Healing Gardens

Body:

1) I rent a home with three close friends. We live on 5 acres, off of a dirt road about 8 miles away from school.

2) The backyard is grassy and sloping. The soil is moist, rich, and healthy. Beyond the lawn are woodlands that contains many native plant species.

3)a) Size: There is an already established herb garden that sits at the Northwest side of the house, several feet away from a porch. I intend on using 10 feet on the side of the porch to place the trellis. I estimate that I will need 5 feet extended away from the porch (10' x 5' x 15'). The established herb garden is rectangular and approximately 20' x 5' feet.

b) Shape: Rectangle

c) Topography: Sloping

d) Slope: 10%

e) Exposure: Northwestern, lots of afternoon sun.

f)  Soil: Rich, moist, well-drained

g) Water Features: A seasonal creek runs down the northern most side of the herb garden. There is another creek further down our backyard. It is hidden, but you can always hear it. Also, further down the backyard, it gets a little swampy (I found skunk cabbage)

h) Plant species present: Grass, dandelions. The established herb garden contains rosemary, calendula, sage

i) Animal Activity: One Mama and two baby deer (with whom we have made eye contact), racoons, squirrels, cats, and a rumoured bobcat. Lots of little birds whose calls we hear at different times in the morning, and definitely some neighbourhood dogs. And, lots of little spiders (like hobo spiders! and brown recluses!).

j) The story of my site: My roommates and I just moved into the house. It was built in 1995. Our landlady loves us and has given us permission to break soil wherever we want. She planted the herb garden, but it hasn't been attended to for about one year.

k) My feelings: I love our house so much. Ciara named it the Nest House because it feels like a retreat, and it's perched so it looks as if it is a ship about to run into a forest (although, to be clear, the house is not ship-shaped). All of us roommates sure get along well, and we all love beer and want to brew it together. I'm really thrilled to use the knowledge from my plant monograph in a practical way.

 

4) Plant List:

Common Hops (Humulus lupulus): Perennial, prefers full sun or slightly shady area, moist, well drained soil, can reach a height of up to 30'

Sage (Salvia divinorum): Perennial, prefers shady, moist soil, grows up to 3'

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium): Perennial, prefers sun, nitrogen-rich, arid soil, can grow up to 4' 

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis): Perennial, needs well drained soil, grows up to 2 meters. 

 

5) My design will have the hops growing up against the porch, with a wormbox (which will double as a bench) at the bottom of the trellis. I will plant the wormwood in the already established herb garden. I will keep the sage in a large gardening pot, next to the hops. I'd like to add more herbs to the garden in the future.

 

6) Seasonal Activities:

January: Pruning and tending to established plants

February: Innoculation of hops 

March: Planting hops, establishing worm box, procurement and planting of other species

April-August: Tend hops, plants

August-October: HARVEST HOPS! and other plants, make beer

October-January: Tend garden, compost, prune, weed 

7) Existing Tools:

Wheelbarrow, trowel, hose, shovel, gardening pots, rake, wormbox,  

Purchase:

Trellis

8) Our good friend Birch works in the woodshop and he has agreed to make a wormbox (that we designed). We have a hose and watering can.