Joanne’s Contra-City Garden

 

“Trellises”

(the backbone of my garden:  structure and layout)

 

 

The Zone layout, used in permaculture, guides you in planning your garden in zones or bands according to useage and maintenance levels. 

 

I used this concept in planning my garden.  Here are the zones, as explained by two garden books, and how my garden reflects them.

 

Carol Buchanan / The Wildlife Sanctuary Garden	Toby Hemenway / Gaia’s Garden (Permaculture zones*)	My Garden
Outer ring wild critters nesting canopy layer and understory trees	Zone 5 wild, unmanaged native animals no structures	very minimal care care/low water CA natives & drought tolerant exotics vertical height: shrubs, immature trees  and grassland CA natives future:  Calif native edibles for foraging residents: Birds, bugs, butterflies. future hopes:  lizards and toads
Second ring understory or shrubs semi-wild compatible exotics & natives	Zone 4 minimal care native plants, firewood, timber pasturing	minimal care/low water xeriscape exotics w/some CA natives vertical height: trees, large shrubs front fenceline xeriscape chimney side garden
Third ring perennials and small shrubs transition	Zone 2 semi-intensely cultivated tool sheds, wood storage small orchards, greywater irrigation cultivated animals	low care/low-to-moderate water xeriscape exotics & Ca natives vertical height:  perennials & small  shrubs.  Dwarf fruit trees to be added front yard plantings close to the house
Center ring people lawn or patio least impact possible on surrounding natives	Zone 1 intensive use and care trellis, arbors, patio, bird feeders intensive care herbs, veggies, flowers, low  shrubs, lawn	Moderate-to-high care &/or water vegetable garden herb garden back yard raised beds residents:  small children, large dog

* Hemenway’s paraphrasing of the Permaculture zones of Bill Mollison and David Holmgren

 

I’ve shown Outer Ring or Zone 5  in “California gold”, because that is the color these areas of my garden turn for the summer months.  Even in a neighborhood of overwatered chem-lawns, I allow these portions of my garden to go through the area’s natural seasonal cycle.   Human traffic in these areas is minimal, if you don’t count passers-by on the nearby city sidewalk.  As shrub and understory scale plantings become established and grow into maturity, even the passers-by will cease to be an issue to wildlife.  As these areas are still getting established, they do take some irrigation (and it’s been tough to establish them during some of So. Calif.’s record drought years!).  But the long term plan is to leave them with virtually no artificial irrigation.

 

The Second ring or Zone 4 plantings of colorful perennial exotics shield our property from the street and at the same time provide flowerbed caliber color interest.  Many items in these areas are large, which limits the actual number of plants.  There is little maintenance beyond occasional judicious snipping to keep a branch out of a pathway, or a once-a-year shaping.  These areas were on a drip hose, yet that has succumbed to the rigors of the elements. I only find it necessary to water on very rare occasions.

 

The Third ring or Zone 3 perennials somewhat blend into Second ring.  The main differentiation is plant height.  While the fenceline plantings approach “understory”, those of the third ring, closer to the house, are lower.  More intense colors, and more delicate flower shapes are planted here, particularly near the main entrance.  Some of my herbs have found there way into this zone.  Yet all is designed to only need occasional deadheading, a rare garden day in this section.  Water needs are the same as second ring.

 

 

Links to well-written info about Permaculture zones:

http://bungala.beverleypaine.com/aboutzones.html

http://www.umass.edu/umext/jgerber/permacultureIntro.htm , scroll about 1/3 down the page

 

 

 

this page last updated circa May 2002