让小镇绿起来

安徽 马开勤

As a child, John Welsh loved helping out in his parents' garden and, after finishing his studies, his first job was in a plant nursery.“But then I got pulled into a corporate career for 30 years,”he sighed.

That began to change in 2016, when John's mother moved in with him and his wife. John said,“She was shocked by the level of litter in the street and suggested we plant some of the leftover plants from her old garden into the shabby tree beds outside.”Sure enough, the plants flourished（茁壮成长）, and the mess around them weakened.“It was an inspiration: I could actually change something, rather than just sitting at home,”said John.

By the following year, John had created biodiversity gardens in six tree beds along the street, using only plants from saved seeds, cuttings, or division. People up and down the street stopped to ask what he was up to, and strangers turned to friends. The next year was set to look better than ever. But just as the anticipated rainbow of spring blooms was set to emerge, Camden Council sprayed the entire street with glyphosate (草甘膦).“Everything died,”John announced.

But the residents got together: donating whatever plants they could to refill the pits and committing to protecting them.Now, there are 15 tree bed gardens along the street and a group of neighbors help look after them. The experience inspired John to return to professional gardening.He started Rewilding the City, an initiative working with communities to turn lawns into meadows and streets into ecocorridors.

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What inspired John Welsh to return to professional gardening?

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