Many people have heard of perma-culture and many people are hard pressed to define it clearly. That is because if you talk to 5 different practitioners, you may get 5 different definitions. Permaculture has many different components, and you can employ just a few and really change the way you garden. I am going to explore just a few basic concepts from permaculture:
- Every problem can be a solution
- Everything has multiple functions
And finally my favorite:
- THE DESIGNER BECOMES THE RECLINER
Every problem can be a solution – take for example, you have too many Aphids on your roses. If you look at this from a different perspective then you may be able to see that “you don’t have an aphid problem, you just don’t have a lady bug solution yet.
“I have too much slope in my garden” or “I have terrible drainage in my lawn” – you may have a great opportunity to capture and store rainwater in the landscape.
Everything has multiple functions – trees can provide shade, fruit, and structure for vine plants. Legumes (e.g. beans) provide food, weed suppression, biomass, water retention and soil protection.
~Walker Leiser, Certified Permaculture Designer
Sustainable Landscape Consultant
DeSantis Landscapes