Your pests are my perfect wild
Please don’t be mad at me. I allow gophers in my garden. Before I am accused of some sort of treason, let me explain. My model for a garden is not quite the manicured type with perfect green lawns, level grounds, hedges and hidden soil.
Although, I certainly have the skills to create this sort of Buckingham Palace version of my garden, my choice of garden is to create a low-maintenance wild garden. My husband and I are inspired by our hikes in the wild. Not coincidentally, the best family vacations have been to national parks with great wild chaotic landscapes.
There is an obvious peacefulness that comes with these environments. Not surprisingly, it has been our goal to create such a space, a mini version, that is lowmaintenance, self-sustaining, while creating beauty year-round. What’s more, it should be inviting to wildlife for shelter, preferably birds of all kinds.
Like many of you, my family has lamented the loss of many prized plants that were taken down, for no apparent reason. My husband had planted a Redwood starter that managed to reach 8 feet tall. One day, it was toppled over. Gophers don’t necessarily eat Redwood trees, but they do clear roots along their determined path and can injure or weaken a plant to a slow and subtle death. My husband was frustrated and worried about his other trees, however it has not happened again.
It is true that we do place many plants in wire baskets to discourage moles and voles. I use them more readily around the close perimeters of my house for tender-rooted plants, not so much in the outer reaches of my garden. We are not opposed to the gopher baskets, on the contrary, they double as a barricade near the house foundation.
Gophers are not the only villainized garden visitor, there are black/wood rats, squirrels, brush rabbits, raccoons, opossums, deer and skunks that spend the evening digging up soil or trimming my blooms. You will be surprised how many plants survive and are stimulated by these trims. We have it all documented on trail cameras. The whole garden has become a science project for the grandchildren, neighbors and extended family.
But, back to keeping it wild: does a wild garden have a chance if I leave it wild? Does it even look pretty? Mixing the garden with native plants is the key. Native plants include various wild flowers, grasses, mints and woody shrubs that adapt to any trimming or trauma— they continue to survive, especially once established.
To get an idea of some of these plants, visit a natural park closest to your home, study the plants, this will match closely to your ecological patch. In my case, The Heart of Soquel Park is my closest match for plant choices. Not strict to the model, I do have lavender shrubs, herbs and geraniums, potted items, and specialty sections for my herbalism.
By now, some of you will say, “Wood rats? No way!” I can assure you, I have never had a rat infestation in my house. The ecosystem on my property has reached a balance, after 16 years in the same residence. Monitoring new activity is not difficult as everyone in the family participates and is curious. “Look Grandma!” One day, it was my grandson, Rory, who spotted a hawk on the neighbor’s roof. There, underneath its talon, was a decent-sized gopher. Later I would find evidence that it was plucked from my garden. It was all taken care of for me, or for them, or really for us. Our garden is amazing and wild. Perhaps, the bottom line is: trust and research the natural systems of the land you enjoy nurturing, you will be more than a gardener, you will be restoring ecological balance.