Especially if rubbed the wrong way @punkdoc and where would we get the inner tubes for our sweet peas and beans?
Parts of our garden are left untidy and full of "weeds" that will, we hope, help wildlife thrive but to have the whole garden looking unkempt is not for me. Some treasures are tiny and would get swamped and others just don't like the competition of grass and weeds biting their ankles.
Not obsessively tidy, just best of both worlds.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I'm glad GW shows such variations because it creates interesting conversations.
I agree @Astro. I liked both of the wild gardens. I'm not sure about GW's habit of showing similar gardens in one show, rather than a bit more variety. But it's important that these gardens that go against our current conventions get some coverage. That is especially true of agroforestry. It's a principle that is going to be really important in our carbon mitigation strategies, according to the committee on climate change. We need the pioneers trying it out, and developing our knowledge of how to do it. The rest of us will end up following eventually, to some extent. Perhaps not the vegetable bog roll. But if we are all forced to think much harder about what we use energy for, I suspect mowing lawns and cultivating soil will be some way behind heat, light and cooking. So wilder gardens and less energy and resource intensive ways to grow food domestically will be much more normal than they seem at the moment.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
On either side of my allotment I had (have) the privilege of one
organic and one wild life gardeners both women, with both the weeds were
almost a tall as myself, neither of whom ever took a single vegetable from either plot and the weed seeds flew every where.
The
wild life one was confronted by other different plot holders about here
feeding the rats and other vermin, her answer was get lost only with a
few choice words!
Different plot holders
contacted the manager, his answer always was, they pay their rent, even
though it states in the contract the plots must be kept neat and tidy!
One
day during the summer he was inspecting the plots when I was there,
naturally I brought up and showed him the two plots, he said to appease
me that he would have his secretary look into it, so I taunted him and
said that as in the past nothing would be done.
Result
the wild life one was kicked off, it now has a couple who have cleared
and burned all the crap wood and rubbish that she had piled up as home
for the vermin, they have hand dug the whole plot and are going to start
growing next season.
The organic one has been whining that she has been given instructions to get her plot cleared up or else.
I may be wrong but it used to be an offense to have weeds and seeds on farm land or private gardens.
I'm all for reducing mowing time and exhaust fumes @Raisingirl. OH hasn't twigged yet but a large area of our grass is to become wildflowers. Should be fairly easy as the patch I have in mind is so very poor and dry there are more weeds than grass anyway. As for the better grass, large areas of that will be dug p to make beds for my treasures but not tatty herbert like we saw in those two garden and I'll be keeping my loo rolls.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Posts
Parts of our garden are left untidy and full of "weeds" that will, we hope, help wildlife thrive but to have the whole garden looking unkempt is not for me. Some treasures are tiny and would get swamped and others just don't like the competition of grass and weeds biting their ankles.
Not obsessively tidy, just best of both worlds.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”