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Related Articles
Paradise Lost, the Tyranny of Conformity
Garden writer and law professor writes about the 1998 destruction of my garden, the only North American case where a backyard was demolished by bureaucracy. Judy Bondurant article, entitled "Do We Need Rights to Garden Naturally" is no longer available at the site of original publication.
From Curse to Blessing
The 2004 attempt to repeat the demolition of my garden failed because of the overwhelming support of the citizens of Winnipeg. As a result, my garden is featured on the 2006 Garden Tour of the Manitoba Naturalist Society,and I will be teaching a workshop for them entitled, "Medicine from My Garden."
Environmental Issues
Links to the rest of the articles on the subject of environmental gardening from the legal as well as the practical perspective.
Amazon Books
Carrots Love Tomatoes
Companion planting guidebook for vegetables, trees, shrubs, herbs
Landscaping with Wildflowers
An Environmental Approach to Gardening which is becoming increasingly more popular
More Environmental Gardening
Books at Amazon
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Creating Your Own Garden of Eden
by Traute Klein, biogardener
To create a garden paradise in which harmony reigns among plants and animals, we must allow nature to dictate the methods of gardening rather than impose our own ideas on nature.
My Dream, My Own Garden of Eden
According to the story of creation, God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to live in harmony with all of creation. All my life, I have tried to recreate that same harmony of creation, and I felt that I had succeeded when my son referred to my garden as "Little Paradise."
If you have read my previous article, you will know that on June 1, 1998, this beautiful paradise was spitefully demolished by the City of Winnipeg. That date will be forever etched in my memory. All that remains of my paradise is my recollection of it.
The Realization of a Dream
That garden was a haven for the songbirds and butterflies of the neighborhood who found refuge in the many hiding places while feasting on native plants. All the cats of the neighborhood congregated in the yard without ever fighting with each other, without trying to harass the birds, without digging up plants. The garden provided a true illustration of the "lion dwelling with the lamb." Mind you, as soon as these cats left the property, they were up to their old tricks, chasing birds and scratching up neighboring flowerbeds, but as soon as they entered "paradise," they again behaved as Adam and Eve would have expected them to behave in the Garden on Eden.
The plants in that paradise were healthy and were never attacked by the pests and diseases which abounded in neighboring gardens. An invisible wall seemed to separate my paradise from the rest of the neighborhood.
As soon as topsoil and plant life were stripped from the garden, songbirds, butterflies, and cats disappeared, and within a week aphids, slugs, and starlings took over the territory. Now that my apples are ripe, they are filled with worms, something which has never happened before. When the protective earthworms were exported with the topsoil, fungus diseases became evident within two weeks.
The Secrets of Natural Harmony
What made this garden possible in a neighborhood which does not foster natural methods? If I can share with you the secrets of natural harmony, then maybe you will be encouraged to create in your area what I have been unable to preserve here in Winnipeg.
From my earliest childhood, the Biblical account of paradise was not just a story to me but a goal toward which I would strive. I never force man's ideas on nature and I allow every region to develop its own standards of paradise. I study nature and give it a hand where possible to counteract the negative effects of man's interference in the natural harmony of creation.
Let me share with you my four secrets which I have learned during my lifelong search for natural harmony. In symbolism, four is the number of creation, exemplified by the four winds and the four rivers in the Garden of Eden. Four is therefore a fitting number for the secrets of my paradise.
- Accept Local Conditions
I study the native plant life in the region in which I live I grow plants which are adapted to the existing soil and climate. I try to give each plant a spot in the garden in which it will feel at home. That way, I do not have to fight nature but can relax and enjoy its bountiful offering.
- Restore the Soil's Natural Fertility
To undo the damage of previous generation, I improve the soil by natural methods, as nature herself would have done it if man had not interfered. I return the minerals to the topsoil which have been leached into the subsoil by unnecessary irrigation. Trees play a vital role in this process. Their roots reclaim the minerals which were leached from the topsoil to the lower layers. A rich leaf mulch is the most important ingredient of my soil, because it adds the missing nutrients. Leaves also provide bulk. Adding large amounts of them makes the soil water-retentive. In my estimation, water retention is the single most beneficial quality of any soil. It keeps plants healthy through a drought, and it keeps them from drowning in times of abundant precipitation.
- Foster Nature's Variety
Nature favors a variety of plants. Most pests thrive on monocultures and starve when faced with a wide selection of plants. The principle of companion planting is based on this rule of nature. Herb gardens as well as vegetable gardens are unnatural creations. When herbs, however, are scattered throughout a vegetable garden, as they would be in the wild, their aroma protects neighboring plants from pests. The aroma of onions or chives surrounding fruit trees keep aphids and borers at a distance. No sprays are necessary for this protection, just careful planning.
- Let Peace Reign in Your Garden
As long as Adam and Eve lived in peace with each other, with God, and with creation, their inner harmony was reflected in the world around them. When that harmony was destroyed, paradise ceased to exist. Every garden reflects the image of its creator. I could not have built my own little paradise without being at peace myself. I would therefore not allow any paid workers to try to restore what was destroyed here. They cannot bring to it the harmony which I incorporated in this garden.
© Traute Klein, biogardener
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