Rewild your garden - but it's not just about letting everything go!

Рет қаралды 27,380

Күн бұрын

If you want to encourage wildlife or you're gardening in difficult conditions, then rewilding - or picking up some elements of rewilding could work well for you. Here environmental activist and film-maker Serena Schellenberg shows us round her rewilded garden and explains how it's an easy way of gardening, even for beginners.
00:00 Is rewilding gardening at all?
00:12 The Rewilded Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022: www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/a...
00:46 Rewilding is not just about letting everything go
00:50 The Book Of Wilding by Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell amzn.to/3S64hD3 (Links to Amazon are affiliate, see below).
01:46 The difference between a nature friendly garden and a rewilded garden
02:35 Flooding means that a traditional garden wouldn't work
03:12 Main steps in rewilding
04:14 Why rewilding is an easy way of maintaining a garden
05:13 Knepp Estate: knepp.co.uk/knepp-estate/gard...
05:51 What has worked best in Serena's garden
07:04 Weeding in a rewilded garden
07:55 The grass is cut down in autumn (fall)
08:18 Invasive plants
10:00 Seating areas and ornaments provide focal points and definition
11:30 How to create a stumpery in a large or small garden: • Transform a shady corn...
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Пікірлер: 162

@TLinda19 24 күн бұрын

The Middle Sized Garden is one of my favorite gardening channels!☺Thank you Alexandra, greetings from Hungary!❤

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 24 күн бұрын

thank you!

@Avril-Steward 24 күн бұрын

Everybody should have a boat in their garden! What a stunningly peaceful place.

@kilianrussell9509 24 күн бұрын

The way the climate is going we're going to need a boat in the garden 😉😉😉

@FireflyOnTheMoon 24 күн бұрын

I would tend to think we have to be a bit careful about flood waters generally. (I don't know this lady's specific circs). Flooding on that scale usually involves large amounts of escaped human sewage. Whenever I see the daft footage on the news of people canoeing down flooded streets I wince and feel angry that it is encouraging people to play in effluence. It looks all very romantic but is not, on the whole.

@kareharpies 24 күн бұрын

Incidentally I was just informed by another english gardener, Joel Ashton, that 83% of rivers in England are polluted. Almost all contain the overflow of sewage waste, chemical runoff from agricultural farms and contamination from old mineworks. None are fit to swim in. So definitely not a good idea to go paddling through floods like they do in low country usa.

@radieschen1965 24 күн бұрын

Every gardener should design a part of his garden close to nature!That would helped a lot!Many greetings from my german garden close to nature and with so much life and joy 🐸🐌🦋🐛🐝🐜🪲🐞🦗🪳🕷🕸🪰🪱🦎🐦🦔🦇🐀🐿

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 24 күн бұрын

Thank you!

@beckyscheller9358 24 күн бұрын

Making the most of what you have. Working with mother nature nit against ❤ very interesting

@kilianrussell9509 24 күн бұрын

Good comment 👍👍👍

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 24 күн бұрын

Yes, I agree.

@watersrising8044 23 күн бұрын

Excellent video. Please do more along these lines. The more the idea of wild gardens becomes acceptable, the better off our planet will be.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

Thank you!

@CathyEastburn123 24 күн бұрын

What a stunningly beautiful and tranquil garden! And the gorgeous birdsong. One of the loveliest gardens I can imagine... and yet so good for wildlife, so low maintenance and resilient in the face of worsening flooding due to climate change. Really inspiring....

@NIH1966 24 күн бұрын

I absolutely love this. one of my favorite episodes. so inspiring.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 24 күн бұрын

Thank you!

@LeanneD4 23 күн бұрын

Serena’s rewilded garden is perfection! So peaceful, with many interesting seating areas and hardscaped focal points. Thank you, Alexandra, for always bringing such interesting content. You have one of the best gardening channels around.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

Thank you so much.

@mywildwelshgarden-es3fr 23 күн бұрын

I`m so glad you made this video Alexandra. I started wilding my garden In Wales last year, inspired by Knepp, and the poor state of nature in Wales, and am sharing my struggles and progress on You Tube. Having been a conventional gardener all my life the change is not easy, but the rewards are huge with the new wildlife that is finding a home in my garden. If more people would do the same we may be able to do something to stop the awful decline in nature and wildlife in the uk.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

Thank you, and how interesting that you are going down this route too. I will keep an eye out for your videos.

@lulajohns1883 24 күн бұрын

Beautiful. I adore wild spaces. Fantastic video. Thank you Alexandra

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 24 күн бұрын

Thank you

@verawallace9055 24 күн бұрын

So much birds i thought they were over my head,although I am inside the house ❤

@Scimmia-Locale-wr9cx 23 күн бұрын

I owe you a huge debt of gratitude because you have just solved a huge problem I had. I have a large garden that I want to turn into a wildlife garden. Because I care about nature, I always feel overwhelmingly guilty about pulling out plants. I pull up overgrown brambles and such-like and I feel guilty because I believed I was destroying habitat. I never considered I'm also preventing herbivores access thus denying them the chance to eat vegetation. I can now create my wildlife garden guilt free. Thank you.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 9 күн бұрын

Hope it goes well! Thank you

@dyanalayng5507 24 күн бұрын

That's very difficult having so much flooding. Good to have a rowboat to hand. I had a vibrant, buzzing wilding area once: the native goldenrod, Asclepias syriaca and native purple asters provided pollen for bees, wasps, and butterflies. It was a joy to hear and see them in action. Unfortunately I had to sell that property. It was immediately turned back to deadland (lawn). Your guest is so fortunate to have that property.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 24 күн бұрын

Oh that is a shame

@dyanalayng5507 24 күн бұрын

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden I dont think people realize what a good impact a pollinator garden can have. And continuous garden strips. We get very butterflies here as the apt buildings are all close cut lawn and a few decorative but meaningless flowers.

@LouciferFlump 24 күн бұрын

How sad the new owners spoiled your little idyll! I hope you enjoy wherever you are now and have got back that same vibrancy!

@KarinLowrie-vi9cv 20 күн бұрын

I have watched Garden Haven 5 times. How splendid! Half of my property is wild and such a delight to experience. Thank you for sharing this inspiring garden.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

Thank you!

@mrsrover8997 24 күн бұрын

I garden in zone 4 and have sort of a hybrid garden - some mown lawn, some flower beds near the house, and a large wildlife area that we don't mow and have planted a variety of native trees/shrubs into. I love it!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 24 күн бұрын

That sounds beautiful

@DeborahChapin 23 күн бұрын

I am doing a similar thing here in Maine. I found it very challenging but one of the things I noted when she commented that she sees different things every year. I have the same experience, the wild plants (I don't call them weeds) changes location from year to year. They kind of roam around. Each plant is different from year to year. It never looks the same way twice. I have Queen Anne's lace and what we call False aster, heath aster, oxeye daisies as well as 59 different types grasses, sedges, and the like. Another large portion is composed wild shrubs, ferns, roses, and blooming vegetation I estimate I've identified probably 500 different plant species. This in turn has led to a healthy population of critters, birds, insects bees and butterflies. A raised portion up around the house is a cottage Garden. But the lower field it is very wet all the time, you dig a hole and water fills into the hole. I have a lot of trees which she is smart to plant because a full-size tree like an oak or poplar can soak up 800 gallons of water a day and keep your home from becoming flooded. It seems to be working so far as the pollinators and wildlife are going great guns but it has changed tremendously in just the five years I've been here.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 9 күн бұрын

That sounds gorgeous.

@DeborahChapin 7 күн бұрын

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden thanks. It is getting there but still very rough. Only 5 years in.

@mayb.wright509 24 күн бұрын

THANK YOU for this! A video on rewilding is exactly what I needed to see today. I'm in zone 4 in Quebec (Canada), at the foot of a mountain/nature reserve. Needless to say, nature here is rampant. The deer flies have been out in force this year, hunting humans. I've been feeling rather overwhelmed trying to create a garden and found a lot of comfort in this video. On my gardening journey, I've discovered that so many weeds are edible and medicinal, and I've been following Nature's cues as to what should grow where. I get jealous of UK gardeners that talk about plants blooming through the winter when my space becomes a chilly -30C and gets covered in snow and ice for 5 months a year. Thank goodness I'm an avid skier so I don't go insane during that time. I really appreciate your content. Thanks again. Blessings to all!

@LouciferFlump 24 күн бұрын

Canada seems like such a beautiful country. Breathtaking scenery, *incredible* wildlife!! Bears!!! I’m so jealous! How I’d love to visit one day. Your cold winters look wonderfully beautiful and epic on our tv screens in the UK, I have to say… 👍🏻☺️

@joannemurphy7407 23 күн бұрын

We visited Les Jardins de Quatre-Vents in June a few years ago and omigosh the biting insects! But so gorgeous!

@mayb.wright509 19 күн бұрын

@@joannemurphy7407 Thank you for your comment. I was not aware about that garden and it's very difficult to get in with limited showings. For you, June would have been the worst for those "biters," lol. The deer flies are out in force this year. They leave with a piece of meat. Blessings.

@mayb.wright509 19 күн бұрын

@@LouciferFlump Thank you for your comment. Seems we always admire the places where we don't live. I visited the UK and loved it! We haven't seen any bears on our street for about 10 years. Too much development and disruption, they've moved away. Blessings.

@LouciferFlump 19 күн бұрын

@@mayb.wright509 ah what a shame about your bears being driven off! Best wishes ✨

@marilynsmith8054 23 күн бұрын

I’m rewilding because of my age! Can’t do it all now. Have always grown plants for pollinators but don’t deadhead much. Same with the grass, no mow except round the edges.

@sunitashastry5270 24 күн бұрын

It appears to be a beautiful and unique way of living - almost like camping 12 months in a year. What a brace woman she is.

@Crazycatsx 23 күн бұрын

Beautiful! I’ve been slowly rewilding my garden. I have had an abundance of pollinators, butterflies and different birds I’ve never noticed before. I think we’ve been conditioned to despise weeds and buy chemicals to eliminate them. I’ve come to accept them and enjoy nature.

@joansmith3492 24 күн бұрын

might be the cutest umbrella ever!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 24 күн бұрын

Yes, I definitely had umbrella envy.

@chriscotterrill6460 22 күн бұрын

Really enjoyed this weeks video . The rear end of my garden is very boggy in the winter, and this has encouraged me to embrace that and work with nature rather than trying to make it in to something that is unrealistic!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

So glad to hear that!

@arizvetmontoya8367 24 күн бұрын

Such a beautiful place!! ❤ Nature itself has all the answers, “it’s all about being in nature “

@kilianrussell9509 24 күн бұрын

Yes the focal points around the garden really do work well...😀

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 24 күн бұрын

Makes a huge difference but so much less impact on the environment than hard landscaping does.

@bethmartof1262 17 күн бұрын

We added a large pond at the back of our place which has a stream connected. We now have beavers! The only bad thing about it is that they have eaten all my water lilies, but despite that, I am happy that they are there, as I believe it represents a healthy ecosystem. 😊

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

Ah, yes. Sad to lose the water lilies but I think we can forgive the beavers.

@LouciferFlump 24 күн бұрын

I’ve a couple of fields which I’ve not used since I gave up farming. They are truly a mini wilderness now. They’re utterly feral with brambles, nettles, feral young trees, decaying fallen mature trees, long grass - they look awful 😂 but the wildlife!!! I really do hardly any maintenance/clearance in them ever. I’ve got pheasants, herons (there’s a river running through one) tawny owls, kestrels, badgers, foxes…even a family of deer!! If you’ve a big enough garden to allow it, I do recommend letting part of it completely go to the dogs! Many people have awkward parts in their garden and it’s a perfect excuse to let things just do their own thing there. Cultivate the rest, but with nature in mind, and do put a pond in - any size you can accommodate!! You will attract larger wildlife to the former and delightful garden birds, pollinators and various aquatic cuties to the latter.

@joannemurphy7407 23 күн бұрын

I love the look and idea of rewilding but as a gardener I would have perpetual "itchy fingers"! I'm guessing rewilding would be easier in regions that are not already under heavy attack by invasive plants. Thanks for the lovely episode!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

Yes, the invasive plant issue is an issue. I think when people want to rewild and they have a problem with heavy invasives, they do some pretty drastic clearing but in a way that almost isn't rewilding. Thank you!

@tracyehrenberg6074 22 күн бұрын

wonderfully sublime. thank you for the tour Alexandra

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@julianh9980 24 күн бұрын

I am in Mississippi, USA, and I love your channel! Very educational, some differences in when and what, but very applicable to my area! And I am a great watcher of programs from previous months and years-just does not get old-thanks!😊

@threeriversforge1997 24 күн бұрын

Certainly a nice couple of acres! I often squabble with others on the nature of "rewilding" because I hold that we are the stewards of the land and should take on the responsibility of adding and removing plants so that there's a sense of more than just a wild patch of ground. The use of paths and tables or statues is a good example of this, honestly, and I don't see it as wrong to take things one step further by adding drifts of plants so that you have masses of plants in bloom that help to draw the eye and pique the curiosity. So long as it's a native plant, adding it to your "rewilding" is actually a good thing because a lot of the native species have been removed and are no longer in the seed bank. It's nice to sit back and hope that the birds will bring something in from elsewhere, but why wait? If there's a native plant grower in your area who has the local ecotype of something you find rather fetching, adding it to the ensemble would be a good thing. Of course, that's often easier said than done. Such is the life of the gardener! 😁

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

I agree. The lack of planting apart from trees and grasses in Serena's garden is as much to do with the flooding as the rewilding. There are a lot of shrubs and perennials which would be good in a rewilded garden but which wouldn't survive ten days under water in the winter.

@svetlanapil8089 24 күн бұрын

Another wonderful garden! I love it!

@monevaluation4716 19 күн бұрын

Such wise advice. I love your comment about bindweed and brambles - constant battle here in SW France.

@SMElder-iy6fl 24 күн бұрын

We are in our third year of severe drought. I'm learning a lot about what can take the dryness - darwinian gardening!

@RoseMary-vs3io 21 күн бұрын

Thanks Alexandra for always keeping it interesting💖👍

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

Thank you!

@Kyaide 24 күн бұрын

Wow what a cool garden and someone with a great perspective. Inspiring.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 24 күн бұрын

Thank you!

@anniecampbell8554 12 күн бұрын

So whimsical - love the shepherd’s huts!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 9 күн бұрын

me too

@richrogers2157 18 күн бұрын

Lovely video, of a wonderful garden and philosophy of gardening that I would wholeheartedly embrace however my wife is such a control freak that she has a team of landscapers come each week to thrash each plant to within an inch of its life, so sad , so barren, but I simply can’t convince her otherwise. Thank goodness for the many people who are converting back toward a more natural form of gardening.

@wjs5773 18 күн бұрын

I wonder if at least you can do some research on beautiful plants which are bee and other pollinator friendly and persuade her to put those into your borders ? There are many which are stunning and wild life friendly .

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

@MyFocusVaries 24 күн бұрын

Lovely. Alexandra, you'd likely be interested in Common Flower Farm's wild meadow. They've planted in local wildflowers to encourage diversity of natives.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 3 күн бұрын

Yes, I've seen it and it was beautiful. I think there were wild orchids at the time.

@29sagittarius51 24 күн бұрын

It’s just absolutely lovely!! 💕

@user-iq7dl7he6r 20 күн бұрын

I would like to have a little wild spot on our property but my husband doesn't quite get the concept. I enjoyed this video.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

My husband only became converted when he realised that would mean less mowing for him. He's now letting a good three weeks lapse between mows!

@lorimiller623 24 күн бұрын

I like this! An added benefit of the trees is that they absorb stormwater.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

Absolutely

@sarabrankaer7796 24 күн бұрын

I think I have a rewilded garden this year 😁... It's been so wet, that I haven't been able to do much gardening. On the few dry days we've had, I've had to work, so there's lots of beautiful weeds, hedges in desperate need of a trim and long grasses! It looks good, despite all the slug damage.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 3 күн бұрын

Accidental rewilding can be surprisingly rewarding.

@Lookup2Wakeup 24 күн бұрын

Great ideas. I have a stream at the bottom of my garden & I keep a section of it wild. My neighbour loosely complained last week that it was overgrown & needed tidying....😮

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 3 күн бұрын

We get a few complaints about the grass in our front garden.

@lorebrown5307 24 күн бұрын

I''ve created a nature inspired organic garden and food forest at the edge of a wood and field. I'm dealing with heat and drought and use stumps at the dripline of fruit trees and berries because it helps retain moisture and provides habitat. I leave wildflowers and wild berries along with cultivated which brings the native pollinators. I have traditional ornamentals and fragrant plants as well as organic vegetables and flowers I grow from seed in N. Idaho U.S. It's a bit of a grand experiment in a changing climate but rewarding nevertheless. Thanks for the wonderful videos there are a lot of ideas I can adapt to my situation

@Leekle2ManE 24 күн бұрын

I think I would have to say my Florida garden leans more toward Nature Friendly, but with some Rewilding influence. There are some sections that I just allow to grow and I step in when it looks like one species is taking over too much or if an invasive is... invading. Part of it is pure curiosity, me wanting to see what nature brings to the yard. But while the rest of the yard has plenty of plants native to my area or produce some sort of food (for us or wildlife), it is definitely curated by me. That said, I don't know if I would have ever decided to let those areas go if not for learning of Rewilding.

@giennefarcais6834 23 күн бұрын

Looks like Paradise to me. I wish I had that much space.

@meenaxisanga 24 күн бұрын

Very beautiful garden view

@aiai-j7i 23 күн бұрын

Thank you for bringing some peace to my day and showing what is possible. I am upset because in NYC public gardens are under threat of real estate developers (who sadly are in cahoots with the mayor). The High Line, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Elizabeth Street Garden are being encroached upon, if not altogether about to be demolished (the latter). As someone whose passion for gardening started in community gardens I find it all very disturbing.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

That is a huge shame, the High Line is respected as something to aim for all over the world. It would be a shame if it were to be chipped away at.

@laurahobbs1936 24 күн бұрын

Wonderful!

@wiesbadengera1 22 күн бұрын

Burdock ... It's everywhere in my yards!!

@krybastian2611 23 күн бұрын

I love this! Wonderful!

@user-vf8bn8xz1b 7 күн бұрын

Thank you for sharing this garden, love it

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 6 күн бұрын

Thank you!

@LifeHomeandGardenwithAnaRica 24 күн бұрын

Another amazing garden! Such a delight

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

Thank you!

@NicolaBrown-wo2bq 22 күн бұрын

Thank you for making this . The birds and birdsong is beautiful to listen to. Making a new garden at my mother's home and have included a wildflower area after the drought we lost grass but the rye grass has come back which is frustrating. Just one thought on the trees there seem to be a number of silver bridges in this lovely garden. My mother's property has a wood opposite the land there is prone to flooding and the silver birch have recently succumbed guessing the water was just to much . The oak trees seem to be okay though.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

I think it probably depends on how much flooding there is. On the whole, silver birches seem to survive our levels of flooding but if your mother's is more prolonged that might be too much.

@zonabrown9241 24 күн бұрын

❤❤❤loved this

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

So glad. I loved making it.

@SMElder-iy6fl 24 күн бұрын

You have to decide which weeds to permit. I allow annual weeds unless they are choking out a desirable plant. I save my energy for perennial weeds. Vetch and sticky weed were terrible this year!

@dev5963 22 күн бұрын

Great video and concept. But this won't work everywhere; you have to consider your location and what wildlife you're willing to live with near your home and in your home. I live in rural southeast Virginia, USA. It is hot and humid in the summer and can be swampy. While I love seeing deer, fox, rabbits, black bears, and more, I am not very enthralled with snakes, especially when I find them in my house. I must keep the wildness away. However, away from the house, while I let some grass grow higher, I cut some wide paths and areas that allow me to reach the water's edge. I want to easily see snakes since some are poisonous. I have created a stumpery and I place larger fallen limbs in the area but cut them so they lie semi-flat on the ground. I chip smaller limbs and grind leaves/twigs to use as mulch and create pathways.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

That sounds lovely, and I agree that the concept has to be tailored to what the wildlife is like - there are certainly several parts of the world where too much wildness could be somewhat dangerous.

@FireflyOnTheMoon 24 күн бұрын

Wonderful that you have been reading Isabella's book! Well done that woman.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 24 күн бұрын

It's very interesting, isn't it?

@FireflyOnTheMoon 24 күн бұрын

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden the whole Knepp project is wonderful; great that she is now expanding this into gardening also.

@sarahlyon6187 23 күн бұрын

I am not sure what the insect situation is in the UK, given that it has been cultivated so much longer than the US, but it seems that it is important -in the US at least-to plant natives that coevolved with the native insect population. There are generalist insects who like a wide variety of plants and then there are specialist insects who are very fussy about what they will visit. To keep all the various populations of insects healthy, it's necessary to have a variety of native plants that bloom throughout the growing season. Certain non-native plants may be ok for the generalist insects, but not so for the specialists (and certain non-native plants don't seem to be good for any insects). So if you are really into helping out nature, find out which native plants the native insects in your area depend on and plant those. Perhaps some native plants may pop up, but just as likely, non-native invasives will take hold and take control. At least this is the situation in Massachusetts in the US. So many people have non-native invasives in their yard that are then spread by birds. Also a lot of the non-natives come out earlier in the spring and they crowd out the native plants. It's a battle ground!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

We do have an insect population crisis here, too, but the situation re native and non-native plants is very different because we have had thousands of years of trade and migration with Europe, Africa and Asia, which meant constant new plants and many of our insects have adapted. 'Native' in the UK means a plant that was here before the last ice age (33,000 years ago) compared with 'native' in the US which means before colonisation (more like 500 years). The RHS did research and found that 'native' UK plants did attract the highest percentage of insects, but 'non-native' also attracted lots and the difference was quite small. The important thing is to plant plants rather than cover everything with stone, brick, concrete and artificial grass.

@LoriSavingWild 24 күн бұрын

We are guardians of the land, not gardners. I am rewilding my property here in California. But doing it by adding natives, and removing invasives.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

That's a really good approach. It's more complicated to plant natives here because we have relatively few native plants, as new ones have been coming in from Europe, Asia and Africa for thousands of years. (Worst weed in my garden was imported by the Romans when they conquered England in 43AD!)

@jacquelinewilson2279 24 күн бұрын

Delightful.

@richardeidemiller6739 24 күн бұрын

I don't see this as gardening really but I respect her for leaving nature alone. Vicki

@FireflyOnTheMoon 24 күн бұрын

Why is it not gardening? She is planting trees, taking back brambles, growing in pots? It is her garden.

@richardeidemiller6739 24 күн бұрын

I said ( I ) didn't see it as gardening based on the actual defenition of it. I said I respect leaving nature alone. You're comparing my opinion to others further down in the comments. I've gardened for 33 years and have a pond and roughly 300 perennials, shrubs and trees. I leave some areas natural also but don't consider them a garden. She herself called it Wilding. Vicki

@kareharpies 24 күн бұрын

I dont think its gardening either. I mean, the proof is in the name isnt it? But she made the best out of challenging terrain and I believe she made the right choice.

@richardeidemiller6739 24 күн бұрын

@@kareharpies Exactly. I wasn't trying to put her down. She doesn't try to fight what nature has handed her but rather embraces it. Vicki

@barbkenas5663 24 күн бұрын

Interesting, I'm all for no weeding! Tfs.

@playingtheatrically9738 18 күн бұрын

Could consider balance in all things. Cultivate a garden, but not too much, and vice versa.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

Very true

@thewise3551 22 күн бұрын

Every time my wife tells me to do the weeding I tell her I’m rewilding.

@jomassey4207 24 күн бұрын

How do I get rid of bindweed? Ive tried for over 12 yrs but it keeps coming back and strangling my hollyhocks, foxgloves and dahlias, even up my dwarf Pear tree. The white roots or suckers break off so easily and any thing left in the soil just multiplies. Any advice would be so helpful. Thankyou, Jo.😊

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 24 күн бұрын

I agree, it's very difficult. The only success I've had is covering an area with something like cardboard for a summer to weaken it, and then to keep pulling it. It does weaken eventually if you keep pulling but it's definitely a case of 'the price of victory is eternal vigilance.' And I'm not sure that eternal vigilance is quite enough! I've had zero success using weed killers because it's so spindly - in the days when I used sprays, it used to kill or damage the plants around but the bindweed was oblivious.

@FireflyOnTheMoon 24 күн бұрын

I think perhaps bindweed is a particular nightmare unto itself. It is perhaps dealable with in a middle sized garden, but on two acres of rewilded garden I have no idea how anyone would hold it back from choking big areas, if not spraying.

@Test-Tube-Baby-xo8xx 24 күн бұрын

Rowing boat in the garden? Living the dream.

@FireflyOnTheMoon 24 күн бұрын

Flooding and dealing with surges of effluence is, on the whole, a nightmare for most people.

@SMElder-iy6fl 24 күн бұрын

Do they have mosquitoes in England?

@Test-Tube-Baby-xo8xx 24 күн бұрын

@@SMElder-iy6fl Yes, 30 species of mosquitoes in the UK. Quite natural and normal. Does that bother you?

@linnie-ei2gl 23 күн бұрын

I love this, but grassy weeds here grow to 7' tall (truly) so that can't be left to run free.. It does despite our best efforts, as do many tree choking vines, so we are able, at best, to create our wildlife-friendly garden with lots of weeding.. lots.. subtropical Australia doesn't really allow that delightful garden style, unless we live so deep into thickly forested areas that weeds can't penetrate. I love this garden, though, and so does the wldlife!!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

I can understand that.

@mywildwelshgarden-es3fr 23 күн бұрын

I don`t think a wild garden needs to be just trees and grass. I think you can have more flowers in a wild garden, particularly if it is small, to make it nice to look at and spend time in. I have lots of flowers in my garden.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 16 күн бұрын

Yes, the trees and grass is relevant to the flooding, not the rewilding necessarily. She can only have plants that survive being underwater for days on end at certain times of the year. Trees and grasses are the best for that.

@janetbarkwith 15 күн бұрын

I was told once that a weed is a plant in the wrong place.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 9 күн бұрын

It is, I agree.

@user-cj5ic7ts9u 24 күн бұрын

might this attract ticks too.....?

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 24 күн бұрын

It's a complex issue, and worth considering, if you're living in a tick area, you would have to be careful no matter what your gardening style. Woodland and deer are two risk elements for ticks (more so than long grass apparently). I've only ever got ticks from one garden and it had loads of trees but it did have mown grass and traditional borders, so I don't think conventional gardening necessarily protects you from ticks. But they can transmit serious disease so it's an issue worth being aware of.

@user-cj5ic7ts9u 24 күн бұрын

Thank you for that balanced response. 🌸

@Flower_hoarder 24 күн бұрын

S🌾MPLY L🌼VELY‼️

@mandocool 24 күн бұрын

I suppose a wild naturalistic would lend itself more to a beginner gardener.

@wiggiatlarge 24 күн бұрын

Not as easy as many suggest, Dan Pearson did a program on a naturalistic garden he designed many yeas ago and explained the pitfalls as well as the benefits, you are trying to replicate nature and nature has it's own way of showing what it can do, the survival of the fittest and that can create big problems with unsuitable plants elsewhere. A local garden club were given a large area on our local community centre to create a wild area, year one half decent second year two species have taken over and it looks a total mess, road side verges seeded with wild flowers all follow the same route and end up with perhaps only one species surviving, soil site and the choice of species all have to be carefully selected, I know because I was involved in a project that went wrong for the lack of knowledge in those areas, it was a waste of money and effort. The belief that the fad of re wilding creates a maintenance free garden is an untruth, done well it can be lovely, but that rarely happens.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 3 күн бұрын

Yes, you do have to maintain gentle but firm control over the invasives. Although Serena downplays her gardening abilities, she is quite careful to remove plants that aren't supposed to be there and can cause nuisance or damage (like the Himalayan Balsam). Re-wilding is curating rather than controlling, and, as you say, isn't maintenance free. Nothing is maintenance free!

@user-pw4nf4cn5f 24 күн бұрын

مسيرة مزفقة💚💚💚💚💚💚🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷⚘️⚘️⚘️⚘️👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹

@Aculturalsavagefromaustralia 24 күн бұрын

This is my type. I see Taoist philosophy in this gardening which champions managing without intervention.😂

@TheMiddlesizedGarden 24 күн бұрын

Yes, I agree

@FireflyOnTheMoon 24 күн бұрын

It's a fundamental misunderstanding of rewilding. It does need intervention and managing, but as a type of stewardship and curation.

@kathrynhopkins 15 күн бұрын

Weeds are after all just native wildflowers that are out of fashion

@333whateverdude 12 күн бұрын

Why haven't you mowed the lawn husband , I'm really re wilding

@jaculton2641 24 күн бұрын

Why can't this nonsense stop. Anyone with a basic knowledge of gardening can have a garden full of pollinators and wildlife. But each to their own.

@FireflyOnTheMoon 24 күн бұрын

What nonsense? Planting trees?

@jaculton2641 24 күн бұрын

@@FireflyOnTheMoon"Rewilding"

@bridgetkeyes6170 24 күн бұрын

There are buzzwords and fashions for each era! Tricky to truly rewild a small garden...

@jaculton2641 23 күн бұрын

I agree that it's fashionable but it isn't going away. The people behind Rewilding aren't going away. They aren't gardners. Rewilding gardens originad at the same time as many of the current trends. What's disappointing is that it's unchallenged. That people don't use their own eyes and common sense. The RHA should be encouraging as many people as they can to garden. Promoting gardening in a positive way. Instead they espouse half truths and agendas. Rewilders should give advice to the person asking about bindweed.

@andrewwoodgate3769 23 күн бұрын

Serena explained clearly why this garden style was is perfect for the terrain she is in.

@petercrossley1069 21 күн бұрын

They are a mess. The point of gardening is to create a work of art.

@squinteastwood9107 24 күн бұрын

Think she smoking them weeds she's growing

@Cassieskins21 24 күн бұрын

Agenda pushing tosh

@FireflyOnTheMoon 24 күн бұрын

It's so striking to me that the rudest comments on KZfaq always seem to come first. I imagine the Anti crowd are bent over their keyboards, eyes glued on their angry forums waiting to leap on new linked posts and condemn them as "tosh", woke, liberal nonsense. These comments always say far more about the commenters than the subject of the video. I imagine these people are bored out of their minds, very lonely, filling their days with "leap and bash" strategies.

@RoseMary-vs3io 21 күн бұрын

@@FireflyOnTheMoon Blah, blah, blah💤