Or perhaps, mindful landscaping: an awareness of what we are ripping out of the earth and its role in the ecosystem we live in.
I’m having trouble becoming a gardener because I have trouble with the concept of manipulation of the plant world. Coming from a permaculture-informed perspective (admittedly far too much reading, not nearly enough practicing) I am indoctrinated in the ways of minimal input and letting nature do its own work for the most part.
When I think of how long a plant has taken to establish itself somewhere, how long soil has developed in partnership with the roots, microbes, and mycelium within it, how interdependent all of these creatures are together, the idea of altering this fragile, precious, long-developing system with what little knowledge I have about it feels impossible and heartbreaking.
I think landscaping may go the way of mowing eventually. Perhaps it will become “permascaping” and involve a much deeper respect for the work of plants, funghi and water and soil organisms, as well as pollinators, “pests” and all other creatures. As a permascaper, we might collaborate with these beings as much as we can to form a more cohesive and mutually beneficial result, beyond human-centric aesthetic preferences.