Have your say: readers’ letters

I’ve been inspired by some recent events within this country. As a mixed-race man I’m truly grateful for Monty’s article that started “History is written by the victors,”

(The Full Monty, August issue). Monty (and

Gardeners’ World Magazine) I salute your bravery and may others follow your lead!

Joe Irons, by email

Bravo! Thank you for highlighting our colonial past and how our sense of (white) entitlement has justified our exploitation of both people and nature. May we never again commandeer nature’s largesse without examining the shortand long-term impact on indigenous communities and the environment. You have my profound gratitude and admiration for having the guts to tackle this culturally embedded issue head on!

Veronica Korczak, by email

I didn’t expect to see a look at the history of plants, colonialism and white privilege in Gardeners’ World Magazine but it was hugely welcome. Perhaps unknowingly, many of us are producing beautiful gardens from plants often collected by dubious means. My garden is just a little plot in Bolton but plants from around the world have helped to make it what it is today and understanding and respecting our huge privilege makes me all the more grateful for its beauty.

Lizz Riley, by email

Though Monty Don’s letter was an important first step, as a post-colonial academic,

I must clarify that the “modern sensibilities” he suggests might unjustly revise our history are, in fact, not modern at all. There has always been resistance to colonialism, both from within colonised peoples and from within colonial countries. No one is asking us to remove lupins or dahlias from our gardens. We are being asked to address the structural, physical, and emotional violence founded by colonialism that keeps BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and People of Colour] in the United Kingdom from accessing land, from feeling welcome in public gardens, and from seeing themselves, their expertise, and their history represented in gardening media.

Dr Meg Bertera-Berwick, by email

While Monty opening up a discussion about the effects of colonialism on gardening today is to be commended, what is vital is what comes next. In gardening magazines there is rarely any diversity. We need to see BIPOC gardeners, community gardens that support cultural food stuffs for ethnically diverse communities, and we need to see those voices amplified as a vital part of our gardening culture. We need to understand the history of the tools we use, the methods we utilise and the truths behind what we see as perfection in the garden.

Sara Venn, Bristol