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

This common summertime dilemma doesn’t discriminate between the green thumbs and those who would describe their gardening pursuits as otherwise. —Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 1 July 2025

Each week of camp represents a unique theme in addition to art, STEM, archery, gardening and more. —Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025

This is not the time to go gardening in just your thong in the tri-state area. —Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025

Kane loves gardening, quilting and her community and is organized enough to harness her artistic gifts and coordinate others to serve this community. —News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gardening

• hardening
• pardoning