Biodiversify Your Garden!

Ah biodiversity! It’s the first word we throw out when we want to emphasize the urgency of acting for the environment. Against climate change: biodiversity! To counter heat waves? Biodiversity! To protect pollinating insects? Biodiversity! To ensure food security, to develop good differentiated management projects, for the survival of monarch butterflies, to take sustainable development actions… biodiversity!

Biodiversity, in All Its Complex Simplicity!

This poor biodiversity has a great deal to bear. But in fact, it really has a broad shoulders! Because biodiversity is the link between biology and diversity. In other words, it is the definition of everything that is alive! In all its forms! In general, we speak of ecosystem biodiversity, species biodiversity and gene biodiversity. Then, biodiversity concerns all the interactions between these different levels!

The word biodiversity made its entry at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 which is often mentioned as being the flagship moment in the promotion of biodiversity, it is obvious that notions of biodiversity have existed since the dawn of time. From the moment humans became interested in the genetic selection of grains, in ecology or in the protection of nature, they became interested in biodiversity.

Why Care About Biodiversity?

More than once, history has shown us the dangers of monoculture. The examples of disasters caused by a lack of biodiversity are numerous and eloquent. Just think of the Great Famine of 1845 in Ireland or all the insect infestation problems faced by monocultures. History has shown us more than once that it is not with more powerful pesticides that we will succeed in controlling destructive invasions of insects and bacteria. It’s with biodiversity! It’s so simple, that it’s ridiculous!

And all of this can be transposed to the garden, of course! Because our garden is a small ecosystem and it is relatively easy, with a few additions, to enhance our garden with the aim of increasing its value on the biodiversity scale.

#1 Biodiversity of Ecosystems, Diversity of Garden Areas

Even in very small gardens, it is almost impossible for the entire site to have perfectly identical growing conditions. At a minimum, there is one area of the layout that is in full sun and another that is in shade. Then, it is possible that a corner of the garden is dominated by a large spruce tree, that another sector is a little less draining and that there is a small sandy area at the very end on the property.

Not so long ago, there was little concern about the micro-particularities of a site. We created a global layout for the entire land, taking into account sunlight and soil. But, over the years, we realize that certain areas of the garden are less successful, because the plants grown there are not suitable. This is when we begin what I would call the fine-tuning of the garden. We identify certain areas and discover that it is this or that plant that likes it best there. It is then that we discover that the conditions of the site call for a certain palette of plants.

You can develop your garden according to these growing zones by growing perfectly adapted plants. In a way, it’s like creating different habitats inside your own garden. And without realizing it, we achieve the objectives of the second mission of biodiversity: cultivating a greater variety of plants.

#2 Species Biodiversity – More Plants!

Who can say no to this proposal! What a wonderful excuse to throw at our life partner, exasperated by our compulsive plant purchases! Yes, we do it for the sake of biodiversity! The more different species of plants you have in your garden, the more chance you have of providing wildlife and microfauna with a suitable habitat, interesting food or even shelter. Because we must never lose sight of the fact that a diversity of plants will attract a diversity of other living organisms. And that is desired!

#3 Biodiversity of Genes – Encourage Plants Propagated by Seed!

This is where I tell you an anecdote. In my young career as a horticulturist, I had the great pleasure of planting hundreds and hundreds of ash trees. At that time, the ash was the tree of the future! Able to withstand urban conditions! How proud I was to plant so many trees, for posterity! Beautiful alignments. On hundreds of feet. Only ‘Patmore’ ash trees! Today, almost 30 years later, not much of these plantations remains. The emerald ash borer has been there! However, we had experienced the ravages of Dutch elm disease in the 80s and 90s. We had not learned!

The problem with those ‘Patmore’ ash trees is that they all come from vegetative propagation: they are grafts, that is to say cuttings. Each ash tree is a clone identical to its neighbor. They all carry the same genetic code. And in this case, they were all susceptible to borer attacks.

Of course, these days, it is no longer possible to plant just one variety in a street alignment. We diversify the species. However, particular attention must also be paid to the diversity of genes. Because it is in genetic diversity that the best resistance to invaders is found. It only takes a few disease-resistant plants to ensure the survival of a species. It will improve and adapt to the world that evolves around it. It’s impossible for me not to suggest reading the Origin of Species by Darwin, who understood so well the essential nature of genetic biodiversity and the theory of evolution.

And on this point, we horticulturists will have to improve. In fact, the majority of plants produced in nurseries are multiplied by division, cuttings or grafting, which means that they all have the same genetic code. Perhaps in a not too distant future, some nurseries will proudly display the words “Produced by seed”, as a sign of positive action in favor of biodiversity!

So my advice of the day: start seedlings! Lots of seedlings! And in particular seedlings of trees, shrubs and perennial plants. But also, as always, continue gardening! Continue adding new plants to your garden! For the great cause of biodiversity!