THE PAL AC E GA RDENER
In the last of his feature series, Andy Mills explains how you can garden more sustainably and do your bit, however small, for the environment
Gardeners, hopefully, all want to do their bit for the environment and try to be as sustainable as possible – whether going peat-free, buying locally, not using herbicides or introducing more natural pest control methods.
At Blenheim Palace, we have a raft of holistic practices in place, but we’re not alone; lots of people across the country are doing likewise, in big and small ways. The good news is that every little helps. It can be something as simple as leaving a patch of nettles in your garden for small beasties to feed on, or it can be making sure you have a water butt or two to capture some of that lovely rainwater we have had in abundance.
Our holistic approach includes trying not to use herbicides and chemical phosphates and using a natural approach as much as possible. Rather than using commercially available weedkillers, we’re looking to use steam and acetic acids to control weeds, which are better for the environment and for our pollinators. Anything we as a nation of gardeners apply to our gardens to control weeds and pests or to promote growth will generally end up in our water courses and this can sometimes have detrimental effects.
When it comes to controlling pests in the glasshouses at Blenheim, we use almost exclusively biological controls. Ladybird and lacewing larvae control the aphids, while for the vines and peaches, we use an invigorator spray of natural ingredients, such as garlic and sulphur, which also helps to control some fungal infections.
Quite often, gardening in a more sustainable way involves a greater investment in time and money – but a cheap, quick fix isn’t always best.
Materials and practices
If you want to garden sustainably, source your plants and mat
