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

Actually, there are a lot of commonalities between gardening and storytelling. —Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025

At that time, make sure to prune the tree for shape and not aggressively cut it back, which is a gardening sin. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 4 Nov. 2025

But what about all our recycling, car-pooling, biking, hiking, and gardening? —New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2025

Stewart talks about cooking, gardening, and decorating with the equanimity of an endurance athlete. —Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gardening

• hardening
• pardoning