Modern Gardens

http://www.webmesh.co.uk/modgardens.htm

A recent development in gardens in the last 10 years is the acceptance
by most people to the idea of environmental gardening, which has
resulted in more and more people enjoying the garden, instead of just
it's picturesque appearance.
You will know what I mean by looking around at other peoples gardens,
there are the gardens full of straight lines, close cropped, with
plenty of bricks and gravel imposing the owners domination over
nature. Then there are gardens which, although orderly in their
planting, are far more sympathetic to nature. Where the shrubs and
hedges have softer more rounded shapes than the hard harsh lines of
the older school of gardeners.
Another difference between modern gardening and the old style,
domination of nature type gardening, is the way the owners are
tolerant of wildlife. There's an old fella who lives just round the
corner from me, his garden is neat with straight lines everywhere and
so neat and tidy you could be excused for thinking that it is an
extension of his front room, which is how he describes it. He is
intolerant of any other creatures in his territory, he kills every
insect he finds, Beatles, Ants and anything else that moves he
poisons, also most of his plants are sterile, producing large flowers
for appearance (to show I think) but the flowers do not produce
nectar, so nothing for the Bees or Butterflies and of course no
berries or seeds for the Birds, in his own way he is an environmental
disaster. Last year I saw him trying to exterminate a little Ants nest
that had colonised a spot by his garden gatepost, the Ants in question
were the tiny red ones (myrmica rubra) their main disadvantage to man
is that they live and breathe, the advantages to man is that they eat
garden pests, and build tunnels allowing plants to prosper due to
increased aeration and drainage to their roots. Also they contribute
to producing a fine tithe which improves the condition of the soil,
allowing it to support a healthy flora and fauna which ultimately help
to produce healthy vigourous plants. So all in all providing the Ants
stay they are a boon to all gardeners, but not this old fella he spent
several days pouring boiling water and coating them with Ant powder,
what a waste of time and effort not to mention the needless release of
chemicals into the environment.
Another disgusting habit currently in fashion is hard landscaping,
this is where bricks, gravel and concrete are used to impose a type of
order in the garden providing barriers to nature. I prefer soft
landscaping, like Capability Brown and I feel that your garden beauty
can be enhanced by choosing your plants carefully and allowing nature
to paint your landscape. The delight and wonder of allowing natural
processes to provide your 3 dimensional landscape is a lot more
wonderous than a permanent brick wall and gravel patch.
Always choose your plants carefully and make sure that the plants you
buy are not sterile. This way, not only are you providing flowers and
berries for your visual enjoyment, you will also encourage Butterflies
and Birds to your garden which is even more pleasing. The added
benefit to this is that the Birds will clear away most of your Aphids
and Snails, providing you can keep Cats out of your garden which will
chase and kill the Birds that are trying to help you out.
My Mum who is a member of the old school of gardening, (dominate and
eliminate everything that wasn't planted by you) will walk around my
garden gleefully pointing out the Aphid "infestations" on my plants
and will advise me to spray chemicals to eliminate them, "like
gardeners always do" is her line, I myself take great delight in
retorting with things like "don't worry Mum they'll be a pair of Tits
around soon" This would break her severe tone of disapproval and I
would then explain that I get some Blue Tits in the garden once a week
who will hop about the Rose bushes sucking all the Aphids off all I
have to do is watch, brilliant.
Also to encourage Aphid predators like Ladybirds and Centipedes I
leave small clumps of dead leaves in the borders, this gives somewhere
to hide during the day for ground Beatles and centipedes (Ladybirds
will also overwinter amongst dead dry leaves) which come out at night
to feed on Aphids. Another advantage is that Slugs and Snails
congregate under these leaves which makes it easy to collect and
dispose of them. Recently I have noticed Blackbirds poking through the
leaf litter disposing of the Slugs and Snails for me. I also used to
have a gardeners friend, the Robin, which would eliminate a lot of
Slugs and Snails, but unfortunately a Cat slaughtered it.