Between us we studied permaculture (at Carraig Dulra) and syntropic forestry with Davi Leon (to create a regenerative orchard) and I have a design background so starting with design was important to us. It began with deciding what our priorities were: fruit, veg, an edimental kitchen garden and ornamental borders. First task was observing our space and ourselves in it.
Paths came first, laid out in wood chip on top of cardboard; they led to our then still imaginary tunnel, cut into our vegetable garden on a north-south axis, formed a petal bed outside a patio door to create an edimental kitchen garden (ornamental and edible) and then an offshoot path became a koru (fern) swirl leading to a trio of standing stones, a place for peace and contemplation.
Hedges came next, a tightly planted native mixed hedge at the sides and end of our plot, a mixed fruiting hedge that wildlife would love for the hedges closer to the house, and another mixed hedge with lots of wild roses, and willows to create a border around the vegetable garden. We planted hazel in the koru swirl and a birch grove in front of the tunnel to act as a windbreak from the south westerlies that would only shade the tunnel as the sun is setting.
The wind is incessant and responding to it and borrowing from the distant views of the pastures all around us it seemed fitting to develop a prairie bed – grasses look amazing moving in the wind and there is so much variety and colour we can get into it. It isn’t exactly how we want it yet but in time we can move things around so it feels more harmonious. It takes time to see what will do well in it.
We have a long avenue and one side is dedicated to fruit – blueberries and gooseberries, that we are slowly underplanting with bulbs. The other side has trees, blackcurrants and blackberries. It will be our wild woodland garden in time. Currently it looks very messy.
Weeds have been my greatest educator. In year 1 we had tiny and beautiful bindweed along with prostrate knotweed. Someone suggested that the knotweed was binding the land together and it certainly seemed to be doing that. Four years on we can hardly find either of these. We had a beautiful architectural dye plants (Reseda Luteola) growing in the gravel surrounding the paths of the house. It didn’t return but I’ve kept some seeds and have a few small plants of it still to preserve the seed bank. The soil around our house felt great but it had zero fertility. It was the ‘top soil’ that had sat in a mini mountain for seven years on the site and there was no goodness left.
We planted anyway – putting in an edimental garden of mostly herbs just outside our patio doors. We created a petal design, easy to walk around and to reach all the plants. Thymes love the poor stony soil, some Rosemary’s thrived, another slowly died in the harsh winds, our Ginger Mint (a staple in our tea each morning) happily settled in, as did Sweet Woodruff, Lemon Balm and a tea tree. We also have several Salvias – I adore the smell of ornamental salvias and use heaps of culinary sage in teas and cooking. Sage crisps are a favourite.
Wrapping around the side of the house with all of our windows overlooking it is a herbaceous border where we are learning how to grow an ornamental garden from scratch. It doesn’t seem to matter how much you know already – this is a whole new adventure and deserves a page all to itself.
We haven’t mentioned water. Where were our swales and our wildlife ponds? our swales were never designed but were created as emergency responses to inundations of water. Our first Christmas, with family with us for dinner our water suddenly cut off. Our well had been flooded. Drainage swales were created in double quick time and electricity restored. The same has happened throughout our site – lets just say it’s a plan in progress as the swales we have cut through paths and planned beds. we have a tiny wildlife pond to encourage frogs to join us and we have a deep largish pond dug out but still not shaped properly or filled. It was planned to be for our lovely ducks – but that’s another story……