Rewilding Our Gardens
A recent visit to Monmouth gave me some thought provoking insight into the philosophy of rewilding and how we can all apply this to our own gardens should we wish to create more habitat rich, wildlife friendly and ultimately more ecological gardens.
Inevitably it means letting go of the reins of control slightly, turning away from the need to pimp, clip and tidy every square inch of ground.
I was surprised at how successfully the acclaimed garden designer Cheryl Cummings is applying this philosophy of rewilding, not only in her own garden but with her clients also . It was truly a breath of fresh air to walk up a driveway into a more relaxed garden than one might typically associate with a garden designer.
As we approached Cheryl’s garden the first thing that struck me was the long unmown grass in the front garden, brimming with a mixture of grasses and beautiful umbels belonging to wild carrots ( Daucus carota). Cultivated plants such as salvias gently intermingle in the borders with wild ones (weeds?) such as Herb Robert and willow herb (Epilobium sp).
We wind around the garden through a series of mown paths to the back garden where a large pond takes centre stage surrounded by lush, dense, vegetative planting. It is easy to imagine a family of hedgehogs scurrying around the garden at dusk or the frogs and newts that are making themselves at home in the pond.
It is admittedly subjective, the garden is certainly ‘relaxed’ but appreciating the underpinning philosophy and Cheryl's love of wildlife, it isn’t untidy. Evidently it is managed by a much lighter hand than most gardens, but the garden is lovely in its own right and feels harmonious with nature.
It is certainly a refreshing take on what a garden can be, especially from an RHS background where the garden is primarily developed for the aesthetic pleasure and consumption of its visitors. This garden feels ever so gently and positively radical.
The horticulturist in me is inclined to reach for my secateurs to start snipping away but I feel that I might just be peering into a more ecological and progressive way of gardening for the future. If we are to help nature then we might relinquish our desire to control and manage the environment around us quite so intensively.
Back at home skulking around the garden with my early morning cuppa I am more enchanted with the grasses creeping between the sedums and surrounding the Geranium nodosum. The floppy mass of Alchemilla and marjoram flowers seem more endearing for their full and unruly nature.
Rewilding is subjective, polemic even, but it is indisputable that for the benefit of nature we might allow a little more wilderness to ‘relax’ our landscapes.
A change in perspective is essential, reprioritising our appetite for aesthetic perfection without compromising the garden as a source of beauty.
