Sustainable Garden by Marian Boswall

Author:Marian Boswall [Boswall, Marian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780711267893
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Published: 2022-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Making memories

The time we take to put our gardens together is nothing compared to the time it takes for the Earth to make all the raw materials needed to create them. From the millennia to make a piece of stone or plastic to the hundreds of years to make a mature oak tree, when building future memories I like to think of the material memory of each item in the garden to make sure I value it appropriately. I also check that the way each feature is constructed will do as little harm as possible, that it will age gracefully and can be reused or recycled afterwards.

In choosing what to use or buy I also like to consider whether the material carries an energy that I want to surround myself with. From a social sustainability perspective, if your Indian sandstone was the cheapest choice for you in money terms but cost the life of a child in a faraway labour camp, that may not be such a pleasant energy to bring into your garden. Child labour is endemic in Indian quarries – UNICEF estimates that nearly 20 per cent of the workers in a typical Indian quarry are children, some bonded to gangmasters and working to pay off their family debt. Some companies are ensuring that their supply chains are part of the Ethical Trading Initiative, so we can help by checking that any new products come under this scheme.

Unfortunately, relying on products with the words ‘eco’ or ‘green’ as a prefix is not enough to avoid ‘greenwashing’ or false claims of sustainability. When buying new, we need to spend some time understanding exactly what we are purchasing and consider what each part of our potential garden is made from. Many pieces of garden furniture are comprised of several components and we need to be sure about all of their credentials.

Finally, when making memories, why not start with a few? Old pre-loved materials and furniture add instant character to a garden with their patina and wear over time. The Japanese embrace the notion of ‘wabi-sabi’ or ageing gracefully in design, and we can take a leaf out of their book to improve our gardens.

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