‘‘What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare? - No time to stand beneath the boughs, And stare as long as sheep or cows…’
WH Davies pretty much summed up the concept of Slow Gardening when he wrote the poem ‘Leisure’ in 1911 – that working to the natural rhythms of nature encourages us to love the process of gardening and work with nature rather than rushing to create an ‘instant garden.’
Not only is slow gardening better for your mental health, but it is more environmentally friendly as you are not buying lots of plants in plastic pots, not destroying peatlands for your compost and not using gallons of artificial chemicals to force feed your plants and kill any perceived ‘pests’.
Slow gardening is not an easy option
Contrary to its name, Slow Gardening is not a lazy or easy option – indeed you actually need to be more organised and plan ahead:
- Make time to sow seeds so you are planting out when it is the correct season.
- Take cuttings from established plants that already do well in your garden.
- Think ahead – in spring what will your garden look like in autumn? In winter, plan ahead for the summer!
- Keep a record (photo or gardening journal) to track your garden through the year. You can link this to a seasonal calendar so you know what jobs are coming up.
- Always use peat-free compost – this is available in ericaceous and multipurpose varieties from a range of suppliers.
- If you do buy plants – go smaller rather than larger. This will give plants time to establish and develop a viable root system. Try to buy native species that are grown in the UK so you don’t import pests or diseases.
- Leave the weeds! By all means pick out perennial weeds by hand from your borders but don’t use chemicals on your soil as this will have a negative impact on soil health and in turn, the health of your garden.
- Embrace your wild side! Allow longer grass and flowers in your lawn. I encourage dandelions, yarrow, daisies etc to grow in long areas of grass around the edges of the lawn and add my own wildflower plug plants that are grown from seed. Start with No Mow May and take it from there.
- Upcycle and repurpose containers where possible – be creative and have fun with your outdoor spaces.
For more information on Slow Gardening have a look at Felder Rushing’s Blog and his book ‘Slow Gardening: A No-Stress Philosophy for All Senses and All Seasons’.
If you would like further advice for your garden, then please get in touch to arrange a FREE 30 minute consultation.
