Gardening with a Light Touch: Hugh Johnson’s Reflections on Weeding and Wildness
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
July 12, 2012
Dearest garden reader,
On this day, the eminent gardener and writer Hugh Johnson, known for his celebrated books such as Trees and The Principles of Gardening, shared a charming reflection in his Trad's Diary, a column once featured in the RHS Journal.
With a gentle wit and deep knowledge, Hugh recounts a conversation in which a visitor lauded his “light touch” in tending his garden. She may well have been admiring the delicate interplay of complementary campanulas (kam·pan·you·luhs), aleatory alliums, volunteer violas, and random ranunculus that delight the eye wherever one looks—an embrace of the garden’s wild beauty.
‘You garden with a light touch’ said a knowing visitor the other day – appreciatively, I hope.
Could she have been referring to the complementary campanulas ("kam·pan·you·luhs"), the aleatory alliums, the volunteer violas and random ranunculus that meet your eye wherever you turn?
‘You leave things in; so much nicer than taking them out.’
I do take them out.
Hugh candidly admits that he does remove some plants, particularly spending weeks “barrowing opium poppies to the compost.”
I’ve been barrowing opium poppies to the compost for weeks now.
The idea is to let them show a first flower or two, decide whether it is a good colour or not, is fully frilly or otherwise desirable, and pull up the ones that have no special quality, in the hope of improving the stock.
After years of doing this I admit we aren’t getting very far, but I enjoy the process.
His method is thoughtful: he lets the poppies show their first flowers, evaluates their color and form, and then selectively removes those lacking special qualities—all in the hope of improving his stock. Though progress may be slow, the process itself remains a source of enjoyment.
The thing to remember is what comes out easily, like the poppies, and what leaves roots in the ground. You can enjoy an allium, even into its seed head phase, and still get rid of it.
Not so an invasive campanula. And violas are the devil to do away with.
It’s lucky I enjoy weeding so much.
The wisdom he shares is worth noting: some plants, like poppies, come out easily; others, like alliums, even as seed heads, can be removed without too much trouble.
But campanulas, with their invasive and stubborn roots, and violas, notorious for their persistence, present a more formidable challenge.
Does this gentle balancing act—welcoming spontaneous blooms yet exercising selective control—resonate with your own gardening style?
How do you decide which wildlings to cherish and which to bid farewell?
Have you found joy in the slow alchemy of coaxing your garden toward both charm and order?
Hugh Johnson’s light touch reminds us that gardening is as much about patience and playful experimentation as it is about discipline. Sometimes the most beautiful gardens grow from an invitation to nature’s surprises, tended with a careful but loving hand.
May your own garden flourish with a light touch—where wildness and wonder meet wisdom and care.
