Garden

Gardens are one of the main uses of a yard in The Sims series. They usually contain trees, flowers, bushes, water streams and rocks.

There are two types of plants: Decorative and harvestable.

Decorative plants
Decorative plants are bought from Build mode. They can be trees, bushes and flowers.

In The Sims and The Sims 2, at least some of them have to be taken care of. Flowers need to be watered, otherwise they will die. In The Sims 2, bushes occasionally need to be trimmed and weeds may be need to be pulled. If Sims can't take care of those plants, a Servo, Butler or Gardener can take care of them. Dead flowers, untrimmed bushes, and weeds lower the lot's Environment score.

These plants do not need any care in The Sims 3.

Harvestable plants
Harvestable plants were first introduced in The Sims: Unleashed and returned in The Sims 2: Seasons and in The Sims 3. When harvested, they will give produce. They can be trees or bushes.

They require more care than decorative plants, but there are the same actions (pulling weeds and watering the plant). The produce can be sold in Old Town, in the Supermarket, on the spot or be consumed.

There are several obstacles to this type of gardening: Gophers and rabbits and cold weather. Gophers and rabbits can be chased by a cat and cold weather can be avoided by growing plants in a greenhouse.

There are several utensils used for gardening:

In The Sims 2 and The Sims 3, the ability to garden can be improved.
 * Greenhouses
 * Fertilizers
 * Natural fertilizers
 * Sprinklers