Transforming from Gardeners to ‘Guardians’ of Nature!

Pennington is blessed with an extra-ordinary natural environment where forests, grasslands and wildlife abound.  This is extra-ordinary and should be the focus of its residents to preserve and protect.  Don’t ‘wake up’ when it is too late – start now!

As this gem “Pennington” becomes more ‘discovered’, the ‘wild’ and natural spaces start to shrink and Nature retreats.  Many of us chose to live in Pennington because of its forests and fauna and flora.  So, as residents, it is up to us to become more aware and vigilant in preserving those areas which makes our environment so unique and allows our rich diversity of wild creatures to co-exist with us.  Allowing Nature to co-exist with us also requires a mind shift from killing anything that looks ‘ugly’, to rather removing it to an area where it will do no harm or cause you angst.  As one becomes more emersed in nature, so one realises that we, and ‘life’, are all inter-connected and that our lives depend on the well-being of our natural environment to enable us all to thrive.

By transforming from Gardeners to ‘Guardians’ (of Nature), each one of us can play a part in creating an environment which allows nature to thrive.  However, it requires a shift in mindset from gardening with exotic trees, shrubs and flowers, to planting indigenous and endemic vegetation which is more intentional and mindful of sustaining the creatures who share our environment.  As I was once told, planting indigenous (ideally endemic) vegetation feeds our insects and wildlife, whereas planting exotics denies them of a meal or weakens them.

Another mind shift one needs to make is to realise that Nature is ‘messy’ it is not ‘tidy’!  There is a natural cycle in Nature which allows it to thrive when left alone.  Leaves fall to the ground and create a blanket of protection and food for the microbes and mycelium that feed the plants.  Branches and twigs take longer to break down often with the help of insects which continues to feed microbes and fungi in the soil.  Another mind shift is to realise that ‘bare soil’ is often dead soil.  Soil is made up of ‘livestock’ (microbes, mycelium and fungi) which feed the plants growing in it.  This ‘livestock’ needs food and protection from the sun to fulfil its function.  Leaves form a mulch which protects the soil from the heat of the sun, but also retains moisture for longer and leaves also have minerals and nutrients to feed the ‘livestock’ in the soil.  So next time you are tempted to use a ‘leaf blower’ or rake, think twice!  Leaves are aptly named – just ‘leave’ them where they fall.

Part of the process of becoming a ‘Guardian’ is to allow Nature more leeway.  For example, don’t mow the lawn religiously, allow it or some areas of your lawn to grow long and notice the flowers, grass seeds and ‘life’ in the form of insects etc, that appears in these areas!  It is so much more rewarding and satisfying allowing Nature to flourish and ‘do her own thing’! 

This brings me to introducing you to a global movement called “ARK”. 

“ARK” refers to Acts of Restorative Kindness, a movement founded by Irish gardener and landscape designer Mary Reynolds to help people restore nature by dedicating at least half of their land to (native) indigenous ecosystems. The ARK initiative encourages individuals to become ‘Guardians’ of their local environment by allowing indigenous plants to grow and creating a haven for wildlife, and the movement aims to connect these small patches into a global network of restored habitats.  

What the movement encourages :

• Returning land to nature:  The core principle is to give at least half of one’s property back to the earth to allow for natural restoration and rewilding. 
• Focusing on indigenous / native plants:  The focus is on native plant communities, which are essential for supporting local wildlife and pollinators, rather than non-native, often ornamental, plants. 
• Becoming a Guardian:  It promotes a shift in consciousness from being a traditional “gardener” to being an “earth guardian” who works in partnership with nature’s own processes. 
• Growing food:  The other half of the land can be used for growing food, ideally organically and regeneratively, with an emphasis on sharing any surplus. 
• Creating a collective impact:  By converting individual spaces into ARKs, the movement aims to create a “global patchwork quilt” of connected habitats that can support wildlife and build a community around restoration. 
• Putting up a sign:  People are encouraged to put a sign on their property to identify it as an ARK project and share the message with their neighbours. 

How to get involved

• Start small:   If giving half the land isn’t possible, the movement welcomes any amount, even just the boundaries or corners of your property. 
• Use indigenous plants:  Let indigenous “weeds” grow and become part of your ecosystem, as they are crucial for native insects and birds. 
• Avoid chemicals:  The initiative discourages the use of chemicals to allow the natural ecosystem to flourish. 
• Visit the website:  The We Are The Ark website is a resource for information, and its map helps to connect ARKs across the globe. 
• Share the message: 

Spread the word to friends, family, and neighbours.

Pennington Conservancy will be initiating the “We are the ARK” project in some of the more visible areas of our town.  Look for the sign – either “We are the ARK” or ‘Pardon the weeds, we are feeding the bees’!

You can make a contribution by ‘wilding’ a section of your garden –  create an ‘exclusion zone’!  An area where humans rarely visit and encourage nature to revert back to being ‘wild’ – untamed!  If this is too big a step to take, let a section of the lawn grow tall and ‘just be’.  Then take note of all the little insects and creatures that are active in this part of the garden.  Plant or encourage indigenous plants throughout your garden and specifically in this quiet ‘exclusion’ area of your garden.  ‘Wilding’ or ‘rewilding’ does not equate to total neglect!  One should remove invasives and alien plants and lightly ‘intervene’ if needs be.

More tips :

• Stop raking up the leaves but spread them as a thin mulch over the surface of your garden. 
• Create a ‘woodpile’ as a habitat for lizards, frogs, etc.   Use dead branches to outline your flower beds.
• Mulch your garden regularly using garden litter spread thinly in the plant beds and on any bare earth.
• Your garden ‘waste’, or excess, should remain on your property.  It is an asset and should be recycled to feed your garden.  Chop thinner branches and lay them in between the plants in the flower beds to decompose and feed the soil. 
• Thin layers of lawn cuttings can be used to ‘mulch’ bare patches of dirt.  Kitchen waste can be ‘planted’ in small amounts in the root zone of your plants to feed them if you don’t have, or don’t want, a compost heap.
• Make compost with excess leaves and plant material. 
• Make a ‘brew’ from greens and weeds to feed the soil.  Chop the ingredients up and put in a bucket of water with a handful of rich soil and seal it with a lid.  Stir the ‘brew’ once a day and leave for a few days until it starts to smell ‘earthy’ (not rotten).  Then mix the brew 1lt to 10lt of water and water your plants with it.
• Build a ‘Bug Hotel’ to encourage them to stay.
• Get rid of invasive and alien plants both within your garden or elsewhere.
• Be mindful and only cut down a tree when it is absolutely necessary.  Their contribution to the air we breathe and general sense of well-being is over-countable.  Before cutting it down, be sure to get permission from our local Authorities.
• Stop using insecticides and herbicides and DOOM!  No matter how ‘safe’ the manufacturers say their products are, they poison the ‘livestock’ in the soil and pollute the water-systems long term!  Healthy plants aren’t attacked by bugs, as in the animal kingdom, it is the ‘sick’ unhealthy, struggling animals that are taken out, so it is with plants!

First and foremost we need to get our heads around ‘tidy’ is not ‘wild’!  Nature is messy, it is exuberant, it wants to flourish and ‘do its own thing’, it is UNTIDY and will eventually retreat when ‘tamed’! 

The upside to this is the joy one experiences when the butterflies appear, the birds sing, the chameleons return, the bugs appear and the cycle of life becomes part of your garden or your environment!  One becomes so much more mindful of the space we live in and the creatures that share that space!  You are playing an important part in enhancing and saving our fragile eco-system and preserving something sacred for generations to come. 

How to make Compost :

Compost by layering equal quantities of brown, dry vegetation with green vegetation. 

Intersperse the layers with ash and manure if you are able to access some! 

It is important to water each layer until damp (not sodden). 

To expedite the process, one can add a compost ‘brew’ to the water.  (see above).

Once complete, stick a metal stake in the centre of the heap, this allows you to ‘gauge’ the temperature.  The compost heap should start heating up after a day or so, breaking down the material in the heap. 

Then, after a few weeks, once the temperature has cooled, the heap will be ready to ‘turn’.   ‘Turning’ the heap reactivates the compost and helps it to break down further. 

The compost should be ready for use within 4 – 6 months.