As shown by the popularity of World Naked Gardening Day, many naturists love their gardens and we’re no exception.
However there has been a significant change in recent years in the way we tend to our garden, which seems to align far more closely with a naturist philosphy, but not because we’re wearing less clothes.
When we moved to the house over 10 years ago, the garden was mainly lawn, with only a few shrubs or flowers. Not only was this fairly uninteresting, it also meant that we had little privacy from our neighbours.
We set about planting border shrubs, training climbing plants along the walls, sowing flower seeds and taking cuttings – lots of hard work and expense, but with mixed results!
About 5 years ago, we realised that we were approaching this in the wrong way, by trying to get nature to conform to our idea of how the garden should look rather than working with nature and seeing what transpired.
How did we change?
- We started making our own compost rather than buying in from the garden centre.
- We stopped using chemicals to eradicate any creatures we considered pests and any plants that we considered weeds.
- We encouraged plants that grew well in certain sections of the garden and moved those that were struggling to somewhere that might be more suitable.
- We found new ways to encourage more wildlife into the garden.
What did we discover?
- The home-made compost improved the quality of the soil, retaining moisture during dry spells and helping to protect the plants during cold nights.
- The insect population, found its own stability. For example, infestations of sap-sucking aphids were soon followed by predatory ladybirds and their lavae.
- Some plants we previously considered to be weeds actually producted pretty flowers or could be used in useful ways, such as making a liquid fertiliser from comfrey.
- All of the shrubs grew faster and stronger, providing more cover for wildlife.
- All of the above actions also increased the number of invertebrates in the soil which in turn attracted birds, reptiles and small mammals into our garden.
And the best bits?
- We have saved money
- Our garden requires less effort, allowing more time to enjoy the garden
- The number of birds, butterflies, flowers, greenery brings us constant joy
- We have more privacy from our neighbours, allowing us to spend more time naked in the garden.
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