A Resource Guide on Ecological Gardening

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A Resource Guide on Ecological Gardening. Table of Contents:. The Ecological Garden. Water. Gardening with Nature. Plant Functions and Uses …

Website: www.ecologicalgardens.com | Filesize: 1158kb

Content
A Resource Guide on Ecological Gardening
Table of Contents:
The Ecological Garden Water
Gardening with Nature Plant Functions and Uses
Garden Biodiversity Plant Companions and
Antagonists
Building Natural Capital Plant Guilds
Design Principles Ecological Aesthetics
Soil & Fungi
Ecological gardening applies permaculture1 design to create sustainable home landscapes.
Permaculture is a set of ethics, principles and techniques for designing sustainable human
communities that have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. It
builds on knowledge from sustainable agriculture, ecology, and agro- forestry.
In the late 1990s, Toby Hemenway, a permaculture instructor and practitioner in the
Pacific Northwest, developed the concept of ecological gardens and plant guilds for
temperate climates. Toby writes: “These gardens represent a new type of landscape that
provides for people as well as the rest of nature. These are true backyard ecosystems .
places where conscious design is melded with a respect for nature and an understanding
of nature’s principles”2.
1 The term permaculture was coined in the late 1970s by two Australian biologists, Bill Mollison and David
Holmgren. It is a contraction of “permanent agriculture” or “permanent culture”.
2 Hemenway, Toby. Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home -Scale Permaculture. Chelsea…