Gardens walk a fine line between design and nature. They’re composed of natural elements, yet they’re inherently artificial. Most of us have learned gardening involves first clearing the land, then amending the soil and finally choosing and placing plants based on aesthetics. We prune, we whack, we weed out volunteers and uninvited interlopers to maintain our vision. If our soil doesn’t match plants’ native conditions, we add fertilizers, mulch and water as needed to compensate. We must stay constantly vigilant to hold the wilderness at bay.
In contrast, wild spaces like meadows and woodlands manage themselves. The picture is ever-changing as the plants and other organisms slowly adapt to shifting conditions.
A design approach gaining momentum worldwide aims for nature to do a lot more of the heavy lifting in the garden, and even some of the designing. Eschewing amendments and power tools, it’s
