Backyard Permaculture - The Sun Garden
The first mini project we began was redoing the garden bed along the back side of the house. The backyard faces south, and this is the only area of the yard that isn't sheltered by large trees, so it receives almost constant sunlight during the summer months.
Observations, Analysis and Design
The existing garden bed followed a perpendicular line about 4 feet out from the house, and didn't fit with the fluid style of the rest of the yard. We decided to extend the bed to include additional plantings and give it a curved edge to transition smoothly from the linear house to the organic yard.
Due to recent construction, many of the flowering plants in the bed were destroyed or moved, so it looked empty and in need of new plantings. We created a list of desirable native and edible plants, focusing on perennials that would do well in heavy clay soil.
In the sunniest area of the yard, just outside this garden bed, Beth and Matt recently installed a raised bed to grow vegetables, but it looked out of place in front of the garden bed and in the middle of the lawn. Although the raised bed is in an appropriately sunny spot, we decided it should be integrated into the garden bed so that it no longer felt like it was in the way.
Additionally, a heating and cooling unit as well as a rain barrel are located in this garden bed. In order to make the area look more beautiful, we decided to include tall perennials in our design that will partially hide them from view.
Due to recent construction, many of the flowering plants in the bed were destroyed or moved, so it looked empty and in need of new plantings. We created a list of desirable native and edible plants, focusing on perennials that would do well in heavy clay soil.
In the sunniest area of the yard, just outside this garden bed, Beth and Matt recently installed a raised bed to grow vegetables, but it looked out of place in front of the garden bed and in the middle of the lawn. Although the raised bed is in an appropriately sunny spot, we decided it should be integrated into the garden bed so that it no longer felt like it was in the way.
Additionally, a heating and cooling unit as well as a rain barrel are located in this garden bed. In order to make the area look more beautiful, we decided to include tall perennials in our design that will partially hide them from view.
Our Process
We began by determining the size and shape that we wanted the final garden bed to be. Because we only had a month to complete our project, we opted to double dig the grass into the ground instead of smothering it with cardboard and mulch. Once the ground was prepared, it was time to plant!
We compiled a list of desired plant species based on the following goals for the garden bed:
To make the project financially sustainable, we wanted to show that it is possible to increase plant diversity in a suburban yard without breaking the bank. While we did choose to support the UW Arboretum Native Plant Sale, we knew it would cost a lot of money to source all of plants we needed from them. Instead we decided to put out a request for native plants on a few neighborhood social networking sites, with the offer to trade for plants Beth and Matt already have.
We are beyond grateful for Michaela's offer of native plants from her rain garden. She welcomed us to her home, enthusiastically letting us dig up plugs of just about everything she had. During our time digging out plants, we talked about our shared passion for gardening with natives, met her chickens, and discovered that she is originally from Germany! She even lent us her copy of Landscaping With Native Plants of Wisconsin, by Lynn M. Steiner, which we highly recommend. We came home not only with a car bursting full of plants, but also with a new connection to the gardening community in Madison. Thanks again, Michaela!
We compiled a list of desired plant species based on the following goals for the garden bed:
- increasing the diversity of native plants for wildlife forage, drought tolerance, and habitat restoration
- providing my parents with more edible plants in an area that is close to the kitchen
- decreasing the need to replant by favoring perennials over annuals
To make the project financially sustainable, we wanted to show that it is possible to increase plant diversity in a suburban yard without breaking the bank. While we did choose to support the UW Arboretum Native Plant Sale, we knew it would cost a lot of money to source all of plants we needed from them. Instead we decided to put out a request for native plants on a few neighborhood social networking sites, with the offer to trade for plants Beth and Matt already have.
We are beyond grateful for Michaela's offer of native plants from her rain garden. She welcomed us to her home, enthusiastically letting us dig up plugs of just about everything she had. During our time digging out plants, we talked about our shared passion for gardening with natives, met her chickens, and discovered that she is originally from Germany! She even lent us her copy of Landscaping With Native Plants of Wisconsin, by Lynn M. Steiner, which we highly recommend. We came home not only with a car bursting full of plants, but also with a new connection to the gardening community in Madison. Thanks again, Michaela!
The Native vs Nonnative Dilemma
When planting in an ecological way, it is essential to know how the plants you pick will interact with each other and the environment around them. After five years gardening in Europe, it seemed like a clear choice to plant currants in the garden bed as an edible that Beth and Matt wouldn't be able to find at the grocery store. After selecting a few bushes and bringing them home, Steph got the nagging feeling that she had read that currants are not welcome in North American gardens. A quick search confirmed her suspicion: all species in the genus Ribes (which includes currants and gooseberries) are alternate hosts of White Pine Blister Rust. This basically means that planting currants can put the white pines in our neighborhood at a higher risk of developing this disease, which can be fatal for them.
Although it was clear that the currants are dangerous to white pines, it was unclear how dangerous. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach states, "In an attempt to prevent the spread of white pine blister rust, the federal government banned the planting and cultivation of currants and gooseberries early in the twentieth century. The federal government lifted the ban in 1966. Several states, however, still ban the planting and cultivation of black currants." This didn't help us understand why the ban was lifted in some states and not others though. So the currants sat on the porch. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get a clear answer from the UW Horticulture Extension either.
Finally, after talking to Beth and Matt's neighbor Phil, who is a professor in the UW School of Forest and WIldlife Ecology, we felt confident enough to go ahead with the planting. He said that in Wisconsin's climate the White Pines should be strong enough to ward off the rust, and I had to agree after noticing that there is a Gooseberry bush planted directly under the White Pine in Beth and Matt's front yard. Even so, we feel uncomfortable with our decision to take the risk of introducing a non-native plant without thouroughly understanding the longterm impacts it will have on the local ecosystem. We hope we made the right choice. |
What We Learned
Beginning with the sun garden design was rewarding because we got to see so many of the permaculture principles in action. These principles are general guidelines that help designers fulfill the goals and ethics of their permaculture design. Underneath, you can find four examples of principles that we applied in the sun garden. If you're interested in learning more about the permaculture principles, check out this website.
Observe and Interact
By taking the time to engage with nature we can design solutions that suit our particular situation. We determined our soil type, the current state of the garden bed, how it is affected by the sun, etc. to create a design that is well-matched to the site and therefore ecologically resilient.
Integrate Rather than Segregate
By putting the right things in the right place, relationships develop between them and they support each other. Using native plants that evolved to grow together and in this climate has set the new garden bed up to be resilient: the plants have will support each other and also able to handle the local climate conditions better than non-natives.
By reaching out to neighbors for native plants, we were not only able to restore a small piece of native habitat, but also strengthen our human relationships within the local community. |
Use and Value Renewable Resources
Make the best use of nature’s abundance to reduce our consumptive behaviour and dependence on non-renewable resources. Including a variety of edible plants in our design ensures that Beth and Matt will be able to get more of their food directly from the soil outside their doors.
Use and Value Diversity
Diversity reduces vulnerability to a variety of threats and takes advantage of the unique nature of the environment in which it resides. By increasing the diversity of the garden we have made the whole micro-ecosystem more robust: if one species fails, there will still be many others going strong.
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