"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" writes
A previous thread had the guts of a good discussion on people's different
opinions on whether we gardeners are working with Nature or controlling it.
My Garden is for my pleasure and that fact that the birds and bees like it
is a bye product. I do think that the weeds feel they have been subjected to
unfair control and claim I am not working with Nature.

Ah. Now my pleasure in my garden is greatly increased by the presence of
birds, bees, damsel flies, frogs, newts, bats. And while I am not
immediately enthused by aphids and bugs, I know their presence
contributes to the number of birds, bats, frogs etc, and so I tolerate
them.

I'm not sure I can say I'm working *with* nature, at least as far as
plants are concerned. I've just added 8 washing basket loads of Geum
urbanum to the compost heap. And I do tend to sacrifice their needs to
the needs of the various herbivores.

But where I *am* working with nature is that I know what my soil
conditions are and my weather conditions, and I grow plants which will
like those conditions, rather than going to immense lengths to cosset a
plant into survival in a habitat where it would rather not be. That
gives me an immense amount of pleasure - to plant a plant, and watch it
flourish all by its own efforts. Rather like introducing a child to a
new interest, and watching it grow in knowledge, ability and enthusiasm
all through its own work.


--
Kay