(An excerpt from Gaia’s Garden)
A movement is afoot toward more natural landscaping. Many gardeners are turning their backs on the lawn, in particular. People are digging up their resource-guzzling grassy swards and installing native plant gardens, wildlife-attracting thickets, or sun-dappled woodland habitats. It’s an encouraging trend, this movement toward more ecologically sound, nature-friendly yards.
Yet not everyone is on board. Some gardeners hesitate to go natural because they can’t see where, for example, their vegetable garden fits into this new style. What will happen to those luscious beefsteak tomatoes? Or ornamental plants–does natural gardening mean tearing out a treasured cut-flower bed or pulling up grandmother’s heirloom roses to make room for a wild-looking landscape?