www.alphadictionary.com

From the OED:

Godwottery go(hook)dwo(hook).t<e>ri. Also with lower-case initial. [f; God wot (cf. god sb. 10) in the line `A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot!' in T. E. Brown's poem My Garden (1876) + -ery. ] An affected or over-elaborate style of gardening or attitude towards gardens (see quots.); also (in quot. 1939), archaic language.

Thomas Edward Brown. 1830–1897

My Garden

A GARDEN is a lovesome thing, God wot!
Rose plot,
Fringed pool,
Fern'd grot—
The veriest school 5
Of peace; and yet the fool
Contends that God is not—
Not God! in gardens! when the eve is cool?
Nay, but I have a sign;
'Tis very sure God walks in mine. 10


I realize that this term has limited applications today, but it's such a lively word, and there's no reason for it to be archaic!

-Tim

God knows! And so did I!

wot

"to know" (archaic), from O.E. wat, first and third person singular present indicative of witan "to know," from P.Gmc. *wait (see wit (v.)).

Apo

I shall call Maryland and use this word within the hour! Oh the things those sothron'ers do with gardens....godwottery indeed!

An affected or over-elaborate style of gardening or attitude towards gardens

How can you say that? How can any love of gardens be excessive? I have a huge garden this year all devoted to birds and butterflies? but over-elaborate? affected? Please! Wash your mouth out with lye soap.....

lol
Katy

Johnnyfarout, I see you sucessfully made the transition from the Agora to the AlphaAgora. nice to see you again.

Katy

How can you say that? How can any love of gardens be excessive?

Right you are. I love my garden so much that I interfere minimally with it. And so I get the soft moss in the lawn, so lovely to walk on, and its bright colours of dandelions, daisies, creeping buttercup, pyramidal bugle, ...

OTOH, woe betide what even tries to interfere with my herb garden.

Anders I have a modest herb garden also, a zen garden, a perennial garden, a shade garden, a bulb garden,and a vegie garden. The others don't have names. And the best part is we have much less acreage to mow!

Katy