The
Gardener - is more than ever responsible for his or her impact on the
environment. Gardeners can take a lead - in promoting bees and insect
life. They must live alongside slugs and snails and moss and weeds to
some degree. Because as we know nature is an interconnected web.
With
our reductionist mindset and unnatural means of control - we are out of tune
with nature. The moves we do make, must promote a balance between
predator and prey. Promoting diversity in plants and wildlife. So in most cases with gardening - less is most definately more.
We can do much more in our little kingdoms - to promote a balance towards and in favour of nature in all its varied forms. The fox or badger which is digging holes in your precious lawn - is a good sign. It is a good sign that the environment is becoming welcoming. Aphids and insects - and traditionally reaching for the insecticide, can be replaced with holding on and waiting for nature to re-establish its balance between insect and prey. While spraying everything in sight - we are loosing sight and killing beneficial insects like ladybirds. Ladybirds gobble up fantastic numbers of aphids. They are a gardeners friend. Encourage them and other beneficial insects by putting up a bug hotel.
Leave your garden to go a little wild in places. Consider allowing your lawn to grow longer, allow hedges and ivy to provide places for birds and wildlife to hide. Let some wild flowers gather in long grass and see what happens to the butterfly and insect population. This lowest building block, which will in turn attract bats and birds and then birds of prey. Plant a variety of open flowered plants - aiming for a long season of necter for bees.
Feeding birds - can bring another layer of the food chain into your garden. Allowing us to begin to invite wildlife in. Birds love to eat slugs and snails and worms and insects and berries. They will do a great job for plant health by eating all sorts of creepy crawlies.
Put in a pile of logs or make a stumpery from dead tree and shrub roots. Provide upturned broken pots or stones to hide under. Bring in some water. This could be just an upturned bin lid - with some stones to allow birds and frogs and amphibians access.
We
may need to accept some of the physical limitations of our plot - what
it can - and can't do! And work and live with those limitations. A gardeners role needs to move away from someone who jealously guards every aspect of his/her garden. To someone who watches more. Who waits more. Who accepts some imperfection as the way of nature. Allowing nature back in - will require the gardener to have a lighter hand and a wilder mentality. Someone who has a ring side seat as the garden unfolds and allows it time and space to be itself.
Lets work together to promote wildness and wildlife.
Happy Gardening.
Sage. xx
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Where ever possible the philosophy at Kingdom Plants is to respect and promote the wildlife within your gardens. It gives me massive pleasure to come alongside and sometimes film the humble Robin as he flits around. Or to sneak up on a fox who has been sleeping in the grass with her cub. Where ever possible I will try and use systemic measures. Organic controls if I can. Call me in this coming season - I would love to see what wildlife we can foster in your own unique garden.
