This is an example of water management in a small front garden in England. The garden is currently a scrubby area of lawn, with an old driveway and a few overgrown shrubs around the edge. The primary goal for the design was to prevent a small issue with water-logging to the side of the driveway,Continue reading “Case Study – Rain Garden”
Author Archives: Elizabeth Waddington
Managing Rainwater Runoff in City Gardens
Many organic gardeners are already collecting the rainwater that falls on their roofs. (And if you are not already doing so, this should be a top priority.) But fewer gardeners and home owners take the time to consider the rainwater that runs off their driveway, or other hard, paved areas on their properties. Often, thisContinue reading “Managing Rainwater Runoff in City Gardens”
Attracting Butterflies in a Garden
One of the most important things in organic gardening is, of course, making sure that we welcome in wildlife in our gardens. Butterflies are one of the many creatures that we should aim to attract. In addition to the ecological services they provide, butterflies are, of course, attractive creatures. Seeing them alighting on our flowersContinue reading “Attracting Butterflies in a Garden”
Galium Aparine – A Useful Wild Edible and Tonic Plant
Galium aparine is a ‘weed’ which goes by a lot of different names. We always called it stickywilly when I was growing up, and it is also called goosegrass, sticky weed, or cleavers. All of its names refer to the way in which it sticks, velcro-like, to everything – adhering itself to our clothes asContinue reading “Galium Aparine – A Useful Wild Edible and Tonic Plant”
Remember – Consumers Have the Power to Drive Sustainable Change
When faced with companies and governments who do not necessarily do as much as we need and want them to do when it comes to sustainability, it is common for people to wonder what they, as individuals, could possibly do. It can be frustrating when the ‘powers that be’ are not doing enough. But weContinue reading “Remember – Consumers Have the Power to Drive Sustainable Change”
Using Leftovers and Preventing Food Waste
Food waste should be a major concern for anyone who wants to live a more sustainable way of life. Huge amounts of food are wasted across the developed world, much of that food at household level. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to reduce food waste at home – from considering what and whereContinue reading “Using Leftovers and Preventing Food Waste”
Organic Liquid Plant Feeds
Today, I took some time to use some of my homemade compost tea on some of the plants in my polytunnel and in pots, to give them a boost as the weather finally begins to warm up where we live. This is a general-purpose feed which I tend to use a few times over theContinue reading “Organic Liquid Plant Feeds”
Case Study: Community Hub
This is a design for a brownfield site in an inner city area in the UK (USDA Zone 8). To the north and east are apartment buildings and there is an existing car park to the north east. To the west and south are busy roads, major conduits through a busy residential area. The areaContinue reading “Case Study: Community Hub”
What City Parks Could and Should Be
City parks can often be green lungs for their settlements. They can be important spaces for recreation, and provide a place to connect with nature in an urban jungle. But unfortunately, looking around the world, it is clear that many city parks are not meeting their full potential. Many are unfortunately dominated by paved areas,Continue reading “What City Parks Could and Should Be”
Donations Welcomed To Spread Permaculture Ideas
Today I was very glad to receive a tip from a permaculture design client. As I mentioned to my client, I view this tip as a donation. The donations I receive through this website and from my clients enable me to spend some of my time working on permaculture designs and providing consultancy for thoseContinue reading “Donations Welcomed To Spread Permaculture Ideas”
EWSP Consultancy 