by Matteo Boccardo | Central Park
Sustainability and Biodiversity by “The Company of Thinkers”
Galliate (No)
mariomariani.studio
There is great potential in gardens for the benefit of humankind and the wildlife surrounding it
In 2021 the “RHS Hilltop” research and dissemination centre was inaugurated in Wisley (UK), where they study how the science of gardening can mitigate climate changes in gardens for the benefit of man, the environment, plants and fauna.
Gardening is a science
The opening of “RHS Hilltop” is the proof that gardening is a true science and that, by virtue of this, it must have its own centre dedicated to studying the impact of individual techniques on the environment and the benefits of the various cultivated species.
The importance of raising awareness
Thinking about the scarcity of water, we are witnessing the diffusion of practices that aim to solve the problem in a somewhat simplistic way, such as the diffusion of ‘synthetic lawns’ or waterproof floors.
Instead it is essential to reduce the “dead” and impermeable surfaces (such as cemented or asphalted ones) in favour of “vegetated” ones, absorb heat and help reduce water management problems during storms.
Water and sustainability
The effects of climate change are limited by plants and, in a broader sense, by natural environments. Areas with dense vegetation are able to mitigate torrential and sudden rains, retaining the water, slowing its surface runoff and infiltration, and improving its quality.
Small or big…
Every plot of land, from the roadside to the small garden, can accommodate biodiversity, absorb carbon dioxide and fix particulates.
Beautiful and useful gardens
The garden is a place of experimentation by vocation: putting your hands in the earth allows to acquire more and more awareness.
Everybody in the garden against climate change
Gardening is an immediate way to counter the effects of climate change.
Here is what we can do to make our gardens greener:
♦ Plant the species most in need of water in the autumn; during the summer they would suffer much less from the scarcity of water
♦ Plant more because this is how air quality improves
♦ Create groups of plants so that a ‘microclimate’ is formed between them to mutually benefit
♦ Introduce plants that feed or can host biodiversity, attract bees, butterflies and small birds
♦ Try to keep our soils alive and rich in humus because they are the real reservoir where carbon is trapped. Leaving the leaves in the flower beds, or mulching, also improves the ability to retain water and the efficiency of watering in the summer
♦ Recreate small ‘groves’ that we would benefit from for cooling and shading and the small animals that would choose them as a home.
