Edible Landscaping

Starts Thursday evening 27th Sept. 2008 at Cardiff University's Centre for Life Long Learning

Learn how to design, create and maintain a low maintenance edible garden focusing on fruit trees, soft fruit and shade tolerant leafy plants. Based on permaculture principles, this fruit gardening course will take you through designing and drawing up plans for your garden and your maintenance needs - including pruning, pest management and pollination. Please feel free to email me for more course details.

The very first RHS permaculture show garden, has been designed for the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) Spring Flower Show Cardiff, to take place in Cardiff, April 2009. The garden's purpose is to show how it is possible to have a sustainable urban garden fit for life in the 21st century. It will include an edible landscape of perennial, edible ornamental food plants, a chicken house and run, a beehive which will be raised on platform so that wood can be stored underneath, a compost bin, a wildlife pond, water butts, a wind turbine and a narrow greenhouse (complete with seasonal veg) especially designed for small gardens which has a sliding door on one side. This is quite an ambitious garden and we are looking to raise £6,500 in order to be able to include all of these design features in this all encompassing display of green living. The sustainability of the garden doesn't end there. Unlike most show gardens which are dismantled at the end of their show we will be gifting the garden to Gladstone Primary School, Barry, the Vale of Glamorgan. The garden will take on a life of its own in the school and will be available as a permaculture demonstration garden for the long term.

The Permaculture Association (Britain) has endorsed our project and have allowed us to make use of their charitable status in order to raise the funds. We are currently looking for donations towards the cost of the garden. If you would like to donate, you just need to send a cheque to the Permaculture Association (Britain) with a note that it is for the RHS show garden. The money will then be earmarked just for use on the show garden. Their address is: Permaculture Association, Hollybush Conservation Centre, Broad Lane, Kirkstall, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS5 3BP. Alternatively, you may have skills in fundraising and / or fundraising contacts. We are looking at all options to raise the money for the garden, including grants and sponsorship from companies. Perhaps you work for a company who you think would like to be associated with our project and would be able to donate towards it. If you feel you can help in this way please email me and let me know.

We are also in the process of assembling a skilled team primarily to help with the build of the garden. We are keen to include people who would be able to help with us with any aspect of the build, but primarily with some of the more complex areas like the installation of the espalier and fan trees, the erection of the greenhouse, the construction of the beehive tower and wind turbine on site. We would very much like the turbine to powering something in the garden that the public could see and thought a connection to a fountain in the pond would be one idea. Technical help with this and other construction aspects of the garden would be very welcome.

We are very excited about this "grand design" of ours and hope you are too. Just email me if you would like more info.

Garden at Manor House Wildlife Park
I am involved in an exciting project, redesigning a walled garden at Manor House Wildlife Park. The Park has recently been bought by Anna Ryder Richardson and her husband Colin MacDougall. Their plan is to turn it into a green zoo with animal welfare and sustainability being right at the top of the agenda.

The garden will include a plethora of fruit trees, soft fruit and edible herbaceous perennials, including an unusual array of hardy exotics. The garden includes a tropical house which will be filled with amazing fruits including Bananas, Pineapple Guava (Feijoa) and Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) to name a few. Watch this space for the completed design and photos of the implementation in progress.

A new design commission to transform a small and mostly shady garden into an edible and productive garden. Currently at concept sketch stage - even in this less than ideal space there are still many opportunities to grow food. Plants like Allium triquetrum, Sweet Violet, Perpetual Spinach, Rhubarb, Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum), Day Lilies (Hemerocallis), Mint, Lemon Balm; all will work as shade tolerant understorey plants. In sunny spots along the side wall, tomatoes, basil, peppers and various salad plants are planned. A way of storing water effectively and having a shed in such a small space is being designed by creating a tall narrow shed with a ceiling which doubles as the platform for a 1,000 litre water storage unit. The wooden walls of the shed will carry on past the ceiling and hide the water butt, effectively housing it. The design's advantages mean that the water storage will not take up any extra horizontal space and because of its height the water will have much greater pressure and be able to water a larger area more efficiently. Watch this space for developments on this permaculture garden design.

There are now opportunities to partake in a guided tour of my garden. The tour consists of a leisurely but informed walk around my garden. I will Introduce you to a variety of unusual edible plants including many ornamental edibles. There will be an opportunity to taste the various plants in my garden and discuss the methods I have used to create a permaculture garden. The tours lasts one hour and are conducted throughout the year. Participants will be able to take away a free plant or cutting of the plants in the garden. The tour costs £10 per participant and will run with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 10 participants. Please let me know via email if you would like to join in on a tour of my garden.

Wwoofers welcome
I regularly have Wwoofers staying. A permaculture garden has a lot to offer Wwoofers because of the huge variety of things to do and to learn. My Wwoofers always sign my Wwoof UK book before they leave. Here are some of their comments: "It was a lovely place to stay with a big garden, learnt a lot about herbs, trees and soil".
"Very positive friendly, family environment. Good experience of permaculture" . "Thank you for nine interesting days, with a really nice walk in the beautiful

Brecon Beacons". "Michele, thanks so much for such a lovely time and all the knowledge that you shared with me. This has been, by far, the best Wwoof experience I have had and I hope someday to return." "Thanks for everything. I had a great educational time - superb food. Ta." So if you want to experience Wwoofing in the UK and Wwoofing in Wales in particular please click here and I'll get back to you.