Garden as co-creation rather than makeover

It does take patience and a willingness to let go of the urge to dominate. In the process, a sustainable design for your garden begins to emerge. At least that's what I see happening in my half acre: fewer dandelions, more berry bushes; 51 different species of birds and an array of wild Cariboo plants, most of them indigenous.

And the co-creation? Well, I don't stand idly by. I've pulled a lot of dominating and invading weeds, releasing the smaller guys to come forth and multiply. My first executive decision was to remove the thistle: a pile almost as tall as I am. In succeeding months and seasons other "dominators" followed. My botanical knowledge is minimal so I couldn't begin to seriously list all the plants that have emerged or arrived and I doubt if any of them are that rare anyway. However, if there were such a thing as an "Eden quotient", I'd say this little piece of land has gone up the ranking significantly.

Wild Blue Flax enjoys drier, open, sunnier areas and is common on the grasslands/prairies. It's similar to the cultivated variety, which has white flowers.

Approaching land care this way does not bring immediate order. Fortunately we don't live in a perfect-lawn neighbourhood. As a culture, we are generally not good on longer processes. Even our politicians can't think much beyond their four-year terms. Most processes have a time when things look like a mess. It's tempting to want to quickly make things look nice but - assuming it is a creative process, not just neglect - stepping in at this stage can abort much of the creation under way. In those early stages much of creation is invisible, at least to amateurs like me. My ignorance is rewarded from time to time with the seemingly magical appearance of new (to me) forms of life.

Strawberry blite. This plant is edible, though I can't bring myself to remove its striking presence. The term "blite" is from the Latin for "insipid" and even that part of its name was originally given to an insipid European species.

Each piece of land has a pattern to reveal. Like people, land thrives when we listen to it and respect its nature. Aside from the soulful blessings, there are practical ones too. My land is largely able to take care of itself. Much of what grows has chosen to be here so doesn't need a lot of care. I am, for example, not a slave to my lawnmower. Anyone want to buy an almost new, self-sharpening, lightweight push mower?

For another experience of this kind of "gardening", check out Graham Burnett's Lifestyle Gardening? No Thanks!

UPDATE: Front yard vegetable garden