My garden has 3 core functions. Recreation and play, Growing vegetables and fruits, and givin nature more room. The so called Controlled Wildernes. I Love to see all the different species the are coming by. But i always want to make it better, especially the combination of space for family and nature. Ive got inspired by the book The Garden Jungle from Dave Goulson. It just gave me more ideas and motivation to protect the smal animals, and make the garden usefull for more. But what about you? What books, articles, documentary etc, did inspire or would give me some ideas to let nature have more space in af garden?
As a kid I remember you really couldn’t go anywhere without getting flying insects in your mouth. Driving for a short distance and you almost couldn’t look out the windshield. All this is gone. During Covid total lockdown, like almost everyone else, we got bored.
We have now basically reworked our garden, from the traditional “spotless grass lawn and flower beds”, to a place where all forms of indeginous wildlife are welcome. We now have two large self-regulating flower beds in taking up about a third of our garden space. It is a pleasure to see all different kinds of birds at the feeders that we didn’t see previously. All kinds of wild bees and other winged insects frequent our garden. Our lawn is full of unnamed plants and some small ant colonies.
Once a year, on her way to a lake nearby, a duck comes into our garden to show off her new ducklings and to take a break and a swim in our small water feature.
Wow it sounds like a wonderfull garden, just like i want too. Isnt it true ot still is hard work? I often tell thoese old people, who want that fully green lawn, that its the same hard work, andits not because im not doing anything 😀
It does take some work during the “end of garden season” to clean up the old and dry stuff. At the beginning of the season, when the frost has mostly gone for the year, there is potentially some “patching bare spots” to do. Otherwise it’s just a nip and tuck exercise, pending on your need for perfection. My wife is definitely more picked than I am in that regard 😂
My experience tells me it’s harder to keep the perfect lawn and sharp edges of the beds than to “go wild”.
One of my favorite places to sit in the morning
Oh looks so great. I think its important to let the nature inside, maybe its even getting nature back to humans, because it makes us more relaxd, if we just let nature do its work. I still argue at home, who has the right for the garden, nature or we the humans he