
Life shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. If anything, modern conveniences let us pack more activity into each day, usually in the form of multitasking.
If we’re not careful, this frenzied, multitasking mindset can infringe on our gardens, the very place we are supposed to find peace and connect with nature. Gardening author Felder Rushing has coined a new phrase to
encourage a more relaxed approach to gardening, called “slow gardening”.
“Slow gardening isn’t lazy or passive gardening—it actually involves doing more stuff, carefully selected to be productive without senseless, repetitive chores,” advises Rushing.
Slow gardening invites us to appreciate the rhythm of the seasons, choose plants most appropriate for local conditions, and to sit back and actually ENJOY our gardens. A rule of thumb for slow gardening is to think in terms of gardening for the “long
haul” and finding ways to “take it easy” in your garden.
How can you make your garden less like work and more like a break from the treadmill of modern life? Consider how you plant and maintain your garden. Rather than cramming as much activity as possible into a brief weekend, why not spread your gardening out, doing a little each day?
Imagine enjoying your garden, rather than reducing it to another item checked off your to-do list.
Another key concept of slow
gardening is “right plant, right place.” Choose pest- and disease-resistant plants adapted to local climate and soils. Plant more native plants, or try planting new varieties bred to require little maintenance. Growing plants adapted to local conditions results in less use of pesticides, and may lead to more birds and butterflies visiting your garden.
Slow gardening also encourages us to plant food crops in our gardens. This doesn’t necessarily mean creating a large vegetable garden. Peppers or tomatoes planted in a sunny flower garden, some herbs outside the kitchen door, or a pot of lettuce on the patio all count.
The Macon County Conservation District and the University of Illinois Extension Office invite you to slow down for an hour and reconnect with nature in a series of three gardening classes, beginning Saturday, April 24, 2010, at the Festival of Spring.
Jennifer Schultz Nelson, Ph.D.
University of Illinois Extension
Horticulture Educator
See this story and more in the latest issue of the Prairie Islander, Macon County Conservation District's quarterly newsletter. |