Rewild or Managed

Alan Titchmarsh recently hit the headlines and caused controversy when he warned that trendy 'rewilded' gardens are 'catastrophic' for wildlife.

He stressed rewilding is important in many places including farms, the countryside in general, woodlands, riverbanks and roadside verges, but told the peers at the House of Lords: 'A rewilded garden will offer nothing but straw and hay from August to March. 'Domestic gardens and well-planted parks offer an opportunity to all forms of wildlife – be they birds seeking nesting sites in hedges, berried plants that provide winter food, or shrubs that offer shelter to mammals. 'Domestic gardens with their greater plant diversity offer sustenance and shelter to wildlife from March through to November. Nine months of nourishment.

He said that while it is essential to ensure the countryside’s native trees, shrubs, plants and flowers are protected, domestic gardeners should not be pressured into rewilding their home spaces. He found it worrying that misleading propaganda suggests only native plants are of any value to wildlife and the environment, which is at odds with his experience as the custodian of a two-acre wildflower meadow and garden.

Many people will agree with the sentiments as they enjoy gardening and would not welcome nature taking over their entire haven. But we do wish to improve biodiversity with carefully considered actions or inactions. Whether that is creating a pond, or letting weeds grow in a controlled area of our garden. I know that our vines, honeysuckle and pyracantha are home to nesting birds throughout the season. I doubt that they would be growing naturally, and I do not wish to remove them to create a 'rewilded' environment.

The real question relates to the interpretation of 'rewild' and design of a garden to be more nature friendly. Our previously manicured lawn is now partly but not completely alive with dandelions. We regularly top up an old bucket of pebbles which the birds seem to have discovered and love as a bath. The lavender is alive with butterflies and bees. At the back of the garden, a woodland area has little intervention, the birds adore our cherry tree and usually beat me to the fruit.

We plan to make better use of our space to make an edible garden. Surely growing and eating our own vegetables is better for the environment than importing things from many miles away. We have our herb garden with parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano and coriander. The vegetable patch has tomatoes, courgette, asparagus and peppers. Next year we will expand into peas, beans, salad leaves and carrots. We may not have the self sufficient Good life but we can enjoy our the taste of our labours.

Gardening is enjoyed by many people across the country and is by its very definition it is intervention in the natural environment. The real question relates to the level and type of the intervention. Surely nobody will wish to remove the pleasure of gardening as we are encouraged against any intervention. Importantly nobody will argue against putting nature and biodiversity at the heart of gardening with the resulting huge benefits for our ecosystems.

I am glad that the topic is in the headlines. I welcome more talk about rewilding, nature recovery, and biodiversity. This was a focus of my election campaign and I will continue to champion nature recovery as I promote the success of our local programme as a blueprint for other towns and parishes.