A look at gardening from nature’s perspective
Why do people love to garden? Is it the beauty of creating life from seed, soil, and sun? The satisfaction of seeing others enjoy a flower you planted? Or is it the unconscious desire to suppress nature and impose our control over the natural world?
While the answer varies for every person, too often the latter appears to be the case. I don’t doubt that almost all gardeners have good intentions; however, the actions of many gardeners are questionable when viewed from nature’s perspective.
[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]…the habitat that turf provides is minimal.[/pullquote]Take the example of grass lawns—which many people strive to perfect. These areas consist of different mixes of non-native grasses and the goal is to make them as tame and uniform as possible. Weeds are constantly removed, water is applied generously throughout the driest days of the year, and lawnmowers are pushed back and forth every few weeks to suppress growth. It seems like a wasteful use of many resources for a patch of green grass. I’ve seen someone go so far as to till their lawn and bring in new sod mats to meet their expectations of a perfect lawn.
Furthermore, the habitat that turf provides is minimal. From the hundreds of species that are found in forests to the dozen or so potentially found in turf, the reduction in biodiversity is evident. Pollinators like bees and butterflies get no benefit from lawns since there are no flowering plants from which to feed. Overall, the trend of expansive areas of grass yards seems to be satisfying a human desire for control at the expense of nature.
Similar problems stem from other common gardening practices; a few non-native, ornamental species are surrounded by thick layers of mulch to create a visually-appealing, naturally unattractive garden. Driving down the streets of suburbia, grass, mulch, and stones seem to be the main features of the typical garden. Every so often there is a yard that is much more lush and lively. Numerous species of native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and groundcovers connect to create a vibrant ecosystem, an oasis of nature in a desert of grass lawns. These healthy, diverse, natural gardens inspire me with the possibilities of gardening.
[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Every so often there is a yard that is much more lush and lively.[/pullquote]Why has gardening become a tool for the oppression of all things natural? Why can’t gardening be a cooperation between nature and humans that benefits both. Think for a moment how much habitat could be created by converting grass lawns to a more natural yard.
Turf has dominated all other plant species in human areas; we need to take action to restore the balance of nature. Suburban roadways could be lined with pathways of interconnected ecosystems rather than barren turf. There is so much potential to improve the practices we employ while gardening: using native species, planting a variety of sizes and types of plants, aiming to have flowers in bloom all season long, leaving stems until spring so insects can overwinter in them, and allowing leaves to stay on the yard to build soil are all environmentally–friendly gardening methods.
Protecting nature and allowing it to flourish should be the aim of all environmentalists and nature-lovers. Turning a patch of grass into a pollinator garden is an easy way to start, so is planting a few trees along a fence row, or putting shrubs in an unused area. If everyone that valued nature would naturalize habitat in their yard, or in the surrounding community, we could vastly improve the condition of urban and suburban areas.