From garden awakening to arking

When I heard Mary Reynolds being interviewed on the radio a number of years ago, I got her book ‘The Garden Awakening‘ which fundamentally changed my attitude and feelings towards my garden. I’ve been a reluctant gardener of this 1/3 acre garden for over twenty years. I’d bought a house with a mature garden and I hated its formality, neat lawns separated by concrete paths, shrubbed borders and a bed of roses that needed so much care for a moment of beauty.

She urged me to create special places in my garden and I did just that, creating a series of rooms or spaces that had their own vibe. The picture above is the view from my hammock in an area I developed within the fruit trees. I’ll post more about my various spaces in another post but I think it was this book that started me on the no-mow and wilding road which I’ve been doing for a few years.

Fast forward to February 2025, I’m doing my course in eco-literacy and hear that Mary Reynolds is giving a talk about her latest book ‘We are the Ark‘ in Donegal the same weekend I’m attending the Rathmullen Film Festival. Off I toddle to and am inspired afresh, buy the book on site and even chat to Mary after the event. It seems there is a worldwide community of guardians not gardeners that are giving the land back to nature and seeing what happens. It has been quite exciting seeing the developments which I’ll document and post about very soon.