Summary of Toby Hemenway's Gaia's Garden

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The movement toward sustainable landscaping is gaining momentum. Gardeners are planting more ecologically sound gardens that include both people and wildlife. These gardens are grounded in new concepts such as permaculture and ecological design, but they draw from traditional techniques and designs.

#2 Permaculture designer Larry Santoyo of Earthflow Design Works integrated the greater watershed landscape into his urban Santa Barbara, California, garden. The garden was reoriented into terrace beds and pathways that flow along the contour lines to capture precious runoff in the arid climate.

#3 Permaculture is a set of principles and practices that are used to design sustainable human settlements. It was invented by two Australians, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, in the 1970s.

#4 Permaculture is a design approach that connects different disciplines, strategies, and techniques. It is not a discipline in itself, but rather a set of principles based on connecting those disciplines. It aims to design ecologically sound, economically prosperous human communities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822524668

IRB Media

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Insights on Toby Hemenway's Gaias Garden

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 14

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The movement toward sustainable landscaping is gaining momentum. Gardeners are planting more ecologically sound gardens that include both people and wildlife. These gardens are grounded in new concepts such as permaculture and ecological design, but they draw from traditional techniques and designs.

#2

Permaculture designer Larry Santoyo of Earthflow Design Works integrated the greater watershed landscape into his urban Santa Barbara, California, garden. The garden was reoriented into terrace beds and pathways that flow along the contour lines to capture precious runoff in the arid climate.

#3

Permaculture is a set of principles and practices that are used to design sustainable human settlements. It was invented by two Australians, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, in the 1970s.

#4

Permaculture is a design approach that connects different disciplines, strategies, and techniques. It is not a discipline in itself, but rather a set of principles based on connecting those disciplines. It aims to design ecologically sound, economically prosperous human communities.

#5

The design process involves observing, connecting, catching and storing energy and materials, each element performing multiple functions, and making the least change for the greatest effect.

#6

The principles of permaculture are about far more than just gardening. They are about efficiency, effectiveness, and ecological balance. They are used to guide decisions and, as you create your garden, try to apply them in as many places as you can.

#7

An ecological garden is a blend of many different garden styles, and it takes cues from the way nature works. It is a multifunctional landscape that can play many roles. Each interconnected piece plays many roles.

#8

The concept of connectedness applies not only to nature, but also to gardens. In nature, each piece plays many roles, and each role is supported by many players. In gardens, this redundancy shrinks the risk of failure.

#9

The gardener should shift as much labor as possible to nature, which can be an ally in the garden. Nature can be the gardener’s ally.

#10

The typical garden is a showcase of unnatural gardening techniques. It was developed to address specific problems, but these methods do not combine well with other one-purpose methods. The big picture in a typical garden is not a happy one.

#11

There is another way to garden. Conventional landscapes have torn the web of nature. We can restore many of these broken links and work with nature to lessen our own load, not to mention the cost to the environment.

#12

The real damage to the environment is done by developed land, not by suburban or city parks. Each nonhomegrown meal, each trip to the lumber yard, pharmacy, clothing store, or other shop commissions the conversion of once-native habitat into an ecological desert.

#13

We should include natives in our yards, but we should also consider the impact we are having on the environment elsewhere. By gardening ecologically and designing multifunctional landscapes that provide food and other goods for ourselves while creating habitat for other species, we can make our cities bloom.

#14

The term invasive is emotionally loaded, and is not good science. Many unruly exotic species are insipidly tame in their home habitat. They may not be able to invade a new landscape, but they can still thrive in it.

#15

The best way to eliminate most opportunistic plants is to create landscapes that are more ecologically mature. This means avoiding soil disturbance and restoring intact forest.

#16

The more we clear out the thicket, the more nature will rush in to replace it. Nature abhors a vacuum, and to eliminate