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How home gardening can support local biodiversity and ecosystem

Charity begins at home and so does, change.

A small change in our gardening practices can go a long way in creating a sustainable garden. And it all starts from choosing the right kind of plants.
When it comes to create indoor or outdoor gardens, plants are often seen as objects of décor, aesthetics, and beauty.
However, they serve a much larger purpose of providing various tangible and intangible benefits to all living and non-living things on earth.

Take for instance, the pipal (ficus religiosa, the sacred fig tree).

It is a thriving ecosystem within itself with every inch, and function of the tree designed to support life.

From aiding natural reforestation through seed dispersal to giving shelter to fruit-eating birds and insects, this benevolent pipal tree has something in store for all.

Like pipal, India boasts of over 18,000 native species of plants that play an important role in supporting local biodiversity and human life in form of food, shelter, resources, medicine.

Here are a few ways in which you can support a natural ecosystem through your home garden. For both indoor and outdoor garden, choose these types of plants:

1. Plants that are native or indigenous to the place of your stay.

Plants that are native or indigenous to the place of your stay. Such plants are well-equipped to handle the climatic, soil, water conditions and hence, put lesser strain on the environment.

2. Plants that attract pollinators such as birds, bees, butterflies

Plants that attract pollinators such as birds, bees, butterflies. You can share nature’s bounty with them as they help in pollinating seeds from where we get our own food.

3. Plants that optimise therapeutic benefits

Plants that optimize therapeutic benefits from gardening for you and others. From flowers that spread their sweet fragrance in your spaces to providing nectar to butterflies, choose native flowers.

4. Plants that can distinguish beneficial insects from garden pests

Plants that can distinguish beneficial insects from garden pests and protect other plants from being infected. Just like us, plants also have their own in-built, self-defence system.

5. Plants that supplement growth of other fellow plant

Plants that supplement growth of other fellow plants and not outrace, strangle them to make them extinct. Community sharing is one common quality between us.

Such knowledge and conscious choices can go a long way for home gardeners in supporting a natural ecosystem.

Next in this series: Can a home garden sustain itself without our intervention
Categories
blog Sustainable Gardening Basics

Introduction to sustainable gardening

The definition of being eco-friendly in some way starts with plants.

Technically speaking, planting a tree contributes to greenery around us. One would imagine that the greener spaces we create, the better our world feels. More oxygen, improved air quality, cooler atmosphere, mental well-being among several other positives. When we grow a plant, we feel that we have taken the first step towards building a sustainable world.

But what if, someone told you that planting any tree isn’t enough? What if, gardening in the modern world is doing more damage than good to your green vision?

As it turns out, sowing a seed or growing a sapling isn’t enough to create a truly green, sustainable world. The complete knowledge of gardening and study of our natural world determines how well we are inching towards our green goals.

To create such a garden, one must remember these 3 principles where it should:

1. Support local biodiversity and the natural ecosystem

2. Self-sustains itself without constant human intervention

3. Creates minimal negative impact on the local habitat

In short, you must know what you are growing, where are you growing it, how are you growing it and what impact it is generating in this process.

Simply put, a sustainable garden works with nature, not against it. Such a space encourages co-existence among other habitants of our planet in form of other species of plants, birds, butterflies, bees, etc.

While creating or sustaining an indoor or outdoor garden, one must consider the above principles. From the choice of plants or seeds to the kind of materials, one uses in the garden, determines the sustainability factor in it.

In our Introduction to Sustainable Gardening series, we will talk about the three principles in detail. Watch out this space.
Next in this series: How home gardening can support local biodiversity and ecosystems