6 Nov 2014

YARD OR GARDEN ?

I learned at school to sit in a garden, which usually is attached to a house to enjoy the good weather or plants, flowers etc. To my surprise I later learned that the Americans are sitting in a yard and do the same. Now I wondered why we in Europe sit in a garden and in the States they sit in a yard ?

First I thought it has to do with the measure "yard" but sitting in one yard is rather impossible unless you have the size of a dwarf and growing flowers or grass around would be very difficult.



I looked for an explanation and learned that when I sit in a yard in the States I sit in a piece of land next to a house, usually used for growing flowers, grass, and other plants. But that I do here in my garden. If I would have a yard it would be an area of land next to a building that is covered with concrete or other hard material. Not very cosy to say at least.

On the other hand you don't go to a gravegarden but to a graveyard maybe because there is more concrete than flowers ? You also don't turn around in circles in a prison garden but a prison yard, and you don't have a court garden but a court yard.

In short in the States I enjoy a yard and in Europe a garden. As long as I don't have to do garden work (or yard work ?) I don't care.



My American friends can be happy ! All our miseries started in a garden and not in a yard !!

Jenny Matlock

8 comments:

  1. I too would associate yard with something more concrete and hard as compared to a garden which has trees/ plants , flowers and maybe even a water feature.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Here we tend to have a yard and not a garden. Referred to as the backyard, the frontyard or the sideyard. I think saying a garden does sound a bit nicer.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fun post for Y ~ words of different cultures are always so fascinating ~ !

    Wishing you the best in the day,
    artmusedog and carol (A Creative Harbor)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I did not realize you called your "yards" gardens. For us a garden would be either a vegetable garden or a flower garden. It would be a part of our yard.

    Even in different parts of the states people use different terminology. In New Jersey I carried a pocketbook, but in Texas it's called a purse. My kids enjoyed lollipops when they were little, but in Texas they're called suckers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. In the US, you can have a garden in your yard. And it can be in the backyard or front... {:-D

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wonderful post for Y. Whatever you call it, I wish you fair weather to enjoy the plot of land around your house!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Smiling from the logic you shared....Thanks for dropping by my blog♪

    ReplyDelete
  8. A garden sounds lovelier.~Ames

    ReplyDelete

Dear Anonymous,
Please do not be shy and leave your name, otherwise you will end up in the bin !