The above is my simple concept sketch for a car park to community garden transformation. This small site is adjacent to a larger food producing community garden, and was the car park for a former hairdressers (now disused). After some prolonged negotiations, the community in this English city neighbourhood have confirmed agreement to break upContinue reading “Case Study: Car Park to Urban Garden”
Author Archives: Elizabeth Waddington
Opportunities on Reclaimed Urban Sites
Removing areas of concrete, asphalt or paving in under-utilised urban sites opens up a range of opportunities to create climate-change conscious gardens at the heart of our cities. Not only does the removal of urban greyness allow for city re-greening, and more effective water management, the materials removed from the site can often also beContinue reading “Opportunities on Reclaimed Urban Sites”
Why Too Much Hard Paving is a Bad Idea
It is depressing to walk down city streets and see home after home with huge areas for cars or huge patios. So much grey asphalt, concrete and pavers is hardly cheering. And there are also many other reasons why too much hard paving is a bad idea. For one thing, huge areas of impermeable surfaceContinue reading “Why Too Much Hard Paving is a Bad Idea”
Sustainability and Practical Prepping
When many people think of prepping, unfortunate associations come to mind. People’s minds may travel to the extremes, where people have bunkers, weaponry, and stockpiles of food and supermarket supplies to last 20 years or more. To me, prepping is not about stockpiling or hunkering down for the ‘end of days’. To me, it isContinue reading “Sustainability and Practical Prepping”
Container Gardening – A Few Simple Tips
If you do not have much outside space available, or only a paved or gravelled area, a container garden can still allow you to get growing – often more prolifically than you might imagine. If you are considering starting a container garden, here are a few simple tips to help you avoid some common pitfallsContinue reading “Container Gardening – A Few Simple Tips”
Keeping Chickens Cool in Hot Weather
Over the last few days here, our chickens have been hiding out in deeper shade as much as possible. We are fortunate here that we do not have extreme heat in summer. Though it has been warm for our hens, (mid 20 degrees C.) the heat does not reach dangerous levels. Of course, we’ve beenContinue reading “Keeping Chickens Cool in Hot Weather”
Consciousness, Intention and Action
Ecosystem restoration expert John D. Liu was kind enough recently to answer a few of my questions for Treehugger. Click here for a link to this brief Q&A. I was in touch with him via the Ecosystem restoration project which I have been working with in Somalia and do hope we will have the chanceContinue reading “Consciousness, Intention and Action”
Case Study: Walled Garden Forest Garden Design
This is a small portion of my design for the larger Mediterranean site, for which I earlier shared the overall concept plan. This is the concept for the renovation of the existing (but dilapidated) walled garden on the property. (just under 1 acre in size) The goal is to turn the overgrown and neglected spaceContinue reading “Case Study: Walled Garden Forest Garden Design”
The Importance of Experimentation in a Garden
In a garden, it is important to experiment. While other gardeners, books, and other media can teach you a lot, learning second-hand is never enough to create a truly great garden. Even the very best gardens are a work in progress. All gardeners have to observe, experiment, and respond to change over time. It isContinue reading “The Importance of Experimentation in a Garden”
Dealing With Heat in Your Garden
We’ve had some lovely warm weather here recently. Since we are in Scotland, the relatively mild summer heat is usually something to enjoy and not something to fear. I am a typical Scot and anything over around 20 degrees C. (68F) feels very warm to me! I don’t fare well in the sun and searchContinue reading “Dealing With Heat in Your Garden”
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