I feel that when most people think about the work they are about to undertake in their garden, they are either excited to be amongst nature or annoyed that yet again they have to impose their will. This doesn’t mean that their aren’t variants on these themes, I for instance quite enjoy imposing my will whilst being excited that nature is all around me. And we all have bad days where being around nature and maintaining a space is the last thing on our excitement list. The next time you look at your little patch of nature, be it a back yard or like myself a few pot plants on the balcony, keep in mind what you are about to do. Are you going to impose your will or are you amongst nature.
Lawn mowing, hedging, dead heading and systematic tip pruning. These are all techniques that I would personally put into the “Imposing Your Will” category. These are practises that over many years we intelligent apes have experimented with and studied, developed into methods by which we can manipulate nature to achieve a desired effect. You will never see a golf course, or even back yard, like grassland. You will always see dead and dying plant matter still attached to the plant. No small garden space will ever be fully natural, its just not practical for our enjoyment. But forcing nature to accommodate us doesn’t have to be the bane of your existence. Lets say you own a property, with a house and you have some kids. You are going to want a space for the kids to play, but, this doesn’t mean you need a tightly manicured lawn. I remember as a child much enjoyment of going to a friend’s house to climb trees. I remember my dad started to build a cubby house in a tree out the back of his place and then when ended up build one on the ground. Which was vastly more sensible. You’re backyard can be a little bit over grown. It can have a secret passage that only the kids know about where they can use their imagination to play. I wonder as I type this if the rise of children playing video games and watching tv on the couch is assisted by the attitude that they’re not allowed to hurt the garden. But that is way off topic.
I love gardens, plants, nature and all the other aspects of being in the garden, but I still have to muster some energy when I know there are tasks to be done. The lawn needs a mow and the roses need deadheading. If mowing the lawn brings me such happiness then mowing it will result in the satisfaction of a job well done. If mowing the lawn doesn’t give me the same kind of satisfaction, then why do it? In other words, if you cant be bothered mowing a large lawn, bring the edges of your garden beds in a bit.
Your garden needs some maintenance. Just like washing your clothes and cleaning the dishes. You don’t need to make gardening a pain, customise your garden to suit the amount of work you want to do.