Sure, a garden is never complete, but I think our artistic dominance over it needs to end at some point -- perhaps a couple of years once its established. We have to learn to let the plants do what they do, teach us what they want and how they want it -- but only after weve done the appropriate research to know where they should thrive, as in right native plant right place. Letting plants do what they want means giving up ownership and recognizing the free will that another organism should have, which is hard to do for Americans who treat their lawns like living rooms (Now Timmy, clean up your toys, everything must be put away and neat and clean). I think we can easily then slide into ecology and gardening for wildlife, since I see gardening for wildlife as gardening in part of a larger community -- I am part of a community, a node in a web of life. I dont garden for purely aesthetic pleasure, I garden to see wildlife thrive. If that thriving becomes another level of aesthetic pleasure then great, but gardening should be equal parts selfless and selfish acts as we interpret as well as learn from what works in our local ecosystems. Gardening is learning, and sometimes we need to shut up, sit down and watch -- this must happen over years, not seasons. Time to reconnect.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 16:00:00 +0000