Edible yet Japanese-spirited courtyard Garden?

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by cecilia, Jul 1, 2009.

  1. cecilia

    cecilia Junior Member

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    I'm trying to think up a list of plants that will replace traditional, not-so-useful plants found in classic Japanese gardens. The idea is that my courtyard garden makeover will be Japanese in spirit, but on close inspection, all the participants in the garden will be making regular contributions to my culinary life:
    nira garlic chives instead of mondo grass, persimmon and ume plum trees, Clipped rosemary instead of Pine, something sweet-potato like for the ponds-edge, and chamomile instead of moss for the rockery. I'd love some more ideas, especially for the pond. I also need 'hard' advice, as I'm still getting ideas for resourceful native & natural fencing, retaining walls, and getting down-pipe water into the ponds.
    I will post design ideas as I go on my blog:

    https://www.balconyofdreams.blogspot.com

    Many thanks
    Cecilia
     
  2. cecilia

    cecilia Junior Member

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    Re: Edible yet Japanese-spirited courtyard Garden?

    Getting there!

    Its probably best to start at the end when planning a new garden: here is the Vasilis garden video of what we hope to grow, cook and ravish:
    https://balconyofdreams.blogspot.com/200 ... -post.html

    Persimmons, daikon, lotus root, and salty umeboshi, for starters.
     
  3. 9anda1f

    9anda1f Administrator Staff Member

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    Re: Edible yet Japanese-spirited courtyard Garden?

    Hi Cecillia,

    Yours sounds like a very interesting project! Having a lifelong love of Japanese gardens and Bonsai (tree torturer that I am ... wink to Darren), I can only offer some ideas based on plant species that I'm familiar with here in the US. I am picturing an integrated array of guild style plantings, emphasizing receding scale, color harmonies and contrasts, ... almost a food forest in miniature.

    For instance, the traditional sand or stone mulched expanses often seen might be accommodated with very low growing ground cover berry plants, such as our "bear berry" or kinnikinnick in dryer areas and cranberry in more boggy conditions (say near a water feature). Maybe even some bramble berries and small "islands" of strawberries. Rhubarb might also fit, giving it's distinctive umbrella shape to a guild. Scaling up to small bush size, I'd think about blueberries, huckleberries, gooseberries, currants, etc. Around here, the native hazelnut is a smaller tree that often assumes a shape reminiscent of some Japanese maples, as it grows at the edges of the forest and reaches out between the larger trees for light. The pinon pine from the dry southwest is famous for it's pine nuts and would offer the more traditional look of a pine in the garden. Another more traditional tree might be any of the plum varieties.

    I really like your idea for the chives. Perhaps carrots would also fit in with their frond-like greens?

    Anyhow, I doubt if this will be of much help for you in Melbourne, however I am looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

    Bill (9anda1f)
     
  4. janahn

    janahn Junior Member

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    Re: Edible yet Japanese-spirited courtyard Garden?

    Hi Cecilia,

    My best is Daikon Radish, or Long White Radish. Self seeds, grows year round, and is absolutely magnificent grated with lemon juice and soy sauce as a condiment to meat, hot/cold, fish, cooked or raw, and many types of vegetables. Fukuota used it extensively as part of his "one straw revolution" as do I.

    Ideal companion groundcover. Heavy cropper.

    I will have updates shortly at www.janahn.com.au so you may see a few examples.

    Regards Leo
     
  5. Fernando Pessoa

    Fernando Pessoa Junior Member

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    Re: Edible yet Japanese-spirited courtyard Garden?

    "The swale on left is one of two diversions for all water that finally flows into the dam". Note the road is constructed on contour, providing substantial construction and maintenance costs .Now thats impressive a permacultralist boasting about a failure!!!!!!


    I thin this is a typo on your site....Irink you mean Masanobu Fukuoka ..........you also have a number of other typos Leonard, you use the word mayor when I believe you mean major ...no need to thanks me its all in a days work for me LEO
    Best wishes Fenado Pesoad :lol:
     
  6. janahn

    janahn Junior Member

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    Re: Edible yet Japanese-spirited courtyard Garden?

    I hear your drums Fernando,

    What do expect ??? I have never even read Fukkies Book. I simply employ his (and quite a few others) techniques. Fuk is well known for using Long White Radish. Mine are flowering now. Beatiful plant. Magnificent When it comes to building up a particular site specific system, one should draw upon the wisdom of others, then draw you own conclusions based on logic deducted from observation.

    So If I may, I would like to draw upon your wisdom re my diversion swales. I am not sure what you mean. failure ????

    And thank you for your critique of my web site and its abhorent spelling. Before we launch our marketing I will "spell check" every word. Thank you for bring this to my attention.

    But back to the Radish....any words of wisdom Ferny ?

    Leo.

    PS I have a few good photos Booming Radish that will going on shortly to the "cell garden design" story.
     
  7. Fernando Pessoa

    Fernando Pessoa Junior Member

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    Re: Edible yet Japanese-spirited courtyard Garden?

    You wrote"Note the road is constructed on contour, providing substantial construction and maintenance costs" .
    I think it should read "Note the road is constructed on contour, providing substantial savings in construction and maintenance costs " Please excuse me if I am wrong........I would suggest you read the book,it's a classic.He also makes use of nitrogen fixing ground covers using Biological Nitrogen Fixation,he was no till except for small furrows at the transition stage.

    Nitrogen is commonly the most limiting element in agricultural production, and one of the most expensive to purchase as fertilizer (NifTAL 1984). There is an abundant supply of nitrogen in the air (the air is 80% nitrogen gas, amounting to about 8000 pounds of nitrogen in the air over every acre of land, or 6400 kilograms above every hectare). However, the nitrogen in the air is a stable gas, normally unavailable to plants. Many leguminous plants are able to utilize this atmospheric nitrogen through an association with rhizobia, bacteria which are hosted by the root system of certain nitrogen fixing plants.

    Rhizobia are able to convert the nitrogen gas in the atmosphere into amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. The legume is then able to use this for its nitrogen needs. Rhizobia exchange nitrogen for carbohydrates from the plant. As the plants drop organic matter, or when the plants die, the nitrogen from their tissues is made available to other plants and organisms. This process of accumulating atmospheric nitrogen in plants and recycling it through organic matter is the major source of nitrogen in tropical ecosystems. Various agroforestry practices such as alley cropping, improved fallow, and green manure/cover cropping exploit this natural fertility process by using nitrogen fixing plants,no need to plow in,and I dont think that this robs the soil of nitrogen either again correct me if I am wrong.
    Best wishes
    Please excuse my english it is my third language
    Fernando
     
  8. janahn

    janahn Junior Member

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    Re: Edible yet Japanese-spirited courtyard Garden?

    Hello Fern

    Occasionally you hear of people stranded on a deserted island for 20 years and losing their power of speach.

    Well I have been living on and developing my biomass project with out any real need to partake in commerce or contact with the outside world for 3 years, so perhaps i have lost my capacity to write well ??

    So I must thank you for pointing out a few blimps. Just in time too for we are getting every thing ready to officially launch over the next few weeks.

    As for reading fuk's book, I fully understand the concept. My demonstration farm is being developed to function without cultivation. What is not fully known by anyone person yet is which species to employ for this climate zone. Some are known, others are not. What I can tell those who are interested, is every mistake I have made with species selection. It is an impressive list, and it is still being compiled.

    leo
     
  9. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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    Re: Edible yet Japanese-spirited courtyard Garden?

    Formal Japanese gardens, like formal Chinese gardens, leave me cold.

    Structure(s), proportions and design may do it for you with some messy food-permie plants. Things like stepping stones, stream layout, waterfalls, gates, rain chains,water basins, ornaments, sculpture rocks and machiai.

    A few useful Japanese plants that come to mind

    Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) medicinal, flowers edible?
    Perilla (Shiso) (green and purple) seeds are also medicinal. (Perilla frutescens & vars.)[​IMG]
    Wasabi (Wasabia japonica)-if cold enough,--good water plant
    Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
    Mosses (medicinal ones?)
    Kihada (Phellondron amurense) old Japanese medicinal
    Gama (Typha angustifolia ), ' ' '
    Okera (Atractylodes japonica Koidzumi)
    Japanese madder,( Rubia akane )
    Japanese Quince ( Chaenomeles japonica)
    Mitsuba (Cryptotaenia japonica)
    Japanese Gromwell (Lithospermum erythrorhizon)
    Aconitum (you could always use it to poison anyone who made disparaging remarks about your design :) )
    In 5th century Chinese medicine was introduced to Japann so you cn probably get away with a lot of Chinese plants.
    Thunberg was the first botanist to describe Japanese flora to the West. However many of his Japanese (Japonica) plants were actually Chinese native plants.
    Some japanese herbs and seed sources:-
    https://www.justhungry.com/dozen-japanes ... ables-grow

    not quite japanese but. .
    Tea (Camellia sinensis)
    Chilli
    Cherry
    Bamboo
    Nardoo -Oz "medicinal" (& food?) water plant
    Pine (pine nuts)
    Mapel (sugar? )
    Sesame (Seamum indicum )
    Willow
    Asparagus (to replace ferns)
    Lotus

    if i think of any more i will add them later. :bear:
     
  10. Woz

    Woz Junior Member

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    Re: Edible yet Japanese-spirited courtyard Garden?

    I do not yet fully understand the concept, as I have not yet read Fukuoka's books.

    Woz
     

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