During this past week I have been experiencing some cooler weather in west Wales, and based near the old market town of Machynlleth, I had the pleasure of visiting a most beautiful garden belonging to good friends of my dear friend, Susannah. A real sanctuary for humans and a host of other organisms, nestled on the woody mountainside.
Claire and Emma's garden is very energetic. Despite visiting on a cool and damp day characteristic of a Welsh summer, I saw an incredible amount of beneficial organisms on the site. The garden is a hub of activity, with numerous birds enjoying the canopy and understory of the plants layers which extend out the back to meet the local woodland itself. There were also plenty of visiting insects and pollinators which wasn't surprising given the incredible quantity and diversity of flowering plants in the garden. With floral diversity comes invertebrate diversity and the invertebrates are, in large part, the main diet for birds and animals further up the food chain. I'm sure I counted at least 4 different species of bees on the blooms of Phacelia tanacetifolia - Purple Tansy, which definitely appeared to be a firm favourite among the bee community.
Phacelia tanacetifolia - Purple Tansy. I was delighted to learn from Paul that we're growing it this year in our own gardens
Phacelia tanacetifolia - Purple Tansy is an annual and although it does self seed, apparently not prolifically so it's a good idea to sow annually and even successively, to prolong the bloom time which may be from late June to September. It is most commonly used as a pollinator plant and is considered by some bee keepers to be the best pollinator plant ever! It also plays a role as green manure/ground cover, with an extensive root system and an ability to smother out other plants. We're looking forward to sowing more of this next year, perhaps in small patches or blocks scattered throughout the annual beds or in close vicinity to our annual production.
A visitor to a Daisy, possibly Oxeye Daisy
Having an abundance of blooms throughout the year is vital to attract beneficial organisms to our gardens, but ideally we would like to encourage them to reside and breed there. The surest and simplest way to attract and provide for a broad range of wildlife into our landscapes is to include (or preserve) a diversity of habitat. The edges between habitats will often present changes in air temperature, vapour, soil moisture, light intensity, and nutrient availability, encouraging growth of opportunistic species there. A mosaic of habitat is therefore a great way of welcoming wild allies into our landscapes. Broadly speaking, the habitats may be categorised as grassland, woodland and forest, hedgerows and scrub, heathland and wetland/aquatic.
Including a diversity of plants within these habitats is also great, and taking this a step further, including a diversity of plant architecture. Variation in plant form and height provides the perfect habitat for many invertebrates.
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| Example of a polyculture showing diversity of plant architecture in Claire and Em's garden. |
You will likely find species that inhabit the high area of the tree canopy and others that reside in the mid and low areas. Other species prefer the heart of dense shrubs, while others hang around the leaves or on the bark with some species moving around and between all of these micro-habitats. This variation of form and height also provides plenty of edge that can further attract more organisms. Having some gaps between the vegetation for low growing herbs and grasses will likely attract yet more invertebrate diversity. The high number of invertebrates this type of planting scheme attracts will inevitably bring in birds and small mammals that will feed on them, while also appreciating the cover and diverse roosting and vantage points within the plant architecture. It takes a few years to start establishing, but it's a worthwhile investment of your time.
Some photos of our Forest Garden showing the variation of plant forms and heights
Interesting diversity in the herb layer at Claire and Emma's
Claire and Emma have areas of annual vegetable production and also an allotment, growing quality vegetables and herbs, and bringing a small selection of produce, plants, herbs and seedlings to their local markets. You can find out more about their work on their Facebook page, Nature's basket.
Salsola soda - Opposite leaf Russianthistle
Speaking of cooking, on my visit I had the pleasure of meeting another Claire, who together with her family owns and runs The Green Goat Cafe. They specialise in tasty street food inspired by their backgrounds and travels, and also cater for large events. Building strong working relationships with farmers and local food growers is important to The Green Goat, and they work closely with the local community to strengthen food education, cooking skills and also helping to raise money for local initiatives.
I felt quite inspired after my visit, and heartened to meet people following their passions and putting out such goodness into the world! Diolch yn fawr, Claire and Emma, for your wonderful garden, and for sharing it so warmly :)
Regenerative Landscape Design - Online Interactive Course
Want to learn how to design, build and manage regenerative landscapes? Join us for our Regenerative Landscape Design - Online Interactive Course from May 1st to Sep 13th, 2023.
We're super excited about running the course and look forward to providing you with the confidence, inspiration, and opportunity to design, build and manage regenerative landscapes, gardens, and farms that produce food and other resources for humans while enhancing biodiversity.
Regenerative Landscape Design Online Course
You can find out all about the course here and right now we have a 20% discount on the full enrollment fees. Just use the promo code RLD2023 in the section of the registration form to receive your discount.
We are looking forward to providing you with this unique online learning experience - as far as we know, the very first of its kind. If you are thinking of reasons why you should do this course and whether this course is suitable for you, take a look here where we lay it all out. Looking forward to it!
We're super excited about running the course and look forward to providing you with the confidence, inspiration, and opportunity to design, build and manage regenerative landscapes, gardens, and farms that produce food and other resources for humans while enhancing biodiversity.
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| Regenerative Landscape Design Online Course |
You can find out all about the course here and right now we have a 20% discount on the full enrollment fees. Just use the promo code RLD2023 in the section of the registration form to receive your discount.
We are looking forward to providing you with this unique online learning experience - as far as we know, the very first of its kind. If you are thinking of reasons why you should do this course and whether this course is suitable for you, take a look here where we lay it all out. Looking forward to it!
The webinar will be hosted on zoom and you can book your place here - Looking forward to it!
Welcome to our Online Store where you can find Forest Garden/ Permaculture Plants, Seeds, Cuttings, Bulbs, Rhizomes and Polyculture Multi-packs along with digital goods and services such as Online Courses, Webinars, eBooks, and Online Consultancy and finally we've added a Bulk Fruit and Nut Tree order form for Farms, Orchards, Nurseries, and Large Regenerative Landscape Projects. If there is anything in the store you would like to see but is not there, please let us know. We hope you enjoy the store and find something you like :) It's your purchases that keep our Project going. Thank you. Enter Our Store Here
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| Plants, Seeds, eBooks, Consultancy, Bulk Fruit and Nut Tree Orders for Permaculture, Polyculture, Forest Gardens and Regenerative Landscapes. |
Regenerative Landscape Design - Online Interactive Course
Want to learn how to design, build and manage regenerative landscapes? Join us for our Regenerative Landscape Design - Online Interactive Course from May 1st to Sep 13th, 2023.
We're super excited about running the course and look forward to providing you with the confidence, inspiration, and opportunity to design, build and manage regenerative landscapes, gardens, and farms that produce food and other resources for humans while enhancing biodiversity.
Regenerative Landscape Design Online Course
You can find out all about the course here and right now we have a 20% discount on the full enrollment fees. Just use the promo code RLD2023 in the section of the registration form to receive your discount.
We are looking forward to providing you with this unique online learning experience - as far as we know, the very first of its kind. If you are thinking of reasons why you should do this course and whether this course is suitable for you, take a look here where we lay it all out. Looking forward to it!
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If you appreciate the work we are doing you can show your support in several ways.
- Make a purchase of plants or seeds from our Bionursery or Online Store
- Consider joining us for one of our Courses or Online Courses
- Comment, like, and share our content on social media.
- Donate directly via PayPal to balkanecologyproject@gmail.com or via FTX Pay
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