I have always been playing in the dirt--as a little girl days were spent experimenting with growing random plants, scurrying around the woods behind my childhood home, replanting as I saw fit. Little did I know that I was skirting the principles of permaculture.

A decade later I was introduced to the concept by one of my professors. I ignored it at first but soon the word was popping up all around me as the world began to seriously consider the ecological impact of my childhood misadventures and the extrapolating. I began to research this subject that was both cutting edge and yet deeply rooted in ancient farming and lifestyle practices.

Permaculture is a growing design field based on ancient, time-honored agrarian principles and studies. In the 1970s Bill Mollison and David Holmgrem coined the term based on the idea of creating a permanent agriculture system (PERMA – CULTURE). It is an ethical design system for ecological living that focuses on producing ecologically-minded, environmental self reliance. In today’s eco-political climate many people feel that to live in an “eco-friendly manner” they must restrict themselves and live an austere life. Permaculture focuses on joy and abundance rather than restriction. As you design, think about the long term sustainability goals, look for natural cycles to teach you about life and living abundantly.

Permaculture is not an “all or nothing” landscape design theory, practice or methodology. It is an extension of your personal choices – you quickly learn the basic principles of permaculture then by trial and error you “find what works for you”. After acquainting yourself with the principles you start to study patterns in nature and other’s designs to help fuel your own designs. The relationship between elements is key. For instance, as you design think about the most important item in your garden. If you are a chef focusing on your herbs and vegetables then the veggie garden should be the closest thing to the door. If you are a florist, then your exceptional cut flower garden will be the closest. Many people want to hide their compost bin far away, but if you have to haul fresh compost a long distance back to your garden you will quickly abandon that task. A Wildscape should be placed along the perimeter of your backyard. This attracts wildlife to the back and keeps them away from your veggie garden.

While permaculture has a set of goals and principles, it is a living philosophy. As people learn more about natural patterns in nature, plant relationships, and our own relationship with the world around us, the practices transform to keep up. In our age of mass personal media sites like YouTube, successful (and failed!) experiments are shared for the world to learn from. If you are interested in learning more about this design practice search YouTube for the hundreds of videos showcasing permaculture works. Also, I will be spending the next few weeks outlining the goals and principles while providing practical examples of permaculture at work! So keep tuning in to the PLLW blog!

Kate Higdon

Landscape Designer and Certified Permaculture Designer

Perfect Lawns and Landworks

Austin, TX