“Everyone’s talking about chaos gardening” and similar headlines are currently adorning articles in glossy magazines of the Homes and Gardens ilk. The topic has even made it to EWG’s Facebook group. As a well-known, up-to-the-minute trendsetter, I had my first glimpse of the hype a few days ago, whilst subconsciously believing that I had probably been living it for sometime.
So, if everyone’s talking about it, what exactly are they saying, and what even is chaos gardening? A quick consultation with Google’s AI overview informs us that it’s characterised by ‘a carefree and unorganised approach to planting, often involving scattering seeds widely instead of carefully planning and arranging plants’. And like so many trends, the popularity has been driven by gardening influencers on platforms such as TikTok. Having watched a few videos of young women scattering a mixture of seeds into otherwise orderly borders, I was feeling a bit short of chaos, and also highly sceptical about the likely results. After all, plant seeds come in all shapes and sizes, requiring different planting methods and/or growing conditions. Seedlings that do emerge will be competing with established plants, and each other. In addition, any display of flowers is likely to be short-lived, having been sown all at once. And sprinkling seeds onto established lawn is most unlikely to turn it into a flowering meadow.
Beyond the TikTok videos, I took a look at some blogs/articles on the subject which, in adding detail, remove the chaos from the method. In comes (no surprise) planning, soil prep, thinning, in other words, many steps from conventional gardening. As with most things in life, there’s a balance between culture and chaos, and with awareness of this, you can garden for yourself and nature. Rather than chaotic, this approach might be better named mindful, serendipitous gardening: gardening in the knowledge of nature while embracing the unexpected. Here’s my take:
Know your plot: the type and condition of the soil, the amount of sun it receives and how it retains water can have a big impact on the type of plants that will be successful. Retailers such as Landlife Wildflowers and Meadowmania sell seeds and seed mixes for different conditions. Even if you don’t buy a premix, you will have quick access to a list of varieties that will grow in your conditions.
Decide on the plants you tolerate, and those you don’t: maybe you’ll tolerate them all, but this may reduce variety through competition, and potentially reduce the biodiversity of your plot. For example, I have zero tolerance for Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens), which spreads rapidly can take over if allowed, due to its large leaves, deep tap root and long life. There’s been very little in my garden over time, so it’s an easy task to remove it before it sets seed. On the other hand, I tolerate Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale), as no amount of removal has kept them in check. The good news is that many plants regarded as pernicious weeds e.g. Ground Elder (Aegopodium podagraria) are a food plant for invertebrates and can provide a cool haven for amphibians and reptiles.
Variety is the spice of life*: and also the garden. To best support pollinators, and within your particular constraints, choose plants that give the longest flowering season, with the widest variety of flower shapes. This will ensure that the widest range of pollinators is catered for, as they have different preferences depending on their tongue length, feeding habits and landing preferences. To ensure repeat showing, select some plants that self-seed readily. Don’t eschew cultivated plants, as many are highly attractive to pollinators. You can find lists of plants for pollinators on the RHS website.
Try it with containers: Google searches did not turn up much evidence of chaos container success, but it’s probably worth a try if you have a sunny spot. Just make sure that you don’t use rich compost for wildflower seeds, as they mostly thrive in poor soil.
Go with the flow(ers): Sometimes things just won’t grow, sometimes things just won’t go. Letting nature do its thing will provide for wildlife and allow you to sit back and enjoy the calm amid the chaos! You could even enter ActforEaling’s biodiversity awards for gardens and green spaces. You can also log the species you observe on iNaturalist – this will help you identify them, while generating data for conservation research.
Emily Gardner
Newsletter Editor
* this oft-repeated phrase was coined by 18th century poet William Cowper, for whom Cowper Road, Hanwell is named
