Garden Maturation

Let's first go down the route of flowers blossoming, fruits ripening and reseeding rather than cell development and gene manipulation. Growth is fostered on a sound foundation of firm soil, good drainage and natural nutrition. The ground condition is the pedestal on which we build our gardens and we know from buildings, good foundations are essential. It is a state of being prepared that brings forward germination, growth and ripening.

With that agreed we can then look at the likely volume of the established garden and plan a periodic programme of planting that will be governed by rate of growth and the eventual size of the trees and plants. As a rule of thumb, rooted trees and plants demand a footprint in proportion to their size and will not fully mature if they are robbed of their lot. They will also demand varying degrees of light and shade, acid or alcoli check, wetness or dryness. We will also need a vision of the final outcome that will satisfy our various aesthetic and leisure demands. So it's all very simple really. We plan the outcome and obey the rules. Oh that it were really all that simple. The quality of garden maturation is all about soil science, cell development and gene manipulation leading to wise product selection. And that's only the start. Nature is brilliant but left to its own devices it will recreate the wilderness we started with. Gardens need nurturing to bring out the best and this demands good husbandry and that's another subject.