PASTORAL SYMPHONY

Relaxing our grip on our gardens and creating a closer harmony with wildlife is bringing a new beauty to our outdoor spaces-gentler, looser and naturally delightful

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During recent years it's been hard to avoid discussions about rewilding, native and non-native planting, and biodiverse gardening. It’s hardly a new debate - for centuries, landscape designers have played with the balance of nature and the human hand - but it does seem that a cultural shift is in the air. Our awareness of the needs of wildlife is changing, and this is altering how we view our gardens. For those finding it hard to let go of a more manicured look, creating space for wildlife might feel at odds with having a beautiful garden. Yet many of us are trying to find the best way to accommodate a natural look, and more gardens are showing us how to embrace this style.

Into this arena steps Pastoral Gardens (£55, Montgomery Press), a timely book by photographer Andrew Montgomery and gardener and author Clare Foster. It’s a weighty collection of 20 stunning gardens that stray into the wilder side of horticulture.

They demonstrate how a thoughtfully designed space can be both beautiful and biodiverse. In the introduction, Clare writes: ‘We are starting to think beyond the aesthetic and towards a more holistic and ecological view of the garden.

We are looking at ways to incorporate not only our own needs but those of all forms of wildlife, too, so the garden becomes an ecosystem in its own right, a habitat for as much wildlife as we can muster. We are looking back to previous eras to learn about different cultivation systems... and we are coming to realise that actively gardening our spaces in a way that mimics nature must be part of their long-term sustainable design.’