It’s always been a dream to have a wild garden, one that respects what’s going on in nature and at the same time plays with colour and delight. For so many years I have just pottered once a year to try and keep some order on mine. Gradually as I focussed all my time on the day job, gardening became overwhelming and the 2.5 acres of surrounding wilderness took over completely.
The nettles, ferns and brambles swept through the beds and killed off most of what I had planted. No bother says you, especially when it gave cover to animals and birds which continued to thrive. But somewhere underneath it all, the dream garden lived on in my imagination. Then came the pandemic!
I have written before about the sadness and disruption that the last two years have brought to us all, but there was also an upside. During the lockdowns, myself and Himself got stuck in and unearthed gravel paths, built a a few more paved areas and created raised beds. This has allowed us to reclaim our little patch of garden and it is now much closer to the bliss I was dreaming about.
There are herbs planted long ago, all fairly mature now. I’ve added more herbaceous plants too, all good for long flowering and for pollinators. The woodland has been extended with the addition of many more native trees. The wildflowers in the hedgerows, in particular the foxgloves I love so much have mixed seamlessly with the new additions. All is well in the world when a garden is tended and blossoming.
It’s heartening to hear about others who are also learning to manage their gardens for biodiversity and pollinators. Even keeping a large patch of nettles, or allowing blackberry brambles their own spot is a good start. I’ve realised that the twenty years of neglect was probably crucial in saving the birds and animals that make their homes alongside us. In spite of the dead zone that most farmland has become, hares still leave their leverets in the undergrowth of this small patch and the ditches are brimming with bees.
The penny is beginning to drop for the farming community too. It’s not been their fault that rye grass has taken over from multi sward meadows. Teagasc the advisory body in Ireland has given them terrible advice for years. I sense a turnaround. I want to scream that some of us have known for years how tragic their advice was for our beautiful country, but it’s better to encourage the idea that it is never, ever too late!
It looks and sounds like you have the garden of my dreams, so beautifully shown in your photos. Thanks again for your recommendations for learning more about Ireland and the language. I just received “Thirty Two Words for Field” by Manchán Magan. Perhaps one of your fields is a cathairín… 🙂
O I’m thrilled that you got Manchán’s book! He really has dedicated his life to such fascinating pursuits. Good on you for taking up the Gaeilge!!! Maith an cailín!!! Yes an interesting match of cathairín and my name! Love it! Well spotted MR!!! x
What a beautiful wild garden….I enjoyed our natural wild garden at the old house. Here it is a formal garden surrounded by stone. But now I have a small patch at the edge of the wood to plant native wildflowers so they can turn into a wild area for the critters. Always a pleasure to see your wild wildlife garden.
My goodness, this is the very challenge that I may have to embrace sometime in the future. A bit of a downsize! Luckily I live only a ten minute drive from the local town and seaside resort, Tramore. Maybe we can hold out who knows? Good on you for making that change and I know that you above all people will still have much beauty and nature around you even if it’s only in a flower pot! x
I always love coming here to see your beauty!
Thank you so much Robin! A contrast surely with the beauty of New York and the Arizona desert which I love to see through your eyes! Keep on keepin on girl!
Lovely to have a new post Catherine. I wonder was the 20 years of neglect a wonderful gift to the wildlife – we can make such a mess of things when we are trying to keep control…thankfully the incidence of weed killing is declining and nature is getting a better chance. still so much to do however, so much to unlearn. Take care 🙂
Thank you so much Andrew, you are dead right! Although we have never used anything like that and get into trouble trying to monitor the neighbouring farmland “activity”. I was thrilled recently that my neighbour has finally said that Teagasc gave them all the wrong advice for years. Now they will have to try to undo all the damage. We just have to hang onto the fact that it’s never too late.