Dearest Gluggy,
Landscaping is often artificial requiring a lot of care. All of the plants and animals for landscaping and our pets once had a purpose in a distant past eco-system. And that purpose was often that the plant did have a flower, looked better than the average, tasted good, had a wonderful odor and didn’t get bigger than the rest of the landscape. Likewise, we have friendly animals for pets. They formerly also had a place and function in life in a natural environment. The flowering plants looked too good for the Rothschild’s to leave alone so they brought them from the Himalayas to England, propagated them and sold them to the world to make more money for their banking fortune, decorated their gardens and educated their children: all a totally human esthetic. Now the beautiful flowers and animals have no function in our garden and confuse the natural order.
Pondscaping must have functional plants and animals to fit into the natural order or they turn into slime pits. Ponds can be beautiful with Nature’s plants. And this beauty has depth beyond artificial landscaping. It engenders awe. PonDoc does not understand why we “landscape” when Nature without artifice is so much deeper. We create gardens to gain “tranquility of spirit”. Historically huge fortunes have been spent to create them. A natural pond requires little expense and achieves this tranquility to a greater degree than any man-made landscape.
Landscaping should be functional as well. To achieve a functional garden, all of the various habitats necessary for a diverse community of plants and animals must be present. A compost pile that remains warm in the winter should include a rock den for reptiles. The compost offers an invertebrate and microbial community that will be all of the beneficial fertilizer you need for your property. You should include all of the vegetables and fruits needed for your sustenance. Bird houses and feeders should be present with nectar bearing flowers and grains. This can be achieved with little expense.
So froggie, why create Versailles when you can have better? An eco-system with a pond in the back yard will give you hours of pleasure and joy. It makes you healthy in mind. This health extends to a lot of other creatures that call your home home.
Yours fondly,
PonDoc from the pond
www.ponddoctor.biz