Emergence of social discussion

In terms of visual appearance, Kotipuutarha Magazine was modernized already in the 1970s, and the use of color photos became common. The Garden was rather modest in appearance, until the magazine was reformed and modernized in stages, starting from the 1990s. In the 2000s the layout became extremely ascetic and sophisticated, and the magazine started to feature new types of articles. Along with the change in appearance, the magazine also started to engage more in social discussion. An example of this is an article from 1996 in which Stephan Lacey – an author and broadcaster with a lifelong interest in gardening – explains the subject of trees in the urban landscape, and believes that gardeners can play a part in the revitalizing of towns and cities; or an article from 2001, in which Steve Windsor reflects that "creating a wildlife pond is not just the altruistic gardener;

residents such as this toad will consume slugs and even snails in large number".

The Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society / The Garden has throughout the whole period under study featured various interesting gardens and their owners.

This is exemplified in, for example, an article published in 1986, in which

“superb plantsman” Lewis Hart’s garden is presented by author Alex Pankhurst.

The article is a story from rubble to paradise. For Hart gardening has become an absorbing passion. He emphasizes learning from other people’s gardens, books and nurseries. He enjoys the challenge of difficult plants and creating much from very little and takes pleasure in pointing out the many rarities to Pankhurst. The lack of space has fuelled his interest in container planting and there are ten sinks in the garden, each one a miniature garden. (1986: 374-378.) Stories like these did not become common in Kotipuutarha Magazine until the 1990s.

The lively social discussion of The Garden never really landed in Kotipuutarha Magazine, where the focus revolved around the aesthetic pleasures and innovations that were restructuring consumption. In the Finnish gardens of recent years, in times of prosperity, materialness and consumption have increasingly appeared alongside the values of production and gain, or pleasure. They are motored by dreams and images, as described by Campbell, that are realized in the garden in myriad ways. In the consumption of garden products the creation of images, experiences and fulfillment of dreams play an increasingly significant role. The Kotipuutarha Magazine still includes practical advice on how to design and maintain gardens, but its visual style and selection of content have undergone a major change. More effective illustrations, together with top-quality paper and advanced printing technology, have enabled a stronger emphasis on the visual aspects of the magazine. Gardens, or certain parts of them, sometimes even in

extreme detail, are featured in artwork-like photos. A similar development can also be seen in the British magazine. In personality profile articles the garden is presented as strongly linked to the featured individual, also as a reflector and extension of her/his personality. These types of articles are illustrated with color close-ups and decorative, atmospheric lifestyle photographs. It is usually rather difficult to get an overall picture of the garden from these stories and their illustrations. Overall shots are not as spectacular as close-ups, which allow the viewers to fill in the surrounding reality themselves. (1991: 199; 2001; 2006.) Besides modernization, both magazines also reflect a return to the old in, for example, such contexts as presenting garden tools or discussing the annual cycle in the garden. What is however notable about the ‘reversion’ is that the practice of gardening has been readjusted from production-type food cultivation to an activity of pleasure, in which ‘doing it yourself’ and being in the garden are a central part of the hobby, pleasure and everyday experience. Therefore, articles presenting tools, for instance, do not focus solely on the properties of the tool but may also pay attention to the esthetic and emotional aspects of the tool as an artifact.

The development of Internet has led to a situation where printed magazines are constantly redeveloping their websites. Interestingly enough, both magazines offer on their websites (Kotipuutarha at http://www.kotipuutarha.fi/, Royal Horticultural Society at http://www.rhs.org.uk/ and its publication The Garden at (http://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/RHS-Publications/Journals/The-Garden) a large amount of advice and practical support – themes that were common during the wartime years of food shortage but have more recently been at least partly cast aside from the pages of the printed magazines. It appears that the websites serve as practical guides for the individualized amateur gardener and information seeker, while the printed magazines offer more extensive discussion and inspiration for gardening ideals and dreams.

6. Conclusions

The data provide an opportunity to examine the reshaping of gardening ideals in two very different consumer societies at two very different stages of development.

Based on the comparison, we suggest that in extreme situations, such as during times of war, consistency grows. In normal times the cultural differences between the countries become more pronounced, but similarities are also to be found with the general convergence of consumption culture. The results show that the

meanings of gardening have changed from production-based towards values based on desires in both gardening magazines.

Furthermore, we need to remember that gardeners, as craft consumers, transform large numbers of mass-produced products from raw materials to personal garden products. The changes in practices have been linked to the technological and material transformations of gardening. A growing interest in ‘doing it yourself’

and the satisfaction it provides are clearly visible in both magazines. The concern is with what people actually do with the products once they get them in their garden. Even if ideas for the design of a garden may be taken from magazines, people make their own gardens with skill and by hand. Rather, the gardener puts together a collection of mass-produced items like flowers, plants, pots and furniture. This kind of “ensemble creativity” (Campbell 2005: 34) is a central activity in contemporary craft consumption.

Questions of urbanization are addressed in both magazines practically throughout the whole studied period. The dream of being a green thumb and having a garden in a district of private houses is a significant question of study when we reflect on the organization of consumption and what kind of effects ideals may have on the impacts of consumption in society. The new appreciation for nature, which on the level of everyday life appears as a growing interest in gardening, has for its own part also led to a dispersion of urban structure as migration has occurred out of densely-populated urban areas toward areas surrounding the cities. Green thumbs are even willing to adopt a car-dependent lifestyle in order to be close to nature all week long. The interest in gardening may also to some extent explain why, especially in larger cities, people are starting to move to adjoining municipalities (Kortteinen et al. 2005; Hitchings 2007a and 2007b; for migration to rural areas, see also Kytö and Aatola 2006.)

The decrease in the size of gardens is apparent both in British and Finnish discussion: the task of making a small garden appear lush and natural, as a place for enjoying nature, requires both planning and skill but also insight from urban planners. Apart from these qualities, the goal of practical benefits from growing plants has of course also kept its place in gardening. In food cultivation the joy of

‘doing’ and experiencing the miracle of growth take precedence over production.

These ideals are quite similar in Finland as they are in Britain, as an example.

However, newly urbanized Finnish society seems to still have more connections to production and utilization of nature. In contrast, in Britain gardens reflect an individual’s historical ties to place and nature, besides providing opportunities to observe and experience nature.

Several theoretical discussions have asserted the importance of self expression and experiences in contemporary society. In discussions about experience economy, the notion reflects the idea that experiences are becoming an accelerating force in our modern life. The viewpoint where experiences are only associated with exceptional situations of consumption, such as travel, often leaves the pleasures of ordinary, daily life without attention. (Pine and Gilmore 1999.) The pleasure provided by nature, which is valued by many, is apparent in many ordinary functions of everyday life, such as gardening.

The pleasure of doing, planning and simply being gain significance along with the modernization of societies. The trend can also be linked with aspirations to reproduce the traditional agrarian lifestyle, nostalgia, searching for a counterbalance to an increasingly technology-led society, and changes in the employment structure. Our historical perspective supports the Campbellian idea of craft consumerism: individuals bring skill, knowledge, love and passion to their consuming and activities (2005: 27), which can be seen as a counterforce to modern society.

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Magazines

Kotipuutarha years 1941, 1946, 1951, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006.

The Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society / The Garden (since 1975) years 1941, 1946, 1951, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006.