Gardening a Wilder Garden Workshop

Knepp Castle

Led by Knepp’s senior gardening team, this in-depth workshop explores the practical aspects of managing a wilder garden over time. Rewilding doesn’t mean simply setting the scene and then letting the garden go. It takes potentially as much work as a conventional garden, only with a different mindset – putting nature first. We’ll discuss the on-going work and specific interventions needed to keep a garden dynamic and optimise opportunities for wildlife. Designed as a follow-on workshop to Designing a Wilder Garden, you’ll learn: - How to sustain a wilder, more dynamic ecosystem in a garden - How to mimic natural disturbances in a garden - How a gardener can become a keystone species, thinking like a beaver, a rootling wild boar, a grazing pony or cow, an ant or an earthworm - How to manage thuggish plants and pioneers - How to give weeds and wildflowers a benefit ratings score to help decide what can stay and what can go - Approaches to clearing and cutting back, and when to leave seedheads, dead wood and other material as natural habitat - Seasonal management - How to maintain varied soil conditions and topography over time - Sustainability, both in terms of resources and gardening time