A GENTLE TOUCH

A new, 'kinder' approach to gardening advocates treating our gardens and ourselves with care and respect. It's changing the look and health of our outside spaces, and how they make us feel

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Garden culture and advice has historically been about imposing order on our surroundings with endless tasks that seem designed to overwhelm rather than encourage.

We have created regimes, trends and to-do lists, often in conflict with nature, rather than working with it. Straight paths, trimmed hedges, weed-free beds and paving have all been the norm. But Marian Boswall wants to turn this approach to tending our gardens on its head.

In her new book, The Kindest Garden (£25, Frances Lincoln), Marian asks us to be kind, both to our gardens and to ourselves. 'The word kind and kin both come from the old English cynd or gecynde, meaning natural, native, of the natural order of things, with a nuance of taking care of one's own. Being kind is naturally helpful to our survival,' she says.

Marian has built her design practice on a regenerative approach, and the book sets out her ideology.

'A regenerative garden isn't just a place, or a method, to grow plants. It's a mindset. It includes and goes beyond sustainability, focusing on making healthier land and people, and particularly healthier soil, which feeds all other ecosystems.'

There is science behind this and it takes its lead from some in the farming community who are working to restore a natural balance on the land. 'It's an approach that fosters biodiversity from the soil to the gut, includes habitats, increases carbon sequestration in our soils and trees, adapts to climate shifts and develops closed-loop systems. Key practices involve intentional design, mindful material usage, harmonising with natural energies and conscientious plant sourcing.'