I had the pleasure of sitting next to the author of 'Gaia's Garden' Toby Hemenway at a Biomimickry lecture in SF in February. Of course I told him how his book on permaculture was a smash him amongst my local community of gardeners and designers. I revisited his book this week and couldn't help but be impressed all over again.
I have a design project at a residence in GreenBrae where the creek and tides have a soggy effect on the lawn, especially in the winter, when the rain puddles up and defies an old french drainage system. Did the client use the lawn? No. In fact, she wants to grow food. Perfect! I looked to Hemenway's book for some quick sketch ideas, and was gratified by his chapter on "Catching, Conserving, and Using Water". Have a lot of water on the site? Then it's your biggest asset, so use it to your advantage. I sketched up a rain garden, where water collects in the winter, and in the summer the low spot is filled with deciduous perennials and edibles. Now for the presentation. Thanks Toby Hemenway!
visit his website
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