It always saddens me that Americans call their garden a 'backyard'. The very sound conjures up images of a concrete jungle that needs nothing more than a broom to keep it in good order. 'A garden', on the other hand, brings to mind a green haven erupting with blossom, abuzz with bees and a-flutter with birds.
And it is wildlife that makes a garden special, transforming it into a living, breathing piece of nature. Yes, the gardener likes to be in control, but the wise and thoughtful gardener - the kind gardener - understands that a garden is a place where all forms of life can meet and co-exist for mutual benefit, and that includes humankind.
Without bees and butterflies, birds and amphibians, mammals and insects a garden is a sterile thing, a place that might look neat and tidy but which offers little in terms of environmental enrichment. We have a duty of care to the natural world, but it is a duty that can be far from onerous. As gardeners, we are at the sharp end of conservation and ecology, and on our own patch, by adjusting the way we intervene, we can make a real difference to the lives of those creatures that share our space and they, in turn, add so much to our own existence.
The wildlife garden
No matter how small your patch, the way in which you manage it will make all the difference to its value to the natural world. For a start, stop being so tidy. I don't mean that leaving out plastic toys and the whirligig washing line is acceptable (the whirligig is a regular bone of contention in many a garden), but stop and think before you manicure every inch of your plot.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2023-Ausgabe von BBC Gardeners World.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2023-Ausgabe von BBC Gardeners World.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
A new plot for tasty crops
Taking on a new allotment needn't be hard work. By simply following a few easy tips you can have bumper crops in no time, just like Alessandro Vitale
We love July
July is an island floating between the joy of June and the slightly fatigued month of August. It's a grown-up month: the year has shrugged off its adolescent exuberances, the weather is (hopefully) warm enough for ice cream to be one of your five a day, the sea should be swimmable without (too much) danger of hypothermia and thoughts will be of holiday shenanigans and family barbecues. School's out this month, the next tranche of glorious summer colour is washing across our borders and it's my birthday. Lots of reasons to give three rousing cheers for July!
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Looking for sustainable, small-space gardening ideas? Take inspiration from Oliver Hymans' transformed balcony garden in north-east London - now a lush, green haven for humans and wildlife
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Carol Klein explains how to choose plants for specific growing conditions, based on what has naturally adapted to thrive there