Not often do I repeat what I have written previously. I believe this to be only the third time in the 25 years of writing. Perhaps my timing was originally not the best, for it appeared on the 12th day of the first month in 1998. I repeat it now this spring with the hope that suggestion is more receptive to the minds of seemingly hard-headed gardeners. Here it is, folks, word for word, as it appeared over eleven years previous:
“The garden, urban, suburban, rooftop, container or rural, should, in some menial manner, be easy on the eye and blend, eventually, in with the natural landscape. But in reality the gardens of today have strayed so far from that concept of nature that they become not much more than a red flag, as well as a proverbial ‘pain in the butt;’ demanding constant care and attention and doing absolutely nothing in the way of helping the environment.
“The fact is, the formal gardens of contemporary times are over-extended, over-tended, over-watered, over-fertilized, over-sprayed with multiple mixes of pesticide, fungicide and what have you – to say nothing of the herbicide that is dumped on lawn, patio and driveway. In addition to that, they have been over-planted with exotic trees and shrubs, and hybrid flowers, that have been so genetically altered that they have no way of reproducing themselves without the sexual molestation of man. In short, they too, have been grossly overrated.
“No longer are they capable of providing a home to native songbirds, mammals, butterflies and colourful glamorous insects. Our keeping-up-with-the-Jones’ mentality for green lawns (all summer long), unusual, exotic, and hybrid X flowers, coupled with our obsession for neatness, have robbed beyond all reasonable doubt and common sense, the down-to-earth reason and joys of gardening.
“Traditional gardeners, bolstered by fantasies, are forced to work too long, too hard, pay too much, reap too little, and for what? To enjoy aching backs, stiff muscles, sore knees and stress, which the name of the gardening game is reputably supposed to eradicate in the first place. Get a life.
“Our desire to control, meddle, to compete, to change and to tamper with the natural process have thrown our ecology, both rural and urban, so far off base that compatible diversity no longer exists. It simply is not there to sustain the variety of wildlife that we once knew and enjoyed. The far-reaching results could well be devastating. The dwindling numbers of birds, bees, mammals, amphibians, butterflies and invertebrates are sending us a long, loud and clear message. A message we can no longer ignore.
“Extinction is a word of such complete finality. Though the chemicals, of which their bodies were composed, lie all about us, no trick of magic, engineering or imagination can return a lost species to life. This message, without fail, fuels far more than an elegant argument in support of our goal. We must encourage preservation and restoration of both public and private lands. This we can do by setting an important example right in our very own backyard.
“We can do this by working together, using fewer horticultural hybrids and imports, and more native vegetation; bringing back the natural biodiversity so necessary to the survival of the unseen creators fabric of life. We cannot continue to lose species after species and continue to survive as a species ourselves. To continue as we are now doing threatens both lives and happiness, burdening greatly our unborn descendants.”
So there you have it folks, just as it has set for 11 long years on a dusty shelf in my abode. It is hoped a little more attention will be paid this time around. In the meantime, don’t forget Greenspaces’ Birdhouse assembly workshop, in the Naturium at Greenway Blooming Centre, March 18 and 19, from 10am to 4pm. Build your own, for your back yard, at a cost recovery of only $10.
There are also several interesting educational videos to watch. I’ll be there. Hope to see you all there.
Take care, ’cause we care.
barrie@barriehopkins.ca
519-843-4544