Are gardeners an elitist bunch? According to cultural anthropologist Jane Nadel-Klein as quoted in the Houston Chronicle online, garden snobbery is on the rise as more and more gardeners set their sights on the unusual and the trendy. Nadel-Klein points out the class bias against filling your garden with common annuals, like pansies and petunias, including the tee shirt you've probably all seen that reads, "Friends don't let friends buy annuals."

I am guilty of many gardening 'Don'ts' and my Latin is often corrected. I like to think that's how I learn. So I try not to judge other gardeners too harshly, although I'm sure I do judge. Some people are born gardeners, but I also think many a great gardener is made through perseverance and enjoyment.

Do you think the designation ‘Gardener’ should be reserved for people who know what they’re doing? That true gardeners should know (and use) the Latin names for plants and you can judge a garden by the distinctiveness of its plants. Or is anyone who enjoys getting their hands dirty and swapping slug stories a gardener?

Could it be that we've taken a hobby that comes with dirty finger nails, bug spray, mud boots and all and turned into garden snobs? Cast your vote below. If more than one answer applies, feel free to vote again. We're all friends here, right?

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