Blackbox Gardening: Properties & Procedure

Blackbox Gardening is one of the new trends in gardening. But what is black box gardening all about? Why is this method worthwhile, how can it be carried out successfully and which plants can be used?

If the plant chooses its own location and you do little or no work in the garden, it has little to do with traditional gardening. We will show you the other kind of garden philosophy - black box gardening - and explain how we and nature can benefit from it.

What is black box gardening?

Blackbox Gardening is a slightly unconventional way of furnishing and designing the garden with plants. The word "black box" comes from systems theory and means a closed, actually very complex system that is only viewed from the outside and not explored inside.

A common saying related to this trend is "The gardener thinks, the plant directs."

Blackbox Gardening: A Definition

Transferred to the garden, the black box means the following: We see the plant community as a system that organizes itself, while we only act as initiators and observers. True, plants are introduced into the garden in advance, taking into account the site conditions. But which of these plants can survive and where they will spread - these decisions are not made by the gardener. They result from where the respective plants feel most comfortable. Self-seeding plants are the supporting element for the fact that the plants can change their location and thus "choose".

Of course, the framework conditions are also defined in advance in black box gardening - such as the bed sizes and the general layout of the garden. And of course, in contrast to a pure "black box" in the garden, it is always possible to intervene to regulate it. We will show you how black box gardening can be implemented in the gardenbelow.

Tip: Of course you can also combine a classic garden with the black box gardening system. It is a good idea, for example, to form a "structural framework" out of trees and fill in the areas in between using the black box system.

Advantages of Black Box Gardening

Black box gardening has some clear advantages:

1. Black box gardening requires little time, planting work and bed care within the system is largely eliminated.
2. The costs of starting with such a garden system are comparatively low, since a lot of work is initially done with seeds.
3. Even without a lot of plant knowledge, site-specific planting is ultimately possible, since the selection of the plants is determined by the location.
4. Native plants will also settle and multiply by themselves, which in turn supports the native insect world.
5. The surviving plants are he althy, while plants unsuitable for the site are not artificially kept alive and disappear.
6. There is an annual surprise, which plants appear again in the coming year or have even multiplied. This creates an ongoing natural change in the garden.

Tip: The black box gardening principle can be applied particularly well to areas that are otherwise not used sensibly and cannot or should not be watered or mowed. Some therefore also refer to black box beds as “gap filler beds”.

Disadvantages of Black Box Gardening

But there are also some clear disadvantages of black box gardening:

1. Blackbox Gardening requires patience: Especially when starting out with little plant knowledge, the garden could look a bit patchy and ailing for the first few years - until some thriving plants take hold or you get a happier hand at planting seeds.
2. The long waiting time until the finished black box garden is tempting to intervene earlier in the system - which only makes sense to a limited extent.
3. Wild plants can be an asset, but they can also be a nuisance. If they overgrow all the other plants, you have to intervene to regulate them.

In the early stages willthe garden still looks a bit empty or untidy - but the reward for the long wait is increasing year after year. A combination of scheduled and self-governing areas can sweeten this dry spell.

How to proceed with black box gardening

Blackbox Gardening can be used when you are just creating your garden or when you want to design areas differently and in a new way. Of course, it is also an interesting observation object and therefore something for gardeners who like to experiment. How to proceed:

1. Analyze Location: Is it dry, warm, humid, cold, sunny, shady, half-shady? What type of soil is it? In addition to determining the type of soil, it may also be worth determining the degree of acidity of the soil. Based on this information, plants and seeds can be selected to start with.
2. Create basic structures: Mark out beds, possibly plant trees and shrubs. Paths, hedges, stone walls or other fixed elements now find their place.
3. Prepare the soil: Loosen the open areas, apply compost or mulch material if necessary and remove unwanted plants such as rampant weeds.

4. Crop Choice: Select crops and seeds based on site conditions. In black box gardening, seeds are of particular importance. Annual summer flowers are possible, as are perennials and small shrubs. Many perennial and seed nurseries even offer black box starter packs for different locations. A good start for a sunny area are our Plantura Premium insect pastures, which contain low, blooming summer flowers and perennials. With the seed mixes you can provide food and shelter for bees, butterflies and beneficial insects.
5. Sowing: Place the plants and seeds in different places in the garden so you can see where they grow best. Keep in mind, however, that some plants like to grow in groups while others prefer to grow alone.

Hint: It is useful to mark the places where seeds have been planted. This way you can later distinguish the germinating plants from weeds and don't accidentally tear them out.

6. Care after sowing: Now it's time to water and wait. Some seeds may take longer to germinate - be careful not to let unwanted weeds overgrow them in the meantime. Beautiful and useful wild plants that you like can of course be given a place in the garden.

Suitable plants for black box gardening

Finally, we would like to introduce you to some plants that are suitable for black box gardening:

• Columbine (Aquilegia spec.): Spreads quickly and the flowers are reminiscent of a fairy forest.

• Hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum): Propagates also by stolons; long flowering; withstands long periods of drought.

• Marigold (Calendula): Must not be missing in a natural garden, because it diligently seeds itself and offers insects a rich buffet.
• Hollyhocks (Alcea): The long flower stalks prefer a sheltered location.

• Ornamental Onion (Allium): Balls of flowers attract insects, propagation via bulbs.

Sowing a flower meadow is also a low-maintenance and natural way of creating a garden. You can find out how to do this and which plants are also a good choice for insects in our special article.