Permaculture

Permaculture is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way.

Bill Mollison: Permaculture a Designers Manual.

The Daylesford Garden:

The Brief:

Jen and Kate, two busy professionals, wanted a productive garden that not only provided fresh, tasty ,organic vegetables, herbs and fruit , but enhanced their enjoyment and livability of the garden. Factors to be considered were orientation, hard baked clay soils , slope and an integration of outdoor entertaining and living space with a productive garden, while framing  the beautiful bush setting.

The Design:

The design features raised garden beds formed from recycled railway sleepers. These beds, approximately 450 mm high and 1200 mm across provide seating, a good working height and structure to the garden. They also provide a home for the many lizards in the garden. The beds were surrounded with granitic sand providing a clean low maintenance surface that flowed beautifully to the surrounding relaxing and entertainment areas of the garden. A rustic garden shed of recycled materials forms the focal point, and houses the garden tools right where you need them. A galvanized iron tank connected to the house’s roof provides water. The very prominent ugly fence was disguised with second hand roofing iron and will be used to grow a crop of passionfruit.

Herbs for cooking can be reached from the deck, and all the veggies are only a few steps away. The granitic sand provides a clean and dry hard surface: no traipsing through wet grass. This really encourages their use in every meal and with the girls being great cooks and vegetarians this is an abundance that is really appreciated.

The raised beds were filled with layers of organic material and planting medium then fully mulched. This concept was developed by Sydney gardener Esther Dean in the 1970s. The raised beds provide all the nutrients for the garden, require no digging and can be topped up as required. The large amounts of organic material hold water well and require very little weeding.

Pete designed and made the tumbled glass and concrete bird baths and succulent bowls: bringing birds into the garden helps with pest control and pollination. The succulents require little water to thrive and their flowers are loved by the local honeyeaters. Providing well designed birdbaths (not too deep and with a shallow beach type approach) encourages the birds to bathe and they give hours of pleasure with their chatter and bathing antics.  As I type this the honeyeaters are congregating out the back as a beautiful rosella has a leisurely bath in the front garden.

The garden is further enhanced a floating deck that provides a great spot for a G&T or for an impromptu performance stage for the girls more theatrical friends. A gorgeous old bike leans against the recycled iron fence, flowers spill from an ancient wheelbarrow and a concrete water trough holds the potentially invasive but wonderfully fragrant mints as close to the kitchen door as can be.

A heavily mulched orchard will provide and abundance of fresh organic fruit for years to come as the girls kick back and relax and enjoy the fruits of their labour.