Our May Zoom talk was by Darren Lerigo from Modern Mint. Darren is a gardener and topiary artist dedicated to managing gardens in an environmentally friendly way, encouraging bees and other wildlife.
His lively talk entitled What Should I Do With This Space asked us to consider what we really wanted from our gardens.
Our group thought easy maintenance was key and Darren said it was important to mulch around plants to reduce weeds. Other advice was:
Growing perennials rather than annuals.
Using a few large containers rather than lots of small ones has a better impact.
Reduce the lawn to make mowing easier.
Disturb the soil as little as possible and be frugal with water.
Grow bee friendly plants eg Heleniums and day lilies and plant in blocks.
Have a pond and a log pile for insects.
Use the best compost you can afford.
See weeds as flowers.
Plant trees and consider native species.
Enjoy your garden and don’t whinge!
Darren’s ideas certainly gave us something to think about, so worrying about the weeds should be something we can put aside.
