gardening

noun

gar·​den·​ing ˈgär-də-niŋ 

ˈgärd-niŋ

: the act, activity, or pastime of planning and cultivating gardens

… America's number-one leisure pursuit remains the gentle, slow-going, idyllic activity of gardening.

—Margaret Langstaff

… there is no shortage this spring of slick and glossy books on gardening that are long on toothsome photography and short of thoughtful text …

—Allen Lacy

Halide lamps are the most popular source of white light available for indoor gardening, providing the best light spectrum for all stages of plant growth.

—Laura L. Kramer

—often used before another noun

gardening gloves

gardening tools

Examples of gardening in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On his first call to his family after he was detained, the senior Barranco asked his sons to check on his truck and gardening equipment. —Nathan Solis follow, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2025

There are plenty of reasons to pick up gardening as a hobby, from connecting with nature and soaking up vitamin D to reducing stress and improving cardiovascular health (weeding is no joke). —Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 July 2025

Another handful of tools are much smaller, like the Paleolithic version of a one-handed gardening tool. —ArsTechnica, 7 July 2025

Plus, what a gardening expert has to say about the trend. —Elliott Harrell, Southern Living, 4 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gardening

• hardening
• pardoning