Wild Plants in the Garden
Wild plants are sometimes called weeds and a definition of
the word weed is a plant growing in the wrong place. But a
wild plant is a native plant and how can an indigenous species
grow in the wrong place. It is a bit like telling a Welshman
born in Wales that he's growing in the wrong place by being
born in Llanelli rather than Cardiff.
Native plants or indigenous plants don't understand borders
or property ownership. They fall as seeds on a piece of ground
and reach out with roots to explore a good place to grow.
They have no inkling they have landed on your driveway or
in your hybrid, sterile and imported flower beds. They simply
set about their lives. They are here in the first place because
nature has adapted them to be successful in a particular ecology
and it is because of their natural success that we persecute
them. We tear them out of the ground by their roots, pour
toxins on them and stamp on them. Yet they are supposed to
be here, whilst we aren't supposed to be pouring concret in
their habitat.
All life forms add their own colour in the world. It is important
we embrace all the colours equally.
Tim Rees
