Let Your Garden Grow Wild | Rebecca McMackin | TED

[@legendarymudkip2096]

I work as a landscape maintence technician currently. I went into this line of work with hopes of learning how to better care for plants. Now i just feel like i'm part of the problem. I spend all my days planting annuals that arent native, pruning exotic shrubs, and laying mulch for rich people who dont care for anything but a unique look and sterile lawn. I do all this for these people who dont care and i have no time to work in my own garden. I'm looking to quit my job, take some classes at the local community college, and maybe becoming a conservationist or landscape designer with the intent of planting native eco-spaces. I want to be part of the solution!

[@eugeniafarauanu2953]

Where do you live?

[@tfarr803]

Hopefully one day people will realize we need to get back to our gardening roots (no pun intended). But the good news is, covid caused a lot of people to not only take up gardening but build a much bigger sense of purpose behind it. We're seeing surge in self sufficiency practices come back. All we need it for HOAs n whatnot to start lifting restrictions for this kinda thing.

[@AlexArthur94]

We're rooting for you!

[@todwod]

I’m currently enrolled in Oregon state’s permaculture design program. Check it out. It’s well worth it and a great way to learn these other ways of gardening. It’s either 10 or 20 weeks. Well worth the investment!

[@GaSoliNa2o]

Have you ever heard of permaculture or regenerative landscaping? You might find it very interesting.

[@aletheist2709]

My neighbors spray their lawns, and one even complained that my fruit trees, garden, and berry hedges attract birds! Seeing birds and wildlife is one of my favorite things about gardening. I had found a praying mantis egg sac two years ago. This spring I found two in my hedges and plant stalks I left up. I am so glad I stayed away from HOAs.

[@Frostie3672]

Your neighbours sound like they are so disconnected from nature that I feel sorry for them!

[@tw8464]

Well done. The "HOA" nightmare needs outlawed.

[@-OBELUS-]

I had one complain about bees on my star jasmine. That glorious vine perfumed the whole house.

[@aletheist2709]

@@-OBELUS- Jeez lol. I love watching the bees pollinate!

[@justagirlsd3000]

I would never live in an HOA. I hate those ticky tacky homes😂

[@spda81]

I converted part of my backyard into a native wildflower garden with a small pond about 7 years ago. Every year the garden gets healthier and more robust, and attracts so many birds and butterflies!

[@charlesw322]

I'm starting to do the same thing and I have these butterfly plants that grew really big should I trim them or just let them go?

[@chessman483]

We have 33 acres in Australia. We took over the property 2.5 years ago. They had used poisons and generally the property was dead. Just stopping using poisons and letting things grow and establishing fruit trees and some animals. We now have beautiful birds flocking in eating our fruit etc. the ground is alive now. We have all sorts of butterflies there now. Ducks and other birds are now returning to our Dam. Things are really getting exciting now.

[@gabrielalbores846]

That’s amazing! What part? I’m planning on buying land south of Perth and doing the same thing! Grow a paradise

[@chessman483]

@@gabrielalbores846 we are in QLD . We really try to apply permaculture principles. Just the fact we don’t have any poisons or synthetic fertiliser near our place it’s pretty awesome to see the abundant life everywhere. We ultimately want enough food to survive on should we ever need to. We have achieved that now, so in a good place. We have had a lot of failures. But also some great successes. Always love sharing if you ever want any encouragement or advice.

[@ausfoodgarden]

Fantastic. I'm stuck on a Melbourne suburban block so no ducks for me. However after only a couple of years of trying to improve the soil and providing habitat for native insects etc. The garden is literally abuzz with life. It would be even better if the local authorities didn't ban growing food in the front garden. Shh! Don't tell them but I grow a lot of unusual and not easily recognisable foods out front.😊

[@wendibridge3577]

I have lived in Victoria for over 30 years and one of the first things I did was get rid of the lawn. Since then I have transformed an empty space to a productive garden that supports us and the many animal/insect visitors we enjoy observing. It is encouraging to know that this has stopped being "fringe" activity, a bit like being vegan nowadays, just so painfully slow 🤔.

[@francineh.7825]

That is absolutely so wonderful to hear!

[@victorsr6708]

A good friend of mine, an elderly man doesn’t own a rake. He just chops and drops and says he’s never had a traditional garden. His back yard is like the garden of Eden. One of the most relaxing places to visit.

[@Gnome_with_no_name]

I did that, some what inadvertently, a few years back. I had at least one rabbit. And some gorgeous blackberry vines.

[@gabriellamclellan1102]

I do chop and drop...it works magic for so much plant life..and moisture retention..

[@victorsr6708]

@@gabriellamclellan1102 I ended up buying a leaf shredder/mulcher to keep things a bit more tidy and my better half happy. The results are great, the mulched break down faster.

[@Consciouslightwarriors]

A few years ago I was inspired by the back to Eden documentary when I was researching garden styles. Then I visited Paul Gautchi’s garden in person to learn how to prune fruit trees. Because of his teachings our 1/2 acre has about 30 fruit trees & bushes. I’ve spread 25 truck loads of free wood chips to turn the grass into fertile soil for gardening. The front yard is now covered with strawberries. And the vegetable garden is turning into a food forest with chaos gardening taking root. 3 years ago I didn’t know how to grow a thing. Now neighbors are covering their lawns with wood chips and planting gardens. So many have benefited from Paul’s teachings ❤ Working with Mother Nature is so much more rewarding !

[@killakori]

Where did you get free wood chips?

[@mikebird3365]

@@killakori Search for "chip drop". You can pay a little bit to get faster delivery or wait a bit and get wood chips free. Arborists drop off free wood chips because it's cheaper than paying to take them to the landfill.

[@karenjcosme]

@@killakori check out ChipDrop

[@sophieblooming8555]

I don't have a garden to grow, only potted plants on balcony. One time a purple butterfly rimmed in yellow visited my balcony and danced around me for a good minute whilst I was doing yoga. It's a magical moment.

[@tgardenchicken1780]

precious, lovely. Thanks for the experience you shared. It made my heart smile.

[@kimberleychapman8416]

Thank you for this! I’m from the U.K., and we dedicated a part of our garden as a natural habitat. It has now attracted birds and other insects. We make sure everything we grow in the whole of our garden is native, including the trees and shrubs. We’ve seen a difference just in a year by doing this - more native species. Our vegetable beds also help in this.

[@verycool6022]

That’s a bit extreme since the UK doesn’t have a lot of native species and some ‘non natives’ from mainland Europe can fit into the ecosystem too. But otherwise great though!

[@peace-c2r]

@@verycool6022 Yeah-but species of food/herb plants native to your locale, I hear, are best to acclimate us to our home environment. Info from TCM.

[@verycool6022]

@@peace-c2rTrue, but not always! I did a lot of research and non natives that are closely related to native species in Europe (can) integrate well, but even some non close related ones integrate suprisingly well and are even host plants for rare native species. As long as they’re not invasive you can add some carefully selected non native plants from (preferably the same genus and closely related, a rough estimate for integration is how close they are on a phylogenetic tree and their chemical properties in the leaves, allopathy etc). Lots of times the research is outdated and not scientifically proven on the negatives non natives have, because conservationists and ecologists have a bias against them. Sorry if it’s worded in a confusing way. I’m from the Netherlands!

[@vdudya]

From the UK and we have knot weed for the second year running :( so gutted 🙁 we can't let it go wild as its killing everything else x

[@peace-c2r]

@@vdudya Our neighbour dug it up, burned it & smothered it by covering it up with "tin" from roofing. But whatever you got. We're in Canada and that's what was available.

[@annaward4606]

I own a small landscaping business in Central Colorado and this is exactly what we encourage our customers to do. People love the results. They find a renewed connection and wonder in their small yards. It is environmental activism when so many people feel helpless. We have a misconception that we have to control our yards so it can be very difficult for some people. A natural or ecological gardener helps to facilitate what nature would do on her own time, we help speed up the process.

[@whitebluepower4365]

Great idea! But I think that sometimes people cultivate their own gardens in a way that majority does because they are afraid of fire among their thickets of lush vegetation or don't want to transform nearby garden into the forest . As a professional , do you have some tips for it and how to control garden but to do it healthy both for pollinators and human?

[@tw8464]

Thank you for encouraging people to grow the native plants and less lawn.

[@B01]

Want to add microbiological soil testing to your repertoire? 😇

[@berndtherrenvolk1951]

⁠@@whitebluepower4365Living in northern California where the Central Valley meets the Sierra foothills is life in a giant firetrap.

[@tgardenchicken1780]

wow, thank you.

[@jackiem3670]

I have 3 acres - 1/2 clear, 1/2 wooded with an ephemeral stream bisecting it. I'm meticulously removing invasives and replacing with regional natives. I can't save the whales, or tigers, but I can save butterflies, birds, herps, fireflies, etc. on my little lot of land.

[@MightandMagic88]

Any tips on bringing back fireflies to an environment?

[@jackiem3670]

@@MightandMagic88 I believe most firefly species need leaf litter to safely pupate and they also like long stalks to rest on during the day like native grasses and tall perennials. I'll often find them resting during the day under flower petals, etc.

[@MightandMagic88]

@@jackiem3670 Cool, I'm planning on dedicating some of my property to plant a mix of native perennials and I know it'll attract some birds and butterflies but I'd love to see some fireflies too

[@composthog4332]

​@@MightandMagic88I've read that they need it dark at night and I used to have them until a neighbor put up a security light so bright that it makes my front yard look like daytime! Breaks my heart but he's not a reasonable man. Anyway, the talk and the comments including yours give me hope. Thanks and wishing you all the best! Team fireflies

[@voiceinthenoise3357]

While on a natural stretch of beach in Dorset, a woman commented that it was lovely, but it was just a shame that the seaweed and debri marking the tide-line was so untidy, and wouldn't it be nice if someone cleaned it up. While in the woods I asked a passing dog walker if they knew why the trees had been cut down, and she said, in a well-meaning attempt to bond over the issue "I know, it's messy isn't it!" So I replied that I hoped they were harvesting the non-native pine crop, so that the native shrubs and trees could recolonise themselves. An old colleague looked at a lawn carpeted in daisies, bright as a smattering of spring snow, and said it was "unkempt" and needed a good mow. It was breathtakingly beautiful, but she missed this because she saw it through eyes trained to see nature as something ever-encroaching that should be cut into squares and bound tight at the borders. Something can be a little loose in looks, a little "untidy" in traditional terms, and still be beautiful. See beneath the surface and you realise that beauty lies not in how something appears, but what that appearance means. Sometimes ugliness is beautiful because it is honest. And sometimes ugliness isn't ugliness at all, but blindness.

[@radioactiverobin8245]

I lived in a 4th floor apartment with a large patio for a long time. I had a solar fountain and a bunch of plants. The patio connected to the breezeway and my neighbors often told me how much they enjoyed it. Not only that, I had frequent visits from hummingbirds and butterflies!

[@sublime90]

i have a tiny 8'x8' cement slab that i fill with 5 gallon containers every summer and grow as much as i can. cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, flowers. not only does it look awesome seeing all that green that started with just seeds and dirt but i love watching all the bee's making their rounds pollinating all my food. it really does make you feel good and appreciate nature.

[@LeahBrooksJeremiahGardens]

I have a small orchard where I’ve planted native flowers and allowed others who popped up to flourish on their own. It gives me so much joy to watch the butterflies and bees fly from flower to flower.

[@jimidaly0]

Rebecca, I really appreciate your ability to capture the most important aspects of local rewilding so succinctly. This TED Talk is such a keeper and deserves to be seen by everybody.

[@wildlifegardener-tracey6206]

My gardening style for over 30 yrs. I'm in my 60's now and fear what is happening to our biodiversity. So happy you're advocating Wilding our gardens with native plants.

[@tgardenchicken1780]

Same here.

[@madnomad]

I love it. I returned my backyard in San Francisco to the wild and bugs, spiders, salamanders, birds, one humming bird, even a red hawk came to find refuge. It's amazing to see the wildlife and the beauty that comes with it.

[@debandrews7415]

Wonderful. I put in a 50 foot by 60 foot pollinator garden and it is so full of life! And less maintenance than regular gardens.

[@darinherrick9224]

Outlaw HOA restrictions on gardens. Federally outlaw them. Then we can have cactus in the desert and forest and grassland yards everywhere else.

[@Pour-me-a-red]

Just outlaw HOA's

[@francesbernard2445]

The only problem with that which I know nothing about how to prevent through only having experience in home care yard area maintanence is how many more deserts are being made faster as time goes on. We need more people like Rebecca McMackin providing information to policy makers who are not going to treat her in the same way others tend to treat Greta Thunburg while sometimes they are confusing pictures of her with pictures of women in her family from past generations. I do not believe all those policy makers have to be from the Liberal party.

[@fusion9619]

​@@francesbernard2445the earth is greening overall. Some places are becoming more desert, but more desert is turning green.

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

Most people don't live in an HOA.

[@nunnya-biz32]

Desert neighborhoods are covered in rock these days, not lawns. Lawns would be better because you're harboring moisture & cooler temperatures.

[@justagirlsd3000]

My 1/2 acre yard is wild, no chemicals, butterfly habitat, lots of bees, tons of birds, koi pond with a natural filtration system. I do worm vermiculure and use worm castings for fertilizer. I have lots of hummingbirds, orioles, canaries, bluebirds, mockingbirds, finches, sparrows and more. I love my wild garden.

[@Silkresource]

What natural filter system do you use for your pond?

[@justagirlsd3000]

@@Silkresource we have a horse trough that the water is pumped into, it’s filled with those green scrubbers, plus elephant ears are growing in that, then it falls out through holes and pipes down a little waterfall which head towards an area with pipes with holes covered in pea gravel. Whenever the plants need to be thinned out it creates a huge dirt cloud but it totally clears up in a couple hours. It’s not a big pond and it works perfectly. My SO found videos on KZbin.

[@longsnapper5381]

Yeah, I have all that and more around my perfectly manicured lawn.

[@louisegogel7973]

Beautiful!! One favorite insect species that needs the dead leaves is the glow bug, lightening bug… whatever you want to call this little beetle. It is part of fairy tales and children’s magical moments as well as adults who see a meadow light up with their bright little signals to each other. I love diversity in a backyard. I mow around the flowers, harvest the wild edibles, and basically allow the yard to always be part in sort of meadow. Thyme, clover, dandelion, plantain, and so very many more species of plants amongst the grasses. My friend has been growing crops on a fairly good size piece of land. He allows most of the weeds to grow pretty wild around the plants… some space, but often they’re intermingled. People have wondered why his veggies are so healthy, tasty, and strong when theirs are struggling in their clean tidy gardens. He has never used and never needed pesticides etc. Instead, he allows nature to do its work keeping things in balance. The birds love being there, and many different insects, snakes, and mammals. The “weeds” shade the ground from the hot sun, keeping the moisture in the soil where it’s needed. They also provide food for the insects so that they don’t devour his crops, although they do nibble a little sometimes. Diversity with Nature… truly works! Look up permaculture if you want to see some amazing abundance of growing especially in small and initially barren places in the world.

[@ryleesblooms]

We removed our lawn and turned it into an urban flower farm with a focus on working with nature not against it. We only spray water and compost tea. We hate neem and we love bugs. Thank you for spreading the word on teaming with nature.

[@asha8443]

Pulled out my lawn a few months ago, threw wildflower seeds and now am eagerly awaiting the flowers!!

[@firstclassavl]

Get ready for the pest issues related to this.

[@Sq7Arno]

I keep my garden a fair bit on the wild side. Generally my opinion is that if a plant can live in my garden without watering, then it belongs there. This is hot country we're talking about here. And there are tons and tons of plants that do this perfectly well. I tidy a bit, and keep the weeds down to a degree, but luckily where I live native shrubs are immensely aesthetic. No regrets.

[@koicaine1230]

This is exactly what I'm doing with our yard and Nature is showing up all the time! I have an army of Anoles that eat bugs while I garden, Pollinators of all kinds including Bats, new species of birds (new to our yard) and so on! It's incredible!

[@mrpepe444]

"Nature never did betray The heart that loved her". William Wordsworth. Thank you for this TED talk. It´s nice to share this beautiful thougts and seeds. I´m a permaculture follower also. Greetings from Saint Sebastian.

[@marktogher7488]

I'm in a standard 3 bed semi d in the west of Ireland but I am fortunate that I am in a corner site, so I have a decent garden out the back. I have been working on Wilding my garden for around 3 years now, front and back, and it's just incredible what you'll find now. So many more bugs, birds and other wildlife. I had a family of 5 hedgehogs live in the back garden for a season. They've move on now sadly. I've replaced a lot of grass with daisies, clover and other wild flowers. Lots of other people are doing something similar over the last 18 months and even the green spaces around the estate are bursting with daisies, dandelions and other flowers I've never even seen before! It's fantastic. Put the mower away folks. It's massively rewarding!

[@danhartnett3030]

I bought a house with a perfect lawn, and I just let it go. I love it now! My little brother said you have Moles, you need to get rid of them and I asked him why he said because they make holes in the ground, I told him that he is just a grass hole😂

[@cassandra-i2b]

Even though I am over 50, I want to what this lady does when I grow up. I am working on a forest garden in the meantime. It is pretty wild. My ultimate goal is to have an orchard surrounding a small NATURAL fish pond.

[@tgardenchicken1780]

Every step you take is amazing. You never know who will see your new gardens and be inspired. You encourage others to experiment in their yards, keep it up.

[@rickvandijk]

Hi, I left my corporate career 3 years ago when I was 56 to become a full time professional gardener and now have a successful and extremely gratifying self-employed business. My core philosophy is taking out tiles (and cultured lawns) as much as possible and replace them with flowers and plants. It can be done :)

[@hardstylelife5749]

As somebody humbly trying to preserve a wide wild meadow in front of my house I’m happy to hear that the trend is spreading amongst designers and (some) city planners. I’ve a question: since planners always claim to simply don’t enough green areas on a city, why they don’t simply use the abandoned industrial/commercial cemented areas? Without even dismantling the concrete ground but “simply” covering with a new layer of soil and plants. Nice speech, bravo

[@Lupina-mp5ck]

I thought that too. And imagine all the roofs where green 😮

[@hardstylelife5749]

@@Lupina-mp5ck it would be quite nice indeed :) guess I’ll need to work harder on my little project

[@hardstylelife5749]

@@Lupina-mp5ck it would be really nice indeed! And a great way to both save and enjoy some nature for everybody. :) speaking of roof it was indeed a dream of mine to create one of this grass/moss roof over my house. For some reasons despite the numerous benefits, and several architectural projects already out there all over the world, it still didn’t get popular as an alternative system to a “traditional” rooftop

[@Lupina-mp5ck]

@@hardstylelife5749 People have no interest to have a lot of nature around them. These people have no connection to themselves. The best garden for them is no garden. Sorry if my english is not perfect. It‘s not my mothertongue 😊

[@hardstylelife5749]

@@Lupina-mp5ck it looks like it doubled up my responses, I apologize )) I’m sure you’re correct about the lack of interest on this subject by most of the population; still I personally think deep (deep) inside a majority people may learn to enjoy and cherish such kind of connection, especially when it allows them to have both a “city lifestyle” combined with some greenery. No need to apologize, same here, a fellow English learner ))

[@kiethj7]

My yard is coveted in dandelions and i never try to kill them. Everyone else around me does and look at my yard with disgust. Its frustrating but i have bees, butterflies, moths, and birds. Love them all

[@iwonakaczmarczyk7839]

Thank you. I'm creating a wildlife area on my allotment. Pond, bird feeding station, logs/branches shelter, hedgehog house, bath station and sowing wildflowers :) I spotted ladybirds yesterday :)

[@Sundancer8]

This talk was very encouraging. I've been doing this "wilding" in my farm on Barbados for some time now, abandoning traditional vegetable planting in the face of a challenge from wild monkeys searching for food outside their shrinking environments (I plant fruit trees for them) and what has occurred is remarkable. I have birds, bees, bats, butterflies, fireflies and many more creatures and insects populating the area in unusual abundance. I have started seeing the amazing Stick Insect again and there has been a spontaneous, voluntary regeneration of a multitude of traditional medicinal plants and wild edibles that I now use in the creation of healthful "bush teas" and other useful by-products to maintain my livelihood. I also still get many fruits sharing with the birds and monkeys there is such fertility and abundance.

[@AB-cool]

wow sounds amazing

[@kbmehta4208]

Thank you Rebecca. I had tears in my eyes many times during this short video. May your passion spread.

[@1lasmith]

We’re so obsessed with beauty it’s unhealthy. Between destroying natural ecosystems to gross consumerism, our obsession with how we are perceived will be our downfall. Love this advice I’m trying to rewild my yard now and just a tiny patch of wildflowers attracted so many bees it was beautiful !

[@insertnicknamehere]

And for some, having wildlife is beautiful and will make an effort to force it to grow, would that be considered an unhealthy obsession ? I ask you because you start your comment by writing about beauty but then you end writing about how beautiful you're patch is.

[@tgardenchicken1780]

We just need to see the true beauty of nature.

[@jeff6899]

Amen ! So glad to see this approach featured on TED... this has been my passion for over 30 yrs..

[@JenniferSmith-lu5cn]

I've lived out in the woods for a while now in Kentucky where the lone star tick resides and have slowly incorporated wild flowers back into different spaces and have kept the mowing to a bare minimum. The issue I run into is that the areas of the yard where I don't mow become infested with ticks so badly that I can't walk the property without becoming over run by them. I've considered getting guinea fowl but their noises are terrible for the one neighbor that lives nearby. So I'm trying to keep a balance of flowers where I can walk to see them, trying not mow and yet not get a disease from the thousands of ticks just a step away from my porch.

[@thr3ddy]

This is the exact issue I'm seeing, too. I let my lawn grow out for most of the last two years, but the amount of ticks that my dogs brought in every time wasn't worth it. I own 24 acres of land since 2021, and I can let most of it run wild, but I do have to maintain a short lawn around the house (3-4"). I hope that with time, animals that consume ticks will be return to the property, but I fear there are just too many of them at this point.

[@tgardenchicken1780]

@@thr3ddy It will take time, but eventually a balance will come. I am not a fan of ticks either. In case you didn't know, opossums are great for some control of ticks.

[@tgardenchicken1780]

Opossums are great for some tick control. I am not a fan of ticks either.

[@debradykstra8703]

A woman after my own heart. You go, girl! I love to practice permaculture in the city. 🌱

[@Lupina-mp5ck]

Nice❤ Bless you and your plants

[@tgardenchicken1780]

Cool, me too.

[@aleenaprasannan2146]

Leaving the dead stem is such an underrated and important thing to do in our gardens. Native solitary bees and lady birds lay eggs in them. They are also nest building materials for many birds. The snails and slugs in our garden are controlled by greater coucals and mangooes. The mangooes brings their pups to the garden to play every year; some squished up plants are are fair sacrifice to watch those pups playing around. The garden would honestly be too boring without the biodiversity

[@brianbarnicle8052]

That is why my company is called Grow Wild. Beautiful work, inspirational talk.

[@mzindyg007]

Woman after my little gardening heart. Allowing me to feel proud of my grass free Front and backyard. Giving voice to my natural growing backyard forest. Nothing is symmetrical or balanced. Thank you

[@jerplotkin]

Great talk Rebecca! Well spoken and paced and funny and true! Thanks for sharing this important message.

[@tinkeringinthailand8147]

I use the "Organic no dig" method in my Thai garden, all the farmers around me cannot believe how good and healthy my veg is. I use no pesticides or chemical fertilisers, I have ladybirds, frogs, toads, humming birds and many other beneficial insects in my garden. The farmland around me is dead and sterile through the use of tilling and chemicals. It makes me so sad to see the destruction being done in the name of profit.

[@comfortablynumb9342]

You might like to try Dr Earth's fertilizer mixes, they're organic from food waste and they're full of beneficial microbiology. I use them for cannabis, veggies, fruit trees, bonsai and ornamental trees in the yard.

[@teacherericka]

Wow! This is wonderful and inspiring! Thank you. ❤ I am a teacher, and I will put this into practice and teach the next generation and implement this into my garden. Thank you so much. Bravo! 👏👏👏

[@iazap]

A very great man once said if the hour of the world ending is upon you and you have a sapling in your hand then plant it. I think this would be a great start to understanding our role in the eco system gifted to us on this planet

[@gablan1468]

Cities definitely need more green. The way we build cities is just absurd. We run away from nature so much that no wonder we often feel depressed or angry.

[@thehillsidegardener3961]

I have some land in the country and fortunately we have no HOAs, I am working hard to turn our traditional orchard into a jungle, by simply not mowing, not raking leaves, leaving prunings where they are. It looks messy but natural, and so much greener than my neighbours' plots which are mowed constantly leaving nothing for wildlife and nothing to prevent water run-off. And so many more insects, reptiles, native squirrels, badgers, marten, and gradually birds. Oh, and the land is increasingly feeding us too.

[@adyingbreedofman9112]

This reminds me of a book I read some 20 years ago called "Bringjng Nature Home". If this interested you then you would love this book. I highly recommend it.

[@tgardenchicken1780]

Doug Tallamy's books are amazing. Tha one blew my mind. I love seeing holes in the leaves of my plants, I know someone got a meal.

[@adyingbreedofman9112]

@tgardenchicken1780 I recently found the book again going through my old belongings. Shame on me I didn't even think to look for other books by the author. Seriously I'm usually sharper than that lol. Thanks, I'm now going to be reading more by him.

[@tgardenchicken1780]

@@adyingbreedofman9112 Enjoy

[@rosalyndoshannassy4419]

I'm a Landcare volunteer in Lake Macquarie, NSW Australia and this TED has given me a broader perspective of my environment.

[@bobobaggins95]

I started properly gardening about 2 years ago, and my first year I hated all the pest insects and did my best to get rid of them. The following year I let it be, I noticed some more lady bugs, bees, wasps and didnt want to bother the other bugs. This year I've had barely any pests, instead there are lace wings around, my peppers got damaged by caterpillars last year, this year I found a bunch of baby praying mantis on them. Its become easier and better for the environment just by leaving them be

[@tonioyendis4464]

I love my backyard all organic veggie & herbs garden! It is my happy-place & my pharmacy for health/healing.

[@patriciarobinett1235]

Oh, this is wonderful. I am building a "food forest" but hadn't taken it as far as it could go... I still mow a bit - in free-form circular designs to miss the new baby trees that are growing from seed, all over the yard. The old trees in the front are like a park, but they are very old and have been falling (providing firewood) and I decided to let their babies grow, rather than to mow them and buy trees from a nursery. Thank you, Rebecca, for giving me "permission" to not try to keep up with my dear neighbors who have "perfectly manicured" yards... If they complain, I will refer them to this video. :) I will continue to keep paths open, but not mow where I do not need to walk. Thank you for your amazing work and for being an example of sanity.

[@jonr6680]

Never mind wildlife (great as this is), this woman's work has probably saved human lives in NYC.

[@tgardenchicken1780]

When we save the wildlife, we save ourselves. She has saved lives, how wonderful.

[@dm-31024]

🎉 hooray for Rebecca. Thank you. And thank you, Ted. More of Rebecca, please. 🙏 I hope we each can do our part. Great solutions. Hopeful.❤

[@AT-rw3ou]

Planted several gardens totaling 2200 sq.ft. 15 years ago and magic happened. Almost immediately we got species of pollinators we’d never seen before. I began counting, but soon stopped at 50 species. And we began to get volunteer native plants and trees, most of which we kept. One note, though. I told the landscapers to fully plant the new garden, against their advice to leave plenty of room for the plants to fill out. Starting the third year I have to find homes for extra plants every spring!

[@patriciafitch2432]

I've been allowing part of my property to grow wild. My neighbors complain. Wildlife is appearing. Lovely to see. I allow the honeysuckle to grow. Birds nest in the bushes...the aroma is lovely. I allow the wild white and blue violets to spread across sections of the lawn. So beautiful in the spring, I hate mowing grass and hope it won't be necessary much longer. I've seen the small ladybugs recently. No humming birds as far as I now, but the variety of birds is amazing. The cardinals love the honeysuckle bushes and chirp at me every morning. My veggies are grown in pots or bags. I never rake the leaves. Never use pesticides. Never use mulch. Thank you for the validating my movement towards a more natural habitat.

[@HarendraKumar-my4le]

5:39 It's one of the example of "Mutualism", where both organism benefitted itself! Being Bio student always happy while reading, watching even observing such nature wonders...

[@TechOutAdam]

“They’re literally called leaves, we should leave them.” ❤

[@JasonsGreenSleeves]

Agreed!! Yes! Thank you! I’m all about wild gardening, biodiversity and supporting plant and soil life with native plants and plants that provide long bloom seasons. I would consider my own garden a pollinator garden/ semi food forest. I love supporting nature. Patience and perseverance are great words of wisdom; great video🌿🌿!

[@olfhausen]

I am just planting Aster dumosus and Myosotis alpestris while watching this video! Rebecca has a HUGE point here, let's do this folks!

[@oarsteed]

Much to the displeasure of my neighbors, I call their giant yards "green deserts." A few years ago, every 3-acre lot was covered with mature hardwoods and lush understory. Then our new neighbors clear-cut the trees to erect McMansions. Now the diminished population of wildlife crosses those grassy yards, garnished with sculpted ornamentals, never once pausing, to forage in ours.

[@tyronemcsanchez]

Get rid of city ordinances that require lawns be kept a short height

[@OriginalFallofMind]

Or just leave unnaturally pack cities where they farm you for taxes.

[@erinmooney1511]

so true

[@longsnapper5381]

Sure, enjoy all of the rodents, snakes, etc that will find their way into your home.

[@tyronemcsanchez]

@@longsnapper5381toys for my dogs and cat

[@hellsfrozeover85]

Areas close to the home ought to be trimmed up; however I leave narrow strips of tall grass to go to seed, usually where I see native plants like wildflowers. Further from the home, if the yard allows, you can leave larger patches to grow. I live in rural area, yet I understand not all areas make this at all practical. I am also surrounded by a preserve for an endangered insect, of which I had 2 visit me today while tending my permaculture garden with my little guys today. I was so excited! There are NO pesticides used on our property. I have pondered approaching a nearby HOA meeting(I do not live within) to ask if the residents are aware of the preserve and the capacity the people therein have to aide the return of this creature to a more common population. There is a particular flower it feeds on, which they could propagate, and leaving "weeds" unpoisoned would allow better spread of the creature.

[@maggietaylor9713]

Thankyou 🙏 by combining growing food for ourselves and the pollinators everybody wins. So simple and yet rarely practiced. Let's all start doing it now. ❤

[@malarumninaivugal]

I happy to hear your speech that promotes, "Live! and let others live!" Let's adapt this policy in letting other human beings live on the earth. Thanks!

[@jonathanclutton2813]

Congratulations; an amazing achievement in NYC! On a smaller scale, we dug a pond in our UK garden a few years ago and had newts in it within a year. We also have a wild corner that is popular with hedgehogs, and mow the grass as little as possible. It all helps.

[@Psangela3]

I used to have plain green grass the jones look. But now I planted wild flowers 🌺 native plants perennials. Stopped using pesticides. Added a water element. Now I’m blessed with a beautiful garden home to many species of animals like birds, 🦢 butterflies 🦋 hummingbirds, bees 🐝 insects 🐞 and its a small garden now I plan to do the whole front yard and get rid of that dumb grass. I shop at the local butterfly center which sell native species!

[@gabrielleannacormierart]

I was just telling a friend today that spring is the season of hope and I cannot wait to get planting. I'm fortunate to be in a new yard surrounded by native trees and wildlife. I want to bring all the right flowers and plants into our garden for our specific climate zone and area. Is there a place where I can learn more about how to do this? Thank you for this wonderful talk! ❤

[@Austin-wr2zh]

Thank you for sharing this video. I am growing a "back-yard garden" and I've found that external factors to harm my plants some-times. For instance, an area of my garden intended as a corn patch looks like someone pushed away my corn plants in the middle of the segment to make a 'hang-out' for themselves. I am left with about 15%-20% of the corn I planted to harvest. Creating a thriving ecosystem is important, I think especially in this area littered with bad influences. I think I should just continue benefiting the life of my micro-ecosystem and that eventually the bad influencers will be influenced to be good.

[@guaranteedV]

We have been doing this since the 80s; let your garden grow! We are part of a system and every year the soil organisms, insects, butterflies, birds, and wildlife prove it. Use comfrey or nettles to provide nutrients, instead of man-made alternatives. Last year the dance of the house finches over our house was enlivening and when they rested on the sunflowers, consuming the leaves, I felt connected and alive in a whole new way.

[@butterflyj685]

There are many asking where to get started and what books to read about integrative and regenerative practices. There are lots of books written by those practice integrative and regenerative practices. Here are several: Bill Mollison the founder of Permaculture, "Permaculture the Designers Manual", David Holgrem, "Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability", "Essence of Permaculture", Toby Hemingway, "Gaia's Garden", Eric Toensmeier, author of The Carbon Farming Solution, Perennial Vegetables, Paradise Lot and Edible Forest Gardens, Aryana, "A Permaculture Design, A Step by Step Guide", Amélie des Plantes, "Think like an Ecosystem", Sepp Holzer, "A Practical Guide to Small Scale Integrative Farming and Gardening". I have almost all these books. Geoff Lawton has many videos on KZbin and teach courses on where he discusses integrative and regenerative practices. There are many more great books and videos out there that discuss integrative & regenerative practices. Good luck!

[@TrinketTheDragonsHoarde]

Have you read Doug Tallamy's books as well as what you've already listed above? Such as "Bringing Nature Home" and "Homegrown National Park"?

[@butterflyj685]

@@TrinketTheDragonsHoarde No I haven't.

[@robinbrown3523]

I have no grass and have put in raised beds for calendulas, chickweed, dandelions, feverfew and nettle for medicine. Larkspur, red poppies, 4 types of clover, ranunculus, azaleas, roses, bearded iris, geraniums, potatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic, onions, rosemary, oregano, thyme, marjoram, watermelon, 5 different types of beans, eggplants, peppers and zucchini. All this on a city lot that is less than 5,000 square feet, over half of which is house, garage and driveway. The only thing I spray is BT on the peppers and eggplants because the cabbage loopers don’t have an off switch. This year (Y5 of my adventure) I’ve found brown fence lizards, mantids, green lacewings and lady bugs. I’m over-the-moon happy as I sit and have my morning coffee in my little Eden. Thank you for spreading the word!

[@sujitjilludimudi7684]

"Gardening is a long game" So true!

[@JoyandSerenity.]

So one of the most beneficial things is allowing a spot for nettles to grow (if they are native) as an English person, nettles are a very common weed that people rip out in bunches. Not only is the nettle nutricious and can be made into perfect compost tea, but lady bugs nest on them! Without the baby lady bugs you can't have the aphid busting super powers!!! If you love roses, you should learn to love nettles.

[@uncle_mitt]

Something people should consider when doing this sort of education is appealing to the moral imperative of maintaining/building biodiversity. My mom in particular is so against this sort of thing for her own yard because it "doesn't look pretty", ignoring the fact that having a barren turf lawn where there shouldn't be one is indirectly hurting the world around her. She doesn't see why she should change her ways because she doesn't like how wild plants look

[@RealBradMiller]

She can have it the way she wants it, and it not be a barren desert... Did plenty of formal wildflower gardens and meadows in Pinehurst, NC. Show her some pics of homes there, and even the Pinehurst Hotel. Most plants look good, are kept looking formal, yet still feeds wildlife... And attracts wildlife! Give me a day with her... 😂

[@uncle_mitt]

@@RealBradMiller I've shown her all sorts of different native gardens, she is just the most stubborn person in her world view. She also does not want to care about her impact 😔

[@Steve197201]

Thank God there are people like this lady informing people of the importance of allowing nature to thrive! Our obsession with controllong nature is killing other species, and eventually, ourselves. Like she said, we have to change our perception of natural beauty. Leave the leaves. Stop mowing your lawn, or at least mow it taller. And we need to federally ban all pesticides and chemical fertilizers!

[@johnnyc8775]

Well done. I follow those principles in my own garden & enjoy it when I hear that beauty does not mean sacrifice of the insects we all need for a better world.

[@lindseyrose3135]

Thank you! I love gardening and I learned alot of things I didn't know watching this video! You are not only well informed but your delivery is made easy to understand and a joy to listen to. Good job!

[@longsnapper5381]

I'm a lifelong gardener and I come from ancestors that were gardeners. My beautiful, weed free lawn abuts the forest across my section of the creek. Flowers abound and I have sections of my lawn dedicated to Crimson Clover to help our pollinators eat. Go ahead and let your city lawns over grow and "diversify". Rodents and snakes will thrive there. Your fellow city dwellers will dump trash and excrement there as they will see it as the perfect place for that. Our cities and the people that live in them deserve it.

[@EmberCrow]

I love everything you’ve said here! As a landscaper, I cry at the things people want me to do that go against the flow of nature. I’m aiming business towards green consciousness and a focus on pollinators. People want me to mulch leaves immediately during “false spring” here in Kentucky and I’ve started letting them know that moth eggs and bees could be using the leaves well into May so let’s wait! If they’re not into it, they can find another gardener because I’m not it.

[@ShikokuFoodForest]

Hello Rebecca. Your message is critical to saving our planet. Our present and future food supply and food nutrient density completely relies on biodiversity above and below the soil. Modern agriculture has completely failed and has caused more problems than it attempted to solve.

[@comfortablynumb9342]

This sounds great, but if you live in a place with an HOA you can't let the yard go wild. And a lot of cities won't allow you to leave the yard long. When I was a kid my grandma had her whole front yard turned into a veggie and flower garden. She was kind of ahead of this movement in that way. I loved helping her in the summer.

[@truenorth5787]

I'd venture to suggest resist, just do it bit by bit, year on year. Encourage neighbors and friends to do it. Over time HOA lady will back off. They would not change their policies officially but would think twice about enforcing it. I'm doing it the last few years and don't receive their letters anymore.

[@comfortablynumb9342]

@@truenorth5787 I like my idea more. I'm not moving to a place with an HOA. I have too much stuff and I garden. My mom and sister live in a place in NC with a bunch of rules and I don't think it's worth it. They could have had more land with less rules for less money.

[@robinschachat5747]

It's always possible to create a "wild garden" that, with framing, edging, tidy swathes, or occasional intentional non-living focal points like repeated urns or potted plants or stone columns suddenly appears to be formally designed. It's hard for HOAs to complain about6 gardens that are clearly designed, purposefully built, and intentional -- even if the plants growing in them are what many consider wild. Step by step, with intention and purpose.

[@comfortablynumb9342]

@@robinschachat5747 that's all great if you live in a place like that. I don't and won't. I'm more into letting people live how they want.

[@voiceinthenoise3357]

Thank you so much for this. It literally mentions every critical, mind-opening point I try to make to people. I will share it repeatedly. I have planted native plants in my garden, left the stems etc. and let it go a bit "untidy". And now I'm seeing insects (including multiple types of ladybirds) I've never seen before.

[@ladel2o1a48]

YES GARDENING!!! YES NATURE!!!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Montracheth]

I’ve been letting the “weeds” grow. They’re beautiful. I have green bees in my yard. There’s blackberries all throughout my neighborhood but they’ll be cut down soon bc they have thorns :(

[@BackYardbiz]

Great talk, i love that more and more content encouraging eco-friendly garden practices are being made. Thank you, from all of us and the future generations that are going to suffer the most if change doesnt occur

[@cattuslavandula]

This is an excellent TED. Ms McMackin is an interesting and informative speaker.

[@jesswatt5824]

I killed about 2,000sqft of my lawn 3 years ago and planted a ton of natives, they should be looking amazing this year I can't wait to see it progress into the summer. I had a surprise trillium come up this spring and I about died. On another note- I need to know where she got her top.

[@zanewalsh1812]

AND... If you are lucky enough to have some land it's important to grow your own food as well 🌎🌏🌍🕊️ For all of us 🙏🏼💖

[@AntManBee19]

It is amazing!! I sowed wildflowers in a corner of my garden. They replaced Japanese yews. What a difference

[@rosedasilva3716]

What a beautiful Ted speech It sound like music in my ears , the beauty of nature all connected . My landscape does not spray anything on my lawn I love to see the diversity on my front and backyard , I love the dandelion , white cloves and other weeds . The rabbits , insects , squirrels and birds are welcome in my property .

[@onamactavish9352]

Makes complete sense, garden gently and harmoniously

[@홍예진-w4o]

After watching this video, I was reminded once again of the significant role bugs play in our lives. I learned that insects contribute not only to addressing climate change but also to other survival challenges, highlighting their crucial importance. It underscored for me once more the importance of respecting and protecting the natural environment in our region.

[@Antarctica2025]

I love Bklyn Bridge Park and just visited it for the first time this past spring and got a life bird, the Swainson’s Warbler! Yes, this is a siren song for nature. We all must become ecologically responsible!

[@siyabongakunene5052]

Our backyard has been growing wild for the last few years after we stopped farming on it. My mom is astonished at how nature has reclaimed all that space in just a few years. The drawback? Someone said they saw a python 😮there.

[@richarddobson4382]

Where I live in Peru, the town hall periodically sprays insecticides going from house to house and garden to garden, to kill mosquitos which can carry dengue (along with other insects I assume, like butterflies and bees). I always refuse to let them spray. I have bats and birds and frogs that naturally help to control insects.

[@SouthernYankee]

Organic Gardner here to encourage my little flying friends even though the moles and voles and squirrels keep eating bulbs and digging stuff up. I also do no dig gardens to not disturb the earth but add to it, it gives us so much we should be giving back!

[@stephaniepartridge9926]

Try putting cactus grit around. I have done it on top of my pots because squirrels were digging. They have stopped. The product also helps retain moisture.

[@BluishGnome]

I love this gardening mentality. My biggest issue as someone in NYC without a car is sourcing these beneficial flowers and plants for my balcony garden. Home Depot definitely doesn’t stock Columbines or Pearly Everlasting. Would love both, though…

[@oniricPrj]

I let my garden grow wild for 7-10 years. It started tearing apart my garden's perimeter walls. Also ticks came...also many small trees started growing. There's beauty in what she says, but you've got to keep things in check. I also own a small piece of land uphill and it's part of a forest. It too needs attention, otherwise wildlife won't thrive.

[@yanina.korolko]

I am letting my garden grow wild this year for sure!

[@john1boggity56]

Wonderful talk - thank you so much Rebecca!!! I remembered listening to Emma Marris ted talk on what is nature and I was very changed by her talk. How do people and nature intersect? Turns out mutualism applies to us too....I am a horticulturist studying environmental science. Your work is inspiring !!!