Does rain come from dinosaur sweat? Or dinosaur pee? Let’s use gardening science to find out!

If there’s one thing gardening science can do, it’s connect dinosaurs and the water we use to keep our roses happy and healthy, right? In truth, you probably already know that gardening is as much an art as it is a science. One walk through your local botanical garden is likely enough to convince anyone that a garden is where science and art come to hang out together.

Before your eyes gloss over, though, gardening science isn’t just about the genetics of peas or the pH of your soil or the ideal combination of fertilizer for your gardenias. Sure, it is that, but it’s so much more.

Surely, you’ve wondered about all those microbes in your soil or stood in awe as a tiny seed turns into a delicious, mouth-watering heirloom tomato. I know I have. Gardens, and the gardening science that they represent, are endlessly fascinating to me.

The stories here bring us into the joys and fascinations of gardening by appealing to our spirits and the scientific explanations that feed our sense of wonder. And sometimes, our childlike sense of humor. Such is the case when Becky Rupp explores whether April Showers are really just the recycled remnants of dinosaur pee from the Jurassic era. 

Then, in Time in the Garden, Barbara Ott wonders if time really does move more slowly in the garden. It might! 

It’s not quite as strange as it sounds when you consider we’re talking about gardening science. Grow (Your) Microbes takes us on a tour of our inner microbial gardens to help us understand that, like our gardens, we, too, are part of an ecosystem. 

Get more gardening science stories below

Feel free to stay a while and enjoy all the gardening science stories we have to share below. And be sure to check out our Gardening Science Collection while you’re here, which features a hand-picked selection of our favorite stories from this category.