Garden to Plate
BENEFICIAL GARDENS
DESIGN TiPS
Grow food not Lawns
Surprisingly Simple ?
There are many art forms in garden designing, from Contemporary, Formal, Cottage, Japanese, But out of all of these my personal favorite and the one I practice in my own garden is the Natural design, Below are the 7 Layers that can be applied to any style of garden design, with all of the seven layers or less
The Seven layers
of a Beneficial food forest
7 Lays of Love
1. Upper-tall canopy Trees
2. Mid-canopy trees
3. Shrubs
4. Herbaceous plants
5. Ground cover
6. Underground plants
7. Climber and vines
To achieve this I connect with the tiered structure of natural world. These tiers (layer's) are in proportion with the space you are developing in.
1. The Upper-Canopy trees is the over storey, typically a native flowering tree or native nut tree or standard size fruit tree this is to shade and cool your home while protecting the understory plants. These taller trees roots will stabilize the ground and gently break open humus which contain molecules of, copper, zinc and manganese which feeds the ever important topsoil, and cumbstruture.
I know amazing Apples
can be grown in WA by choosing a low chill rate.
2. Below this is the the Mid-Canopy trees compose of smaller native trees, native and standard fruit trees this layer can replace the upper tall canopy of trees if room does not permit.
The Wattle tree for nitrogen
Blueberries
3. Next is the shrub layer for nitrogen-fixing these pictacular plant will take nitrogen from the air and enrich the soil , they also can be edibles like berries and local native species, this is a important safe spaces as habitat for small native birds to hide in and other struggling fauna, while these same small native creature will pollinate and eradicate pest in your garden.
Mixing gorgeous
flowers
4. Below this is a variety of herbaceous plants, including herbs, medicinal plants, and pest repellent plants. Insects that wish to munch on and damage your garden will be confused via the diversity of sight and smell masking,
5. The ground cover has a mixture of low growing edible while local native ground cover will supply small fauna shelter from predatory cats while holding in weeds and moisture.
6. The Underground or soil layer is composed of edible roots and tubers with the indispensable community of microorganisms including fruiting fungi (mushrooms).
For the family
7. The final layer consists of vines that trail along the ground, over logs and up into trees.
What we are achieving here is a healthy ecosystem, exactly how it naturally unfolded before we built on top of it, with streets of tare and concrete. Natural ecosystems as in healthy bushland and forest produce beautiful topsoil with Air, light, water, and Organic materials leaf, carbon and past animals and droppings.
We replace this with composting, sheet mulching for a water wise toxic free edible garden.
THERE ARE Three options IN DEVELOPING
YOUR SPACE INTO A BENEFICIAL GARDEN
Do it yourself or
Option 1
Developing a sustainable seasonal garden through our nursery blossom & bloom, this is a affordable way to achieve a beautiful & harmouse space while receiving regular program of home and garden care.
We will mow, weed, clear, and carefully prune your garden, with greens removed. Naturally remove weeds, garden pest and fungicides without the use of toxins or poisons. We repair blocked and damaged sprinklers, keeping your garden watered. Add our soil building program for healthy organisms and water-wise top soil, all while practicing the very best in beneficial gardening practices.
Option 2
Garden Makeover on a budget
This is usually for a client who wishes to sell their home and to use a garden makeover to encourage the sale and a better return for the sale of the home.
What is included in a Garden Makeover:
Garden clean up
Mow, weed, clear Prune your garden to a tidy state again.
Beneficial plants using groups of 4 to 5 selected plants Plants that we feel will form a theme and will work in and around your property, only in areas that have working irrigation.
Good Organic soil to plant with. Mulching if desired.
Option 3
Design and Install of a Beautiful Beneficial Garden
The Design and Development of this garden would be for the experience of charm, inspiration and delight... A place you would want to sit, relax and enjoy the presences of what is around you. A Sense of place. Element can include water, colour, soft foliage, dappled sunlight, the smell of nectar on a warm day and small soft scaped trees for shade and a beneficial garden working for you in a beautiful way.
What is included in a Garden Design and Beneficial Planting:
Hand Drawn Detailed plan of garden design
A resource list of products and plants
Description of beneficial planting, how the planting works in the ecology of the new garden
Instructions for care.
3 months of Home and Garden Care
Article written by Paul Lambert of
Beneficial Gardens Sustainable Landscapes
Western Australia.
Paul 0404297100 :)