Walking on the (re)wild side

As spring gives way to summer, green-fingered folk itch to get out there and start marshalling their gardens into a manicured precision. But wait! A new gardening trend, rewilding, is encouraging gardeners to let nature take its course on kept landscapes.

Technically a form of large-scale conservation dedicated to returning land to a degree of natural habitats, rewilding is taking on new meaning in home gardens.

Now, trendsetters are allowing plants to lose manicured neatness in favour of a more relaxed aesthetic.

Touted as the newest gardening trend by The Guardian, Living Etc, and The Telegraph, rewilding on a domestic scale is about embracing principals of stepping back and allowing natural processes to occur.

SIMPLE STEPS TO REWILDING:

Swap chemicals for organic methods – swap fertilisers for an organic seaweed feed.

Choose flowering plants that are ace pollinators – open shapes rather than densely petalled blooms.

If wilding grassy areas, choose plants that cope with competition – such as wild roses, meadow geraniums and poppies.

Plant native hedging rather than fencing to provide bird shelter – flower and berry hedges are even better.

Feed your soil – healthy soil creates a biodiverse garden from the ground up. Top borders and bare earth with a mulch of organic matter to increase soil health.