By Brian Hickman, Permi8
My garden is FUN. It seems strange that most people don’t like their surrounds – they see mowing, weeds and WORK! How does that happen when our environment can give so much. For example …
My garden has attitude – my garden teaches me to slow down after a busy day to meditate on they cycles of birth and death or the beauty of a flower even a weed. Kids know how explore naturally – adults need to drop the’ been there done that’ and explore again and again.
You can get a social life, connection with your neighbours and you don’t have to leave home! Plant your footpath and put in a seat. Letter drop the whole street, and have a BBQ out front. Don’t worry about the council! Share by giving away all those excess lemons/vegies, etc.
Less is more in the garden – how often have I left the shovel and nature has restored the balance in a few weeks. Planting groundcovers – like warrigal spinach that you can eat as well. The lawn disappears and you don’t need a mower. With a prostrate grevillea the weeds don’t stand a chance, the birds love to visit and even I can suck the nectar – yum!!
If anyone has chooks you will know the constant entertainment they provide with their power struggles and little social system going on. You can entertain the kids with purple carrots, black potatoes, and red or blue corn (true) from heritage seed websites. Wait to see the look on their faces when these vegies look so bad but taste so good!
Straight rows have always amused me. How does man figure that nature needs controlling like that! Try creative planting where you mix handfuls of seed and throw them into the air and let grow. You will achieve much more than the fun of it – the strongest will grow first and then you can see if it is worth planting the weak next time. The bugs get all confused and can’t find the leaf shape they eat. The ground will be completely covered and need less water, less weeding (if at all) and who knows you might invent a whole new type of plant as they might cross pollinate.
So your garden can entertain, teach, create a community and even shock the kids – all you have to do is spend that little time that you need to unwind wandering around you own space. Remember the only difference between a good gardener and not, is time – nature will teach you if you listen!