Kings and Queens of our Little Kingdoms
To some it may feel we have little control left in our lives “…but in the garden or allotment we are king or queen! It is our piece of outdoors that lays a real stake to the planet.” Monty Don
This is true if we wish to know it, and with knowledge comes power, and with power of course comes responsibility! We can look at our little garden kingdom and choose its fate: decide a method of control, choose what we put in it and what we take away from it.
There are plenty of gardening rules to follow – it makes sense to use them, but don’t forget to use your humanity. As king or queen you can choose to consider all the living things on your land (not just the plants) as your beloved subjects. You could be a great ruler; hospitable and nurturing, but also tough and decisive when you know what needs to be done for the greater good. You could allow your subjects a place to shelter and a place to forage. During hard times you might even lay out food and water for them.
In the olden days gardens were places of sanctuary from the wild beasts over the hedge, now there are barely any wilds, instead mostly human development: houses, roads or agriculture. How we decide to rule our gardens does matter; gardens make up a huge area of Britain, and together we could make such a difference to our dwindling British wildlife.
Simple steps to help wildlife without sacrificing your garden
Go chemical-free, let the “pests” fight it out amongst themselves
Allow homes: be a bit untidy out of sight, or create undisturbed piles of wood, leaves, rubble
Leave some long grass: decide a nice shape with your mower, it can look great
Access: check if hedgehogs can get through your fence
Water: create something that holds water making sure there is a gentle slope on one side
Planting: Plant a tree (preferably native) and/or flowers good for pollinators
