"K" wrote in message
...
"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.

Agreed. I too like the wildlife but I do not knowingly do anything to
encourage 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.

There's someone I can admire. Bugga the laundry. Let's use the basket for
gardening.

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.


Again that's a me too with a but...
I do like to have a crack at growing stuff that is perhaps on the borderline
of what the W. Yorks climate will permit. I mean the sort of things that
some of the "Southern bedwetters" talk about:-)

FWIW I do think we exercise a strong degree of control by just being a
gardener.


--
Kay