Garden Report: A New Found Bed is Planted

A Found Garden Bed

Found garden beds are ones that are not in the original Backyard Project design. They appear in the areas between two edges. This found garden bed appeared between the pergola and the gravel bed garden's east wall. It is a bonus garden bed.

This is another found garden bed. It appeared after the fence was built.

It is a large bed now full of native plants and berry-producing shrubs.This leftover bit of ground was where the extra rock was dumped during the construction of the pergola.

This found garden bed has been waiting to be developed for a number of years. Other garden tasks have had a higher priority and I couldn't make up my mind about what to plant here. The only attention it got was cutting back the thorny bushes.

The first task was to remove all of the weeds and debris.

The second task was to remove all of the rocks in the top few inches of soil.

 It was quite a haul from a bed only about two feet wide and 18 feet long.

'Perlite is a natural volcanic rock that pops like popcorn when blasted in a furnace. Each lightweight particle has a large irregular surface and contains many tiny closed air cells that improve the air-holding capabilities of the soil and increase the ability of water to drain through the soil.' A quote from the bag.

I added an equal amount of organic-rich topsoil and mixed the two together. With our heavy winter rains, the soil needs the help of Perlite to drain the water away otherwise the plants' roots would rot.

I spread the mix on top of the coarse, stony soil in the bed.In making a decision about what to plant in this bed, I was guided by Christopher Alexander's 'A Pattern Language.' Pattern number 245, Raised Flowers. It is about using flowers to soften the edges of buildings, paths, and outdoor areas. 'Raise the flower beds so that people can ... sit by them.'  I didn't want the flowers to touch the benches because that is where people will sit and where artwork will be displayed. I needed plants that would thrive in a hot, south-facing bed of dry rocky soil. I settled on a bed of succulents and sedums. They would be a delightful surprise when noticed while sitting on the bench and their variety would beg to be examined more closely.With daughter Elizabeth, who is a succulent/tropical plant aficionado, we visited The Planted Farm  https://www.theplantedfarm.com/ in North Saanich and came home with the above selection of hardy outdoor plants. It was such fun going through Ryan and Brian's trays and trays of possible plants and making tough choices. I have been growing this collection from individual buds for nearly a year and they had proven hardy enough for our winter.

I had a couple of pots of sedums that had waited a long time to be planted. Their time had come.

I placed the pots while visualizing how each mature plant would look next to another and how much space it would need. After a little tweaking, I went ahead and planted.  Once the sun had dropped down I gave them all a good watering.

It is hard to see the small plants' potential impact, especially with the white Perlite catching the eye. The bed will get a covering of dried leaves to help get the plants through the winter and hopefully will be something more to look at by next spring.

The whole edge area looks so much neater cleared and planted out. Now I need to be patient while the garden catches up with my vision.

Backyard Project: Pattern Language #106 Positive Outdoor Space & #173 Garden Wall

I am making good progress filling the gabion baskets with rounded river rock to make a garden wall defining the edge of the guest patio. 

We are not sure if we will put a board on top to make it a seat or not. If we did it would add another Pattern, #243 Sitting Wall and so strengthen the other patterns.

I had collected up the rounded river rock from various locations around the previous garden and stacked them up along the side of the house. This rock had been brought in to the site by the previous owners. It is not natural to this environment but a permaculture principle is to use what you have. 

I have chosen to use it to make the guest patio a positive outdoor space.

Pattern Language #106 says the problem is 'Outdoor spaces which are merely "left over" between buildings will, in general, not be used.' p. 518.

'There are 2 fundamentally different kinds of outdoor spaces: negative space and positive space. Outdoor space is negative when it is shapeless, the residue left behind when buildings - which are generally viewed as positive - are placed on the land. An outdoor space is positive when it has a distinct and definite shape, as definite as the shape of a room, and when its shape is as important as the shapes of the buildings around it.' p.518.

In the previous post, here, I described how the gabion baskets' stepped form echoes the house shape while defining the edge of the guest patio and enclosing the space. The patio has 2 entrance/exits to give the feeling of sitting in a space which is 'partially enclosed and partly open - not too open, not too enclosed.' p.521. This pattern is particularly important for smaller spaces while they still need to open out to larger spaces. In this case, the patio opens out to the forest.

Pattern Language gives a lot more detail on this important outdoor element and links it back 'to our most primitive instincts.' p.520. where when we are sitting we have a need for protection while at the same time needing a view to seeing what is approaching.

Come spring I will start planting along the outside edges of the gabion baskets transitioning the garden to the Garden Growing Wild pattern #172 - more on that later.

Pattern Language #173 Garden Wall

Problem: 'Gardens and small public parks don't give enough relief from noise unless they are well protected.' p. 806. 

About the only negative of the convenient location of our place is we can hear traffic noise from the nearby highway. We are lessening the impact of highway noise with careful design, plantings, fences and walls. My studio building blocks a lot of the noise from reaching the backyard.

'People need contact with trees and plants and water. In some way, which is hard to express, people are able to be more whole in the presence of nature, are able to go deeper into themselves, and are somehow able to draw sustaining energy from the life of plants and trees and water.' p. 806. Pattern Language goes on to explain how people 'must be shielded from the sight and sound of passing traffic, city noises and buildings. This requires walls, substantial high walls, and dense planting all around the garden' p.806. while still allowing people to be in touch with nature.

The high walls have been built and the intensive planting will continue this spring.

Backyard Project: Pattern Language #167 Six-foot Balcony

Lifting and stacking pavers for reuse in reworked walkways and sitting areas.

Pattern Language #167 Six-foot Balconies, verandahs, terraces, porches, and arcades along the building edge or halfway into it.

The Problem: 'Balconies and porches which are less than six feet deep are hardly ever used.' Pattern Language, p. 782.

Here is the 4-foot deep original guest bedroom patio. The pavers are 1 foot by 2 feet in size. It is not a walkway either because it doesn't lead anywhere. According to the Pattern Language, it wasn't used as a patio because nowhere was it at least 6 feet deep. 

'Balconies and porches are often made very small to save money; but when they are too small, they might just as well not be there. A balcony is first used properly when there is enough room for 2 or 3 people to sit in a small group with room to stretch their legs, and room for a small table where they can set down glasses cups, and the newspaper. No balcony works if it is so narrow that people have to sit in a row facing outward.' p. 783.

Arial view of what is left of the original guest room patio after construction trenches were dug and the river stone garden bed was removed. 

We had reworked some other paved areas to make the walkways more obvious by reducing their width. This one is now 4 feet wide instead of being staggered up to 6 feet wide. This gave us extra pavers to work with elsewhere and a bonus garden bed (yet to be developed).

The new guest room patio is now 6 and a half feet deep and 14 feet wide. The Pattern Language has found 'almost no balconies which are more than 6 feet deep are not used.'  It is going to be interesting to see if this reconfigured patio will be used.

The original patio was hardly inviting. Pattern Language explains why it was not a popular place to stop a while.

'Two other features of a balcony make a difference in the degree to which people will use it: its enclosure and its recession into the building. As far as enclosure goes, we have noticed that among the deeper balconies, it is those with half-open enclosures around them - columns, wooden slats, rose-covered trellises - which are used most. Apparently, the partial privacy given by a half-open screen makes people more comfortable.' p. 783.

Sitting out on this original patio one would feel exposed and vulnerable with the forest on one side and the dark underside of the balcony on the other. The flat wall of the house offers no protection or comfort. These are situational feelings humans still carry with them from hunter/gatherer days.

'Enclose the balcony with a low wall - sitting wall (coming), heavy columns (check - 6" x 6" cedar posts), and half open walls or screens (check - Propagation Room wall). Keep it open toward the south (partial check - it faces south but looks to a large cedar fence made of slats that will be covered in vines, while the east view is out to the forest). p. 784. 

The new patio will not be recessed into the original house but the addition of the Propagation Room has visually extended the building envelop and now gives the feeling of being tucked into a corner of the house.

Here's hoping we got enough of the Pattern Language # 167 incorporated into the design to make this patio a welcoming place for our guests to hang out on while offering privacy, protection and a view.

Backyard Project: Pattern Language: #243 Sitting Wall Guides the Pergola Design

Another delivery of lumber for  a new project - Pergola seating

Brace support for a bench around the perimeter of the Pergola.

Pattern Language #243 Sitting Wall

Problem "In many places walls and fences between outdoor spaces are too high, but no boundary at all does injustice to the subtlety of the divisions of spaces." p. 1125.

Somewhere along the edge between the Pergola and the Arbour, "there is a need for a seam,  a place which unites the two, but does so without breaking down the fact that they are separate places. If there is a high wall or hedge, then people in the [pergola] have no way of being connected to the [arbour path]; the people in the [arbour] have no way of being connected to the [pergola]. But if there is no barrier at all - then the division between the two is hard to maintain." p.1125. 

Without a low wall it would feel uncomfortable sitting in the Pergola because one would have the feeling of being unprotected - a 'sitting duck'.

Josh continues to demonstrate his high level of wood working skill.

'The problem can only be solved by a kind of barrier which functions as a barrier which separates, and as a seam which joins at the same time." p.1126.

"A low wall or balustrade, just at the right height for sitting, is perfect. it creates a barrier which separates. But because it invites people to sit on it - invites them to sit first with their legs on one side, then with their legs on top, then to swivel around still further to the other side, or to side astride it - it also functions as a seam, which makes a positive connection between the two places." p. 1126.

The two different ground materials also help to define the separate rooms while at the same time the materials are connected by their common local source.

Dave applies a coat of sealer to protect the horizontal surface from moisture damage.

The Pattern Language is very specific about the height and width of a low wall for it to be successful. It needs to be 16 inches high and at least 12 inches wide.

This low wall/bench seat has made a big difference to the whole feel of this part of the backyard. It feels much more complete. The Pergola and even the Arbour feel more grounded.

Backyard Project: Pattern Language #120 Paths & Goals, #121 Path Shape

Pattern Language #120 Paths and Goals

"The layout of paths will seem right and comfortable only when it is compatible with the process of walking. And the process of walking is far more subtle than one might think." p. 586.

The location of this path to the studio front door is tied in with Pattern Language #110 Main Entrance. "Place the main entrance of the building at a point where it can be seen immediately from the main avenues of approach and give it a bold visible shape which stands out in front of the building." p. 544.

This middle-sized walking path leads directly to the front door of the studio making the door's location obvious.

"To lay out paths, first place goals at natural points of interest. Then connect the goals to one another to form the paths." pp 587-8.

I know I did not follow this pattern advice when developing the conceptual design for the Backyard Project. My priority for moving around the space was to provide access for the lawn tractor with its trailer to move from one side to the other. If the path was in a straight line across the back the house it would have been an eyesore. Instead, I planned a curving path that helps disguise its purpose while connecting with all of the other functional paths.

I plan to work towards this pattern with plantings, seating, art and other focal points.

Pattern Language #121 Path Shape

"Streets should be for staying in, and not just for moving through..." p. 590.

'Make a bulge in the middle of a public path, and make the ends narrower, so the path forms an enclosure which is a place to stay, not just a place to pass through." p. 591.

The smaller path going to my studio has a narrow entrance restricted by rocks to stop people thinking it is the main path to the front door. It bulges out where there is a bird bath (to be installed on the green septic tank cover) and is the place for a coiled hose. One can stop and enjoy the calming activity of watering plants and filling the birdbath.

Valerie Easton's book 'A Pattern Garden, The Essential Elements of Garden Making' contains detailed guidance on designing paths according to Pattern Language principles.

'One uniform material, no matter how lovely, probably doesn't fit all garden situations equally well. Using a single material for paths misses the chance to stir up some excitement and interest underfoot, as well as the opportunity to cue the garden experience by slowing or accelerating one's passage through it.' p. 75.

 The path of the tractor had to have a material that would stand up to its use in all weather conditions but I did wonder if that meant there was just too much gravel and its qualities would dominate the space. 

This shorter, curved path going up the hill made from large rocks in contrast with the gravel path of the same stone provides some break from the mass of gravel.

The 'gardener's paths' following the shapes of the Hugelkultur beds are marked with rounds of cut logs. It is important these alternative 'pathway materials can and should be varied, provided that affinity of colour, texture, and basic nature is kept in mind.' Easton p. 75.

The ground surface of the Pergola will be pieces of hard slate interplanted with plants while the meandering path through the Gravel Bed garden will be soft ground cover plants.

These 2 patterns for paths are ones I will continue to work on as I develop the garden because I know I haven't fully realised them yet.

Playing Tourists At Home When Company Comes

You know how it is - you visit the local sites when company comes.

The most popular place to visit with our company is Butchart Gardens which are not far from home.

From early spring there is a spectacular show of blooms until late in the fall.

Japanese Garden

Every visit I see landscaping ideas.

Here is a multi-functional edging that fits my garden design requirements.

Shakkei design in Butchart Gardens - a Japanese garden design concept literally meaning 'the borrowing of scenery.' The garden elements - a round hole in a cedar hedge - take advantage of appealing elements in the distant landscape - the tranquil Todd Inlet with boats.

Within its well-designed gardens, Butchart offers the wide range of scale designers aim for - the micro view of a bloom at one's feet to the macro view of plantings across the expanse of a worked out quarry.

Another popular spot we take our company is Sooke Harbour House after a drive through a forest and along the shoreline. I love to search out the newest art in the garden as well as checking their organic food gardens.

This aged, split cedar screen does the job of screening off a temporary event tent giving some privacy to those on either side.

And of course, there is the art littered everywhere inside Sooke Harbour House.

Having company keeps us continuing to explore where we live when we find the new and re-explore when we thought was familiar.

Pattern Language #175 Greenhouse - an essential garden design element

 Excalabor Glass & Aluminium has finally arrived after taking a number of weeks to make aluminium railings and to cut safety glass for the Propagation Room and Roof Top.

Installing the Roof Top railing posts

"...to keep a garden alive, it is almost essential that there be a "workshop" - a kind of halfway house between the garden and the house itself, where seedlings grow, and where, in temperate climates, plants can grow in spite of the cold." Pattern Language, p. 813

Levels and string lines

"Imagine a simple greenhouse, attached to a living room, turned to the winter sun, and filled with shelves of flowers and vegetables. It has an entrance from the house - so you can go into it and use it in the winter without going outdoors. And it has an entrance from the garden - so you can use it as a workshop while you are out in the garden and not have to walk through the house." Pattern Language, p. 813.

 The aluminium frame for the south-facing wall for the Propagation Room. Josh is working on the waterproof lining for the propagation table.

I have followed the guidelines for this pattern in that I can walk from my office (see the glass behind Josh) into the Propagation Room and I can walk from there out to the garden (see the entrance on the left). This is also how I get from my office to the Green Shed - my studio. There will be no door there so it is not going to be the usual hot humid greenhouse. In this seasonal rainforest climate when it rains so often 8 to 9 months of the year mildew and moulds are a problem if there is not enough ventilation hence the open entrance and the east wall of holey metal.

Top and bottom railing in place on the Roof Top.

The room faces south and will catch the low winter sun. The glass will stop the rain and so prevent frost from reaching the plants.

The guys have gone to get the big sheets of glass off the truck.

I will be using the room to grow cuttings until they are ready to transplant out to the garden beds. I  won't have the types of plants in pots that need overwintering in the greenhouse. That involves too much heavy work in the fall.

Glass installed on the west side of the Propagation Room.

"For someone who has not experienced a greenhouse as an extension of the house, it may be hard to recognise how fundamental it becomes. It is a world unto itself, as definite and wonderful as fire or water, and it provides an experience which can hardly be matched by any other pattern." Pattern Langauge, p. 813.

Glass installed on the south side of the Propagation Room.

This is the theory and the plan. We are looking forward to seeing how it works in practice this winter.