Martin tames wild plants for the garden: “Of course they are troublemakers”

As a forest ranger, Martin Stevens has spent his entire life in nature. After his retirement he brought an old nursery back to life where he grows special plants together with a group of volunteers. Here nature is given a helping hand and plants that grow in the wild are cultivated.

The nursery is not a real company, but a kind of testing ground where people gain experience in the cultivation of special types of wild plants. “Of course they are just troublemakers,” says Martin, “and they all have their own instructions for use.” The knowledge gained here is shared with gardeners. There is increasing interest in wild plants in the garden, but not everyone has the right knowledge of these plants.

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The wild plants are grown without the use of pesticides, but that does mean that some of the plants fall prey to fungi. Martin thinks you should factor that in. According to the former forest ranger, you shouldn’t pamper wild plants too much. If you remove a few tiles, you can simply place the plants in the white sand. “They then go in search of food themselves and sometimes root up to meters deep.”

Although Martin is not the type to be immediately concerned, he is pessimistic about the state of nature. “We do see that it is deteriorating rapidly. If you say ‘it is hopeless’, whatever it may be, you can sit down. But you can also think: ‘I’m trying something’.” And together with the volunteers, Martin tries to give nature a helping hand.