Designing your garden for all seasons

Hosted by: Town of Cambridge

Presented by: Fiona Blackham from Gaia Permaculture

© Gaia Permaculture Pty Ltd 2020

 What are we here for?

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 Good garden design helps
contribute to more
comfortable living conditions
year round

 Better use of space

 Understanding seasons
 Knowing your soil
 Choosing the right plant
 Water reduction
 Greenwaste recycling
 Urban cooling
 Creating habitat
 Aesthetics and community
(verge)

© Gaia Permaculture Pty Ltd 2020 Design and Landscaping by Gaia Permaculture
 Garden design that works with
the six Noongar seasons
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© Gaia Permaculture Pty Ltd 2020
 Multiple uses

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Bringing back the green
Town of Cambridge
18.5% Urban canopy
Downward trend from 2014 – 2018
Strategy to increase urban canopy
- Lowest: Jolimont
- Highest: Mt Claremont

- Decrease summer temperatures by

<7˚C
- Health benefits physical & mental
- Stormwater – trees are pumps & also
bio-filters (protect wetlands)
- Climate change mitigation
- Pollutants
- Carbon sequestration
- Biodiversity
- SW is one of the worlds 34
biodiversity hotspots
- Wildlife corridors
Source : https://www.cambridge.wa.gov.au/files/assets/public/documents-and-
files/development-amp-sustainability/sustainability/urban-forest-strategy-community-
consultation.pdf

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Sustainable Verge Garden Awards
1st price $500, 2nd $300, 3rd $200
Two categories
Best sustainable verge presentation
Best sustainable verge transformation
 Designing your garden smarter…. er
 OBSERVE!
– north, sun, wind, water, slope
 RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THINGS & BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
- one thing, multiple uses
 WHAT DOES YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL SAY?
- local councils are a great source of information
- make sure what you are proposing is achievable
 SOIL & WATER
- importance of knowing your soil, making adjustments & how this saves water
 PLANT CHOICES
- tired of spending money on plants?
 FINDING INFORMATION
- where to go

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Sun Burn in summer and powdery mildew in winter
 SUN SECTOR

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 WIND ENERGY
How does the wind move across my property at different times of the year and
what is it affected by eg: buildings, fences, tree’s, expanses of water, thermal
mass

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 Wind rose from same weather station, different times
December 9AM v’s December 3PM.

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 Same weather station. 3PM in December v’s 3PM in June
The wind comes from TOTALLY different directions at different times of the year

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 WATER ENERGY
Where do my winter
and summer storms
come from?
Am I gaining
protection from this
somehow?
What do I observe on
the ground that can tell
me where the water
naturally flows and
pools?

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 Slope (contours)– how does my slope
affect the sectors?

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 Think about
your sectors
 What have the most
influence on your garden?
 See if you can draw up a
sector plan

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 Where to find such mythical information?

Sun, water, wind

www.Bom.gov.au

www.willyweather.com.au

Slope and Contours

Local council “INTRAMAPS”
https://www.cambridge.wa.gov.au/Town-Council/Town-Profile/View-
Online-Maps

Landgate – Maps and Imagery – Interactive Maps – Mapview Plus

https://maps.landgate.wa.gov.au/maps-landgate/registered/

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Tea break
 Recap!
What did we learn
in Session 1?

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 What is so important about soil?

 Soil is living. 1 teaspoon of soil has over 1

billion microbes! There’s a whole other
galaxy happening under your feet
 Contains all the nutrients for plants to survive
(top soil)
 Biodiversity of soil – ability to release nutrients
to plants
 Holds water!
 Anchors plants to the ground

© Gaia Permaculture Pty Ltd 2018

 What is “IN” soil?
- Weathering, the physical or
chemical breaking of rocks
and minerals into smaller
pieces
- Erosion & deposition,
pickup, transport and drop
off of material from one
place to another
- Decomposition, breakdown
of waste, organisms and
organic material into simple
molecules

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 Where does the
organic matter
come from?

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 Checking
your soil …..

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© Gaia Permaculture Pty Ltd 2020
 pH & its affect on your
soil
 Below pH 6.0 nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium,
sulphur, calcium,
magnesium, molybdenum
are less available
 Above pH 7.5 (alkaline) iron,
manganese, boron, copper
& zinc are less available

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 Jar test

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Sand, Silt & Clay – size does matter

Sand 2.00 – 0.05mm

Silt 0.05 – 0.002mm
Clay less than 0.002mm
 Growing soil?
Build organic matter

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 Trench compost Bokashi

Lasagne Leaf mould

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 Dalek
(exterminate) Tumbler

Thermophilic Vermiculture

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 Compost tea
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 Choosing plants
Right Plant, Right Place, Right Reason, Right Region, Right Season

What do plants want? How to avoid dead plants, problems and wasted time and
money

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© Gaia Permaculture Pty Ltd 2021
 Trees are our friends – and like friends, chose them well,
give them what they want and they will reward you
1000 times over

 Chose the right tree for the space, climate and

water availability
 Deciduous or evergreen
 Standard, semi-dwarf or dwarf
 Root systems and growth

Where to find information

 https://www.cambridge.wa.gov.au
Search: urban-forest-strategy-community-consultation

© Gaia Permaculture Pty Ltd 2021

 Plants and shrubs – endemic native plants
and exotic species. Choose the right plant.

Lots of variety of shrubs and plants invite lots of different insects, birds, lizards
and other fauna into our gardens

Diversity is the key – year round flowers and foliage for bees & birds to forage

Chop and drop prunings – just leave them where they lie

SERCUL has information on endemic species for your area (including fertilize
wise)
https://www.sercul.org.au/our-projects/fertilise-wise/

Kit Prendergast has a list of species to invite native bees onto your property.
Email her for a list!
kit.prendergast@postgrad.curtin.edu.au

© Gaia Permaculture Pty Ltd 2020

 Pruning, mulching & water conservation

Remember our discussion about composting and organic matter??Humus

holds 400 – 500% more water than clay. Compost and build organic
matter. How? RECYCLE YOUR GREENWASTE
© Gaia Permaculture Pty Ltd 2020
 Putting it all together

 Observation
 Build relationships between things
& with your neighbours
 Talk to your local council
 Soil & water – build the soil, hold
the water & save $’s
 Choose plants for your area &
purpose
 Finding information

© Gaia Permaculture Pty Ltd 2020

 Information pathway
Sun, water, wind
www.Bom.gov.au or www.willyweather.com.au

Slope and Contours, Boundaries, Measurements

Local council “INTRAMAPS”
https://www.cambridge.wa.gov.au/Town-Council/Town-Profile/View-Online-Maps

Landgate – Maps and Imagery – Interactive Maps – Mapview Plus

https://maps.landgate.wa.gov.au/maps-landgate/registered/

Sun arcs and sun angles

www.suncalc.org

Power, Gas, Phone, Water, Internet

https://www.1100.com.au/

Trees and urban canopy with Town of Cambridge

https://www.cambridge.wa.gov.au/files/assets/public/documents-and-files/development-amp-
sustainability/sustainability/urban-forest-strategy-community-consultation.pdf

Verges in Town of Cambridge

https://www.cambridge.wa.gov.au/Resident/Home-Neighbourhood/Your-property/Trees-Verges/Verges

Kit Prendergast for plants for native bees kit.prendergast@postgrad.curtin.edu.au

Native plants for your area (*includes fertilize wise for your area)
https://www.sercul.org.au/our-projects/fertilise-wise/

© Gaia Permaculture Pty Ltd 2021

 You don’t have a snail problem,
You have a duck deficiency
- Bill Mollisson 1928 - 2016

© Gaia Permaculture Pty Ltd 2020

 www.gaiapermaculture.com.au | E: fiona@gaiapermaculture.com.au | M: 0488 151 669 | “Like us”
© Gaia Permaculture Pty Ltd 2021