In the name of science – put down the loppers and flop

Stand by your beds! Your flower beds, that is. Or slouch, lounge, pull up a chair, whatever you fancy. The Royal Horticultural Society, that shining citadel of horticultural rectitude and soothing dispenser of good sense, has given us permission to be messy. I haven’t been so relieved by an edict since Vogue decreed bushy brows were back. That this news comes just in time for the bank holiday makes it even more welcome. Hooray for more whiling, less weeding.

For this new report, the RHS observed 36 plots to discover whether native species or exotics were more beneficial for wildlife (native, natch). But the lazy person’s take away from this is we can all give the loppers a rest. The RHS’S principal entomologist, Dr Andrew Salisbury, says we should, “Relax, refrain from spraying plants at the first sign of pest attack, reduce trimming and allow some plant debris to accumulate in order to support the garden’s food chain”. Someone pour that man a Pimm’s.

Even caterpillars and greenfly, which lead conscientious gardeners to rend their aprons in rage, play an important role in healthy garden ecology, providing food for beneficial ladybirds, birds and hedgehogs.

I learned a lot about gardening from Mark Diacono, former head gardener at River Cottage and now proprietor of Otter Farm kitchen garden school in Devon. In stereotypical city-dwelling alphagardener fashion, I bemoaned the caterpillars chomping through my lettuces. His advice? Try and plant enough so everyone can have a bit. We had this soothing conversation on the telephone, but I like to imagine he cracked open a cider as he said it.

The RSPB have long lamented the damage done to wildlife by modern, “sterile” gardens. All that concrete and decking, those smart fences, and acres of lawn, leave little room for the magic of chance. A patch of nettles shimmering with butterflies, a hole in the fence hedgehogs can trundle through, a log pile providing the perfect insect penthouse, thistles lively with finches: all of these can be yours and all you need to do is, well, less. We are redefining beauty, where a healthy garden is slightly wild and released from the tyrannous stays of perfectionism.

Imagine buttercups and dandelions as though seeing them for the first time, so golden and cheerful, how could you not love them? A path edged with moss, old man’s beard scrambling over a fence, flower beds bobbing with rose bay willow herb – charming visitors we didn’t haul back from the garden centre at great cost, and which require no effort. We should be thankful, but in our quest for perfection, we often resent them. We sometimes forget just to enjoy our gardens, instead turning them into another obligation.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with pursuing a little bit of horticultural order, but don’t be afraid to let your standards slip. My parents, as they’ve grown older, don’t spend the time they once did tending their garden into submission. And now? It’s really lovely. Birds dance in and out of hedges, there are juicy blackberries for many pies, and plenty of hedgehogs cracking across the lawn to startle the dog when he goes out for his evening wee.

So this weekend, I encourage you all in the name of science, to relax and smell the roses, even if their petals are scattered all the way across the path. FOLLOW Debora Robertson on Twitter @lickedspoon;

READ MORE at telegraph.co.uk/opinion