While most of us know that much of the extra carbon dioxide responsible for climate change comes from large cars, holiday flights, electrical goods on standby, lights left on, exotic foods and the thermostat set too high, it’s rather a surprise to find that our gardens are also on that list.

At the heart of the matter is the seductive nature of garden centres and the popularity of garden make-over programmes on television – decking, paved areas, water features, patio heaters and power tools have much to answer for.

The ideal garden won’t contain any of these modern features, but would provide abundant opportunities for insects and wildlife, as well as holding water, and conserving carbon dioxide in the soil. It would also be very productive with fruit, flowers and vegetables.

The old-fashioned English cottage garden evolved over the centuries and is certainly very different from the industrial fencing and geometrical designs that often win medals at the Chelsea Flower Show. The hedges were made of a variety of bushes, and the first impression was of intermingled flowers and vegetables that support each other and the insect life that help them grow.

The plants would be close together, with the few areas of bare soil covered in a deep mulch from the leaf mould and compost heaps in the corner. The varieties would include companion plants, such as nasturtiums, that divert unwelcome insects, and marigolds that deter aphids. Cabbages would be protected by clover, borage would attract bees to provide the pollination for the fruit bushes and trees, and butterflies would flirt with buddleia bushes.

The tools used for cultivation and tidying up would all be manual, providing useful exercise and a minimum of CO2. Garden shears are fine for hedges, and most lawns should be cut with a hand pushed mower because petrol ones produce as much CO2 as a family car. Electric ones are not much better.

It’s clear that rainwater butts, filled from fall pipes or shed and greenhouse gutters, should provide all the water, and lawn sprinklers, using up to 1,000 litres an hour, are unnecessary.

Neither is there any need for such indulgences as strimmers, leaf blowers, shredders or power washers as a garden is a natural and complex outdoor space that doesn’t need hoovering. Hard surfaces should be kept to a minimum as a 25 sq m patio has a carbon footprint of at least one tonne, and much more if it has a heater on it.

Above all, peat, used as compost, produces 500,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, and should be left on the hills and in the bogs where it forms – it has no place in our gardens.