Douglas wrote:
[QUOTE

Nobody said it should. However, many offspring go through a stage
where they feel obliged to ignore/escape their parents influence,

****
They do the birds, I do the insects.
Suppose it comes from years of being dragged round places all over the
country.
It is just the way I am, but I usually like the more unusual things
anyway.
Birds are too common anyway ;-)
****

IME,
enthusiasm for gardening usually lies dormant until the younger
generation is old enough to have left home and find their own small
patch of bare earth to potter in.

****
I always help in the garden weeding and just generally tidying things
up.
Having bought some pot plants and Bonsais, I am not interested in
their upkeep.
No doubt I'll expand my activities in the future.
****

Schools surely still get children involved with growing mustard and
cress at
least,

****
Yes, we grew cress once or twice
****

or working on a wildlife garden in the grounds ?

****
Are you kidding?, although my area isn't all that bad, I can still see
it being destroyed by groups of neds, which is a real shame.
We wouldn't really have anywhere to put it anyway.
****

Flanders! Get out of the school garden.

I knew there was something not right-diddly-ight about him.



This might be
partly why some younger people get involved later

****
I was a late developer........

(Well, ok, starting to get into entemology when I was 19 is hardly
late, but it simplifies things).

It's interesting how some young people take to gardening (or not)
independent of their parents. My father, who was given a market garden as a
wedding present, drank the proceeds and ruled with the back of the hand.
Most of my brothers and sisters don't have anything to do with gardening but
everywhere I move to gets turned into an allotment.

I'm in Cowley, Oxford now which is residential but my back garden is a
wildlife orchard and I'm lucky that it backs onto a larger orchard area.
Birds aplenty!


Richard.