Regenerative Gardening
Healing & Creating For Change
If no one was watching and there was no one to please, what would you create?
I’m not a horticulturist, an entomologist, or an ecologist. I went to college to become a journalist. When I was young and invincible, I was set on making a big change in the world as a foreign war correspondent. Ha! I’m sure glad that didn’t work out. Instead, I ended up in telecommunications at the height of its reign, raised two amazing young men, and taught yoga for 15 years. I was making a difference but not in the way I had planned.
Along my journey, more than 20 years ago, I became an accidental gardener. And, little did I know, I was making and doing something different. Subtle as it may have been at the time, I was creating change.
My first regenerative urban edible garden.
I began practicing regenerative gardening long before it became the buzzword it is today. I was planting and growing native pollinator gardens well before awareness about pollinator habitats took root in the mainstream. The best part? I didn’t know what I was doing. I taught myself through observation and experimentation. I worked through long days with bloody hands and knees. I leaned into my curiosity and creativity and built an urban living laboratory. I was creating on my own terms.
The result? I created a show stopping living landscape.
My first and favorite native pollinator garden after removing a section of our lawn.
I designed and planted native pollinator gardens, shady woodland gardens and vegetable gardens. My gardens became my teachers. The soil became my canvas. The plants became my palette. The insects and wildlife drawn to my back yard became my biggest supporters and I was theirs. Who could ask for more?
Another one of my favorite gardens in front of our home.
I started from the ground up with the soil when I discovered it was lacking in life from being compacted and covered in landscape fabric. I painstakingly ripped out every inch of fabric and dug up most of the plants struggling to survive. I started with a clean slate using the right plants in the right place. I filled my spaces with biodiversity and density. The gardens continued to build on themselves year after year without my input and intervention. I left them to do what they do best…grow without chemicals and wasteful water. They took on their own identities and charm. They invited in a host of pollinators and birds. They built soil teeming with nematodes, worms, and fungi. They looked after me more than I looked after them.
The gardens carried me through the beginning of what was to become a long period of unfortunate circumstances.
I ended up losing my gardens along with all the passion and creativity it took to create them. The summer before we had to leave our home behind, I gave many of my plants and flowers away to friends, inviting them over to take what they wanted. Today, there are still pieces of my city sanctuary growing in other gardens in Denver. That alone was salve to a broken heart.
Devastated from loss, I didn’t think I would ever garden again but as soon as my hands felt the wet earth and I began to rebuild my deep desire to be a force of change, however big or small, I came back home to myself and to what I know and do best.
A little piece of peace in my secret shady woodland garden.
When I heal my piece of this world, it connects to your little piece of the world and eventually, hopefully, we knit ourselves and our world back together as a whole.
The gradual changes I made slowly built a ripple effect that has led to greater impact. On a broader scale, I became a voice for regenerative agriculture and soil health, knowing the power they hold to heal our planet. Every day I share my love of gardening and respect for the natural world with others, advocate for soil, educate, and design and install regenerative native gardens. I’m fortunate to share my creations while making a difference. My hope is this inspires you to create your own changes, inside and out.
Start in your own garden.
In a world competing with the challenges of climate change, soil depletion, drought, habitat loss and dwindling biodiversity, the need for bold and innovative solutions has never been more pressing.
Regenerative gardening offers a path for us all to contribute to a better world, starting from the very ground beneath our feet. It's about more than just growing vegetables or beautiful landscapes. This is a holistic approach that nurtures ecological stability and supports local communities while fostering individual well-being.
At its core, regenerative gardening is a practice rooted in respect for the Earth, the soil, and all its inhabitants. It's about working with nature, rather than against it, to create resilient and thriving ecosystems. Prioritizing practices that promote soil health, conserve water, and protect habitats, are at the core of responsible land stewardship. We all can play a role in mitigating the impacts of climate change and preserving the delicate balance of our planet's ecosystems right from our own back yards.
Regenerative gardening is not just about what we do, it's also about how we do it. It's an opportunity to incorporate our actions with intention and mindfulness in order to cultivate a deeper connection with the natural world and our own inner landscapes.
If no one was watching and there was no one to please, what would you create?
Would you design a sanctuary for pollinators filled with a diversity of native plants? Would you grow your own food to create a self-sustaining system of abundance? Would you reach out to your communities and explore new and different ways to bring life back to our urban centers and neighborhoods?
We need to remember that the impact of our actions extends far beyond the boundaries of our own back yards. Every seed we plant, every drop of water we conserve, and every habitat we protect has the potential to ripple outwards, shaping a more sound and resilient world for future generations.
Join me in embracing the creative power of regeneration and responsible land stewardship. Let’s build gardens filled with beauty and abundance. Let’s spread seeds of hope and possibility. Together, we can create resilience one garden at a time.
Honeywood Garden Design helps you create and build regenerative landscapes.
