Gardeners are not necessarily green by default. It requires conscious effort to do the right thing particularly when a garden is by nature such an unnatural occurrence; a choice array of plants usually from all corners of the globe, planted about soft and hard landscaping to suit our needs and lifestyle. It’s certainly not by nature’s hand although nature may be allowed to take hold, to a lesser or greater extent.
Garden Regeneration therefore aims to follow certain principles to ensure we are doing as best we can for wildlife and the environment whilst working to shape such unnatural terrain. There’s no denying it can sometimes feel tough, between that rock and a hard place. Here are some tips and tricks; lessons we have learned through passionate learning, seeing and doing. Hopefully you can also gain an understanding of our own ethos and gardening style, and consider whether Garden Regeneration may be the right fit for you and your own garden.
Soil
Keep bare earth covered. Use plants as ground cover, or use woodchip or mulch if striving for the more minimal look. But allow plants to do some of the work and self seed, or spread through their rhizomes. The soil needs roots just as roots need soil. By covering the soil, we can help avoid erosion of the top soil otherwise destroyed by rain and sun, and it will also slow down water evaporation.
Make home compost. So much better than buying compost that’s had much of its biota destroyed through heat based sterilisation. With home compost there will always be a ready supply of organic matter to add to the garden when needed and it will give the plants and soil an amazing probiotic boost for health and resilience.
Avoid digging the soil where possible. By not digging we retain the natural structure of the soil, the mychorrhizae, the moisture and the carbon. The soil is a natural carbon sink so digging the ground releases carbon dioxide leading to further global warming and climate change.
Buy only peat-free compost. Peat based composts are not yet banned in the UK (July 2024) so make sure to read the packaging to ensure it does state peat free. Many may simply be peat reduced but this is not good enough.
What’s the deal with peat? Peat is an unsustainable natural resource which has taken thousands of years to form from dead organic matter, and in digging up the peat from our boglands to put in our garden we destroy the natural habitat for many species of plants, birds and insects, as well as release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere heating up the planet some more…
What can we do instead? To add more moisture-retentive matter to what you might consider poor ‘peat-free’ compost, we recommend mixing it with a bag of well rotted farmyard manure. All garden centres sell it. Or again, there is nothing better than your own home compost.
Plants
Choose native species. This is hard as we love our plants and with the huge choice available it’s easy to go with temptation. However, the fact is native plants are essential food and habitat for important wildlife and specific wildflowers have evolved for specific pollinators. Under the surface, native species are the best for soil microbe biodiversity. Adapted to local soil and climate conditions, they should also easily thrive without too much maintenance. The best hedges consist of mixed, native species. All that said if the plant is non native the next best thing to do is ensure it is pollinator friendly and you can check the status here on the RHS plants for pollinators page.
Diversify your plants. Select plants with flowering times across every season to ensure as many types of pollinators as possible are supplied with their vital nectar and pollen throughout the year. Include shrubs and trees with fruit or berries for the birds and small mammals.
Prune plants at the right time. This will ensure the plant does its thing, flowers always come with their nectar and pollen for the pollinators and obviously provide the colour, scent, fruits and seeds we all want to see in the garden and offer fruit and seeds for the wildlife.
Plant trees. Shade producing plants will cool down your garden, create its own micro climate and slow water loss. Planting trees is the best way to help climate change as they store away the carbon otherwise building in the atmosphere adding to global warming.
Feed using natural organic fertilisers. These break down slowly by the soil microbes, which are vital in order to pass the nutrients to the plants at the speed required (think slow-release vitamins). We avoid synthetic chemical fertilisers as these feed the plant immediately, risk overfeeding and leggy, sappy growth (and subsequent pests), and negate the need for the microbes… which then lack their own food supply of organic matter. The microbes die off and the soil is left devoid of much life, lacking the health and vitality it needs. These chemicals also lead to soil and ground water contamination which is a major global problem.
Wildlife
Avoid pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. After all, we are not trying to feed the world from our garden and it’s unlikely we are dealing with controlled, invasive weeds like Japanese knotweed. These chemicals actually work indiscriminately and will disrupt the natural ecosystem; harming and killing birds, bees, frogs, hedgehogs, earthworms as well as the microscopic organisms including aquatic life (Fish may not be living directly beneath your roses but there are valuable water-based microbes) And as mentioned above, there is also the run off into groundwater and rivers.
Chemicals are also linked to serious human health conditions including fertility. So let’s allow nature’s food web take the reigns and control those so called pests: aphids (food for the bluetits) slugs (food for frogs) leatherjackets (food of the nemotode). The more we can help to address the balance the better.
There are also always natural deterrents to be considered of course: cucumber, egg shells, coffee grounds, pine needles, wool, hand picking, water spraying, companion planting, guards, even relocation…
Create multiple habitats. A diversity of habitats in the garden will help bring your garden to life; a more balanced ecosystem with fewer pests and disease as a result. A wildlife pond for the frogs, newts, damselflies, dragonflies. Neglected areas of wildflowers, weeds, long grasses and logpiles for all the invertebrates. Release your lawn from captivity and let the meadow grow! Every year consider increasing the size of your wild patch. The more you do it, the more you’ll feel comfortable with it and the more you’ll love it.
Avoid cutting the hedges during bird nesting season. From February through August. Always check first for bird activity if cutting back is really necessary. Birds are in alarming decline and we should do everything we can to protect them. Allow some dissarray into the hedgerows as these are invaluable wildlife corridors.
Water
Harvest rainwater. Water butts are simple to install a. Plants prefer rainwater to our treated tap water as rainwater contains important microbes and minerals for the soil, which work to feed the plants. With hotter, drier summers, we should also plan for the hosepipe ban.
Selectively water. Only water the plants that need it, early morning or early evening. Avoid sprinkling the earth but give the ground around the plant a good soaking. Watering only sets in a vicous cycle of the need for more watering (through water cohesion and capillary action) so let your plants dig deep with their roots towards the natural water table where possible.
‘Weeds’
Reframe ‘weeds’. One person’s weed is another person’s wildflower… and a pollinator’s lifeline… should we not question what right have we over the bee?
Whilst we may not really want ‘weeds’ growing amongst the herbaceous borders, those that have grown there naturally may be considered like teachers (and they deserve more respect and appreciation than they may currently get!).
By understanding weeds we can slowly help shift societal attitudes and expectations. They are nature’s way of telling you exactly what is going on with the garden, and they provide clues about sun and soil conditions and ph.
For instance, hairy bittercress and broad leaved willowherb imply open, cultivated ground or not enough ground cover; dandelion and thistle – compacted earth; moss – damp and shady; selfheal – dry and sunny; every weed tells a story and is nature’s way of bringing harmony to the ecosystem.
Thistles with their long tap roots will work to bring minerals from deeper below to feed their growth and in so mining the soil, improve soil compaction. When their leaves die back in winter they create a fine layer of organic matter on the surface thus aiding the building of top soil, and improving the soil in the long run.
Native weeds are also the preferred food source for our invertebrates and many weeds have herbal and medicinal benefits that can, not least, inspire the intellect and keep us in awe of nature around us. There is much to learn from weeds. They are not just like teachers – they are!
So let’s get on to weeding…
A weed is really just a plant in the wrong place. We can identify seedlings and we can be selective. Weeding is relaxing for its repetitive nature and mentally stimulating at the same time. There’s always something new to learn or come across. And the best thing? It’s when the rare gems are found… A one in a million chance sapling, its seed perhaps deposited by a bird, to be now rescued and relocated away from the border’s edge; and in the process we ensure your garden remains nurtured and forever evolving.
Image Yin Yang Sky Earth – Illustration
DonkeyHotey • CC BY 2.0
Garden Regeneration 
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