An A-Z Of Greener Gardening

Traditionally the environment has been right there at the centre of the gardening, and rightly so. Yet many of today's gardeners treat organic or eco gardening as something of an eccentric pursuit, a bit of hippy hangover from a time when being 'green' went hand in hand with long hair, listened to Pink Floyd and growing the other sort of pot plants.

The problem is that the word 'green' has been hijacked: you are either a tree dwelling eco activist or you just shrug your shoulders and forget about it. Of course I'm not one to knock the fine work of those willing to fight for the environment; but what nature needs right now is for 'normal' gardeners to go that bit greener; to get the eco ball rolling before it is to late.

For those gardeners who don't recycle, who don't conserve energy, who don't think about how much they consume or where everyday products come from, then picking up on a few points from this A to Z is a good starting point.

Why "Go Green" In My Garden?

In an increasing hectic world the garden has become a place where we can interact with the environment. Your garden is your very own piece of nature, the ideal place to try and return some of what we take for granted in modern day life. The garden is also the place where your kids will see wildlife first hand and maybe grow to appreciate the natural world.

The garden is trying to be green - it is ruled by natural processes - research has shown that nature will manage your garden for you with the minimum of human interference, and that means less cutting, digging, and more besides.

This A to Z covers the basics of green gardening, providing green pointers for gardeners. What ever your level of environmentalism please have a go; if you take just one of the following and put it into practice the world will be a slightly greener place.

A is for Allotment. If you live in an urban area chances are that there will be space free within your neighbourhood for you to grow your own food and flowers. Councils are obliged by law to provide allotments for public use. If you are keen but lack knowledge or time then why not sign up for an allotment with a more knowledgeable friend? In my hometown of Brighton many allotment societies exist; you just go along and help out and are rewarded with tasty organically grown vegetables, and it's a great way to learn more about growing vegetables.

B is for Birds, which can cause havoc in the garden, especially if you're growing fruit. However thrushes and blackbirds will eat pests such as snails, and slugs and having birds in your garden is a beautiful thing. Birds need a food source as well habitat to nest in; a tightly knit native hedge is great, as is a well-positioned nesting box. A bird table is all very well for providing food through the grim winter months, but come summer nature should provide plenty of food, so don't spoil them! Berry bearing fruit such as Hawthorn, Firethorn and holly will help provide much needed natural winter food.

C is for Compost. If we composted all our garden and household waste we could remove over a third of our most polluting landfill. Burying organic matter not only wastes valuable nutrients but also creates noxious gases and polluting effluent. Compost heaps are better big, a metre by a metre cubed will provide enough space to allow the heap to get hot. Regular watering and mixing are important, as is a covering: an off cut of old carpet is ideal. Avoid composting cooked household waste and try and mix household and garden waste for quick efficient composting.

D is for Dead wood. A tidy garden might look nicely manicured but all manner of valuable wildlife will flourish in dead wood, rubble and wilderness. Create small habitat piles of prunings in out of the way areas to provide a home for insects, beetles and fungi, as well an ideal habitat for mammals such as voles and hedgehogs, and don't be afraid to leave logs to rot away as nature intended.

E is for Ecology. Everyone likes to see foxes and birds of prey, but they sit at the top of the food chain. You need all that plant life and rotting wood to feed the insects and soil animals that in turn feed the small mammals and birds that provide dinner for the big guys at the top of the pile. Why not read up on the web and explain to your kids, they really will find it fascinating.

F is for Footprint (as in ecological). Any material used in the garden carries an environmental price tag, or 'footprint', so try and buy materials that have sustainable certification. Try and buy local products and recycled materials such as paving and timber from reclamation yards.

G is for Greenery. Plants should always take precedence over built features such as paving, metal and woodwork. Use shrub and hedge plantings as green walling and use more lawn area in favour of paving. Don't be fooled by the concept of instant gardens, gardens take time, plants should always rule!

H is for Hose, which should be attached to a sustainable water source. Water is a finite resource so make the most of rainwater buy using water butts to catch run-off from roofing. If you are really keen then you can collect grey water from your bath.

I is for Indigenous. Native British plants are always best for wildlife. A few real crackers include Field maple, Spindle and Dog rose, but also think about wild flowers such as cowslip, campion and flag iris. Most gardens can incoporate all sorts of native plants whether in wild flower meadow, hedgerow or woodland edge areas.

J is for Juveniles. Make your garden as child friendly as possible and encourage them to grow things in the garden. Kids love gardening and getting them outdoors cannot fail to be better than days spent indoors battling between X-box and the Tweenies.

K is for Kittens. They may seem innocent enough, yet they will grow into feline killing machines. Try and keep your cat in the house during early morning and dusk, being their preferred hunting times, especially during April to June, this being the bird nesting season. Fit a bell to warn small mammals and birds alike that a predator is at hand.

L is for Local. Try and source materials that have been produced locally with minimum impact on the environment. Remember when you build in stone or metal you are leaving a hole somewhere else. Transporting goods around the world is not sound as it hurts the environment through burning fuels and pollution from shipping, so buy local, think global.

M is for Money. Sometimes less is more and a good garden shouldn't need lots of money spent in it. Rather then splashing out lots of money why not look for the cheap sustainable alternative? Recycle old materials, encourage plants to self-seed and swap cuttings and seedlings with friends.

N is for Nitrogen., being the most important yet also most mobile of plant nutrients. Nitrogen is easily leached through the soil into waterways and ponds causing algal bloom and eventual stagnation. Avoid using excessive off the shelf inorganic fertilizers in favour of good old-fashioned compost (but avoid peat) or slow release organic fertilizers. Compost will provide a slow release supply of plant nutrients as well as greatly improve the quality of your soil.

O is for Organic gardening, which uses natural processes to protect and grow healthy crops. By avoiding pesticides and artificial fertilizers you will allow natural predators to control pests and diseases. You will also avoid poisoning the good guys and see far more wildlife as a result. If you find there are plants you cannot grow without chemicals simply find a substitute and garden with a clear conscience.

P is for Ponds. Water not only sooths the soul, it also provides a great breeding habitat for amphibians such as Frogs and newts. If you want water creepy crawlies such as water boatman and diving beetles as well as amphibians to flourish then avoid fish. Always create a sloping edge to allow frogs in and out as well as encourage birds and mammals to drink from the waters edge.

Q is for Quiet. Wildlife likes tranquillity, just like most gardeners. Create lots of natural screening with informal hedging and shrub beds as well as private semi wild areas at the end of the garden well away from humanity.

R is for Resting, which follows on nicely from quiet. Why not put your feet up and enjoy some R&W (Rest and Wildlife) in your garden? Time spent lounging around in your garden means avoiding traffic jams and pointless shopping excursions to buy more environmentally damaging product you don't need. So live more - do less!

S is for Soil, being what the garden is built on. If you have good soil there is no reason why a good garden shouldn't follow. That said poor soil makes a great place to grow wildflower meadow and native trees and shrubs, which often flourish on soil that ornamental plants will turn their noses up at.

T is for Trees. Small no fuss native trees such as Hawthorn, field maple and birch will flourish in most gardens and provide a great habitat for birds.

U is for Useless, which is what many of the products you will buy from your local garden centre will turn out to be. Before setting foot in the garden centre know what you want to buy, and only buy want what you really need. If in doubt go straight to the plant area and make sure you have done your homework well in advance and you know what plants your after.

W is for Water, which is not everywhere. We live on an island with limited water resources. Excess water use means reduced river flows and loss of wetland habitat. Use mulches to conserve soil water and plant tough natives and drought tolerant plants. Also think about reducing your water use in the home by investing in low water use toilets and washing machines as well as showering.

X is for Xylem, being one half of the plants vascular system (the other being the phloem). Read up on your botany; in order to be a great gardener you need to understand how plants grow.

Y is for Yester year. The last half-century has seen unprecedented losses as far as our native flora and fauna are concerned. 80% of herb rich chalk grassland lost, 75% of coppiced woodland lost; 40% of lowland heath lost; songbird populations slashed and over 50% of our native butterfly species in real danger of disappearing. Never has the need for gardeners to be greener been greater; nature needs a home too!

Z is for Zerascaping, this being the planting of drought tolerant species which can survive our ever hotter and drier summers. Silver leafed plants and tough Mediterranean herbs flourish on dry soils, as do many grasses and exotic plants such as Agave and Yucca.

You can find out more about greener gardening here.

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