was bred to be naturally resistant to those rose diseases.
"What makes this plant particularly interesting is that it's not a 'give up to get' situation. It's a low-growing groundcover rose. It flowers abundantly all season long. It doesn't need fancy pruning and, of course, it doesn't need to be sprayed with fungicides. This is the kind of plant we're going to be seeing more of."
The era of brand name plants
According to Anthony Tesselaar, whose company Flower Carpet International holds the license for Flower Carpet roses in several countries around the world, the demand for new "easy care" varieties comes at an opportune time.
"Breeders today have the opportunity to protect their creations with patent rights or what in some countries are called Plant Breeders Rights or PBR. This makes it economically possible to spend the time and money necessary to create these disease-hardy, easy-to-grow plants for the market place."
Tesselaar says that patent protection also will make shopping at the garden center easier for consumers, especially novice gardeners.
"We're going to be seeing more brand names on plant material in garden centers. This is a good thing for consumers because they will be able to identify and develop trust in the brands that have performed well for them in the past, just as they do with grocery and other package products."
Technology to tackle garden chores
Other time-saving garden innovations offer ways to reduce mundane gardening chores such as plant feeding and watering. New timed-release fertilizers use thin polymer coatings to release plant foods slowly and evenly. This reduces the number of feedings necessary from once a week with traditional water soluble mixes to once every six months with some technologies. Experts point out that these fertilizers have environmental benefits too, as they "spoon feed" plants according to the plants' needs, reducing the potential for runoff of excess nutrients into ground water.
New, easy-to-use automatic timers make watering chores easy. They turn an ordinary hose and sprinkler into an automatic irrigation system, allowing gardeners to water in the prime early morning hours without getting out of bed to do so, and to water while on vacation.
Another work-saver is porous synthetic landscape fabric that can be spread on a garden bed under a layer of mulch. This space-age material prevents weeds from growing, while allowing water to seep through to plant roots.
The modern garden marketplace also offers a wide variety of power equipment from blowers to string trimmers and rotary tillers that can tackle garden tasks quickly and easily, leaving time for people to relax in and enjoy their gardens.
As affluent 50-plus baby boomers continue to join the growing ranks of gardeners, the industry can expect boom times. In the meantime, the rest of the country can expect greener pastures as the post-war generation's "cultural contributions" take a horticultural twist and the boomers turned to bloomers set their sights on 60.
LENGTH: Long : 112 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. The Flower Carpet rose is a low-growing groundcoverby CNBrose. 2. As an 'easy care" variety, it is bred to be naturally
resistant to rose diseases. color.