teamwork and cooperativeness in the garden

The first example of cooperativeness is between two trees in my garden and the local possum family.



Over the winter possums ate most of the leaves of the loquat and feijoa trees. I wondered if the trees would die. Now it's spring and new growth is appearing. Both trees are happy and healthy. They generously donated leaves for food for wildlife and have benefited by getting a good pruning.

The second example is of plants that provide shade and sustenance for surrounding plants and the soil they grow in. Trees fall into this category, but so also do many perennials,biannuals and annuals. As artichoke plants grow the lowest of their large serrated leaves cover the ground, eventually die, drop off and decompose. Verbascum has a similar habit.



The third example is cooperation between the gardener and self seeding plants in the garden. I love plants that self seed because they provide me with surprises by popping up in unexpected places and in wonderful combinations that I never could have designed. Like in this wonderful natural-looking and lovely picture of forget me nots, borage and purple alogyne.


Hellebores, euphorbias and echium are three of many plants that reward me with beautiful and, in the case of the euphorbia and echium, unusual and interesting flowers. As time goes on, however, the flowers turn to seed and drop gradually and furtively towards the ground. We made you happy, they seem to be saying, now you must let us drop our seed and make babies. Of course I don't always comply with their wishes, but we manage to work out a compromise. They perform faithfully each year and there is a fair bit of self seeding, either with my consent or when I'm not noticing.