I think there are some societal gender constructs around gardening that are similar to cooking.
Home cook / casual home gardener = feminine
Chef / professional landscaper / gardening expert = masculine
The biggest thing that defines actual adults of any sort from juveniles, is being comfortable in their own decisions and not needing to tear down others to build themselves up.
If someone isn’t comfortable with you being able to dress yourself, cook for yourself, and choose your own hobbies, do you really trust them to have a well thought out opinion?
It’s not “manly” to bully other folks. That’s what little kids do before they learn how to treat other people with dignity and respect.
Idk man I get mixed reviews sometimes. For the most part people don’t care or have any opinion and don’t view it as gendered but some do see playing in the dirt as not masculine for some reason¯_(ツ)_/¯ maybe it’s the flowers aspect of it but I don’t care I like pretty things and it makes me wife happy lol
Pfft. I’ll remind you that Samwise Gamgee, best hobbit ever lived, was a gardener. And a badass. And husband goals. Living in the south is just stupid sometimes.
What part of the South? I’m in Tallahassee, and this is so foreign to my experience, solidly 40-50% of the people at the garden center picking up plants are men, same with the employees, of the 5 people I know with really great gardens 2 are men, one is a couple.y wife and I are doing this all the time, and I’ve never heard any statements about it being effeminate.
Many of my male friends and cousins throughout Florida and Georgia are gardeners.
Judge me all you want while I sip tea in my rose garden zenned out to the max.
Sorry you have to put up with that! Growing up, my parents were equal partners in vegetable gardening.
It does seem odd, some of the best gardens in my neighbourhood are kept by men. There’s a local “secret garden” that’s maintained by volunteers and lots of them are men. My guess would be cause flowers are associated with femininity. Still ridiculous, anyone can enjoy gardening and there’s no reason for it to be gendered.
Tell me Conan, what is best in life?
To battle against nature. To kill invasive species and protect your home. To create a bastion against the elements, against the gods of thunder and rain - and see them fail.
Storm will not stop me. The fires of the sun will not stop me. HOA might, but that’s besides the point.
I wield metal to defend and change the surface of the earth to my will.
And hungry animals shall end at my metal fences and my wooden spikes that protect what is to be nurtured and what will nurture my offsprings for generations to come.
Thy gardening is thou guarding.
Your garden is a testament of your craftsmanship, your mastery of irrigation and power over rock and stone.
I shall be the judge, jury and executioner. I shall be the fate of the rarest flowers, those I deem the most beautiful, cut their heads off and watch them slowly wither on my table - solely for my pleasure.
A floral bouquet is but the mounted trophy of nature succumbing to my will.
My body has become steel and the earth bows to me. For I am the god of life and death within my realm.
/s
Well, at the garden tours and clubs in my area, I’m the only guy a lot of times. The old ladies assume I am gay, when they find out I’m not they act surprised. Then they want me to meet their lovely daughter, thrice divorced with six kids lmao.
The guys don’t like garden thing bothered me for a bit but I put that to rest years ago. I would be denying myself a lot of joy if I didn’t imbibe so I just do me and that’s it.
To answer your question, yes I do catch some shit for loving flowers. It’s a fun topic for my guys at deer camp every year but it doesn’t bother me.
Nurturing things- people, animals, your home, or plants- is never a negative trait. Regardless of who you are.
I am a woman married to a man. I do ALL yardwork. I mow, edge, maintain all gas powered lawn equipment. Currently dreading having to disassemble the carb on the push mower due to idle surge cycling (or whatever tf its called.)
I can relate. Neighbor guy gives my husband shit about it. Neighbor guy pays people to mow his yard since he works out of state for 2wks at a time, and his wife cant do shit either. She sends out requests on the neighborhood FB page for a diet dr pepper bc she, for whatever reason, cant put their 2 kids in the car to drive to the store. We have 3 kids who I have put in my own car countless times. They all fit, who knew? We are however friendly with them, so I know that they dont have any special needs aside from their extreme laziness.
Last week she sent me a pic of a huge possum that had died and putrified on their back porch. Skull was clean, so it had been there for some time. I knew she was fishing for someone to remove it for her. Only…she wanted it done while she and the kids werent there. Like it hadnt been an issue for the whole month+ that it was out there and they never noticed. I told her I COULD remove it for her (bc I’m a good neighbor goddamnit), but she needed to put her trash bin outside her garage so I would have somewhere to put the carcass. She never answered me back. The possum still lays there in perpetual rest. Guess she wants someone to take the death bag back to their own home.
F gender roles, its lazy, smooth-brained bullshit.
I’m a 36m, I do all the gardening and yard work, my wife has zero interest. I’ve only been hardworking seriously for 3 years now and Never even thought of it as manly or girly, nor has anyone made a comment like that to me.
I grow some vegetables and fruit, but cut flowers take up the majority of my property. I work in a pretty burly and traditions driven profession dominated by men, and not one person has ever made a comment about it being feminine or gay. Even if they did, they can suck my butt.
Manliest thing is being able to produce something with your hands 
cultivating a garden is a hell of alot of work sometimes, and its great being able to say “I grew this.”
The only master gardener I’ve ever met was a man. I think we should all just carry on with our hobbies and forget about the rest of it.
Im a 6 ft 250 lb former multi sport athlete. And gardening, baking, and cooking are my lifeblood. I also love watching football and hockey.
These hobbies have enriched my life and taught me so much about myself.
I love flowers and anyone who thinks im less of a man because i know how to breed plants and harvest seeds and make pretty things w my flowers tells me more about them than it does about me.
Manly?
I’ve been to Iraq and Afghanistan doing foot patrols every single day. Competed in bodybuilding and powerlifting competitions. 4 brothers and one tough father.
My favorite thing now in my life is my wife and kids and gardening. Guess I’m too feminine😂
Do you live in a 1980s time warp?
What the hell is wrong with those women?
Im from new york, lawncare is not gendered at all. All the garden guys are men, i go to a bbq and men are talking about the lawn.
I would throw a hot dog at that bitch, then say my wife did a lovely job with the meat decor.
It’s therapeutic for me. I also garden on my land so it’s my damn business and no one else’s.
This isn’t high school. Don’t let other peoples opinions concern you.