CULTURE WATCH : Green Thumbs Ripen With Age

When people get to a certain age--market analysts say the magic number is 39--they start to garden. Seriously. Or, at least, more seriously than just mowing the lawn.

“Cocooning out of doors� is what Bruce Butterfield calls it. He should know. He’s the market researcher for the National Gardening Assn.

Since 1980, the group has grown from a tiny nonprofit organization with zero members to 220,000 today. It offers a wide base of services including a magazine and extensive educational programs.

“A gardening lifestyle is the new trendy buzzword,� Butterfield says. “It reflects more outdoor living, exterior decorating.

“Of course there’s also a greater emphasis on health and fitness,� he says. “Remember when salad bars began about 10 years ago? Now people want a salad bar in their back yards.�