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

The Duchess of Sussex leaned into her love of cooking, gardening, creating and entertaining for friends new and old across the eight-episode show, which was filmed in her hometown of Montecito and premiered on March 4. —Janine Henni, People.com, 27 Mar. 2025

Joanna Gaines, owner of Magnolia, has lots of room to play with her favorite hobbies, namely, designing spaces and gardening. —Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Mar. 2025

Here are some must-have items, from a sun hat to comfortable sandals. Find more useful gardening tools here. —Margaret Roach, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025

Groundballs and fly balls are anything but routine, as players don’t wield modern-day baseball gloves, but tiny little leather mitts akin to a gardening glove. —Jason Mastrodonato, Mercury News, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gardening

• hardening
• pardoning