“Garden Wilding”
Today, conservationists worried about the planet’s future never mention gardens, though the area cared for by gardeners is much greater than the sum of all nature reserves. “Wilding” usually refers to forests and farms however “Mediterranean gardening offers a way of living in harmony with the earth without contrived effects or heavy spending. Born of long human experience on the land, it is frugal and fruitful, serves many purposes and gives many pleasures, year-round. Today it adapts easily to our growing ecological awareness, to individual creativity and community sharing. Above all, it perpetuates a long-standing partnership between human beings and their environment, tested in Mediterranean countries for millennia.” The success of this partnership, in spite of many regressions and obstacles, shows clearly in the region’s exceptional plant biodiversity—four times higher than in northern Europe. In her talk Louisa Jones explores garden “wilding” in general and in particular in Mediterranean regions.
Gardening Trends