It’s not often that I dedicate an entire blog to the driveway of Bealtaine Cottage, but today is totally about that most viewed and often ignored part of the gardens.
Rosa Canina is opening with the promise of hips this Autumn.
The driveway is an integral part of the gardens as it is not only the entrance to the cottage but the corridor of connection between the cottage and the rest of the land.
I counted the trees I planted along this 120metre stretch of lane…over 70!
Trees like this Hazel… Providing clean air!
Cotoneaster gives flowers, colour in autumn and food for the birds during the winter.
This lane-way will never suffer the suffocation of tarmac…and seeds will continue to germinate in the gravel.
The gravel ensures equal drainage into the soil with no run-off.
Beech, Laurel, Buddleia and Box all grow shoulder to shoulder!
Driveways are not just for cars!
Bealtaine Cottage is also on YouTube…with over 100 videos about Permaculture, planting, growing and living.
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As a city dweller who puts up with tarmac on a daily basis, I agree with your thinking. I visited a friend last night who lives in a little piece of heaven…everything is wild. You can actually see the stars, constellations, and the moon. She and her partner are slowly reclaiming a piece of land much like you have Bealtaine Cottage. They live in a tiny space while they build their home, but I think they still have a piece of heaven under the sun and the stars, much like you do. You have a wonderful model for those of us who would like to reach that point in mature plantings…
Thanks!
And the beauty of it is…it has taken less than 10 years!
This just came from my friend Willow and maybe you would like to see it.
New book on grassroots bioremediation now available!
Sat Jun 15, 2013 4:43 pm (PDT) . Posted by:”Leila Darwish” leiladarwishDear permie friends,
I just finished working on a book on grassroots bioremediation and earth repair and its finally out!!! Its called “Earth Repair: A Grassroots Guide to Healing Toxic and Damaged Landscapes. It may not be in a bookstore near you just yet (should be by July though), but you CAN order it online from either Amazon or New Society Publishers right now!
Its full of info, remedies and do it yourself throw down on regenerative earth repair, grassroots bioremediation and healing work. Some great folks contributed to it and there are some inspiring community projects and visionaries are profiled in it. Whether you are wanting to start a community garden/farm and grow healthy food and medicine near you, or you live on the frontlines of dirty industries and along the paths of tar sands pipelines and tankers, the book definitely has some helpful info, ideas and tools you can use!
It covers a lot of ground, from working with plants, mushrooms, and bacteria to detox land contaminated with heavy metals and chemicals, to community and grassroots bioremediation responses to oil spills. Even has a chapter on the different protective gear, herbal medicines and healing foods that folks can use to help support and detox their body if they are being impacted from pollution in their environment or having to respond to toxic spills.
If you want more info on how to get your hands on a copy, you can check out the website – http://www.earthrepair.ca or go directly to Amazon.com. And if you know anyone who would dig such a book, please let them know about it!
Hope you like it!
🙂 Leila Darwish
I had a gravel drive put down a few years ago, and it has proved to be the best seed bed you could imagine. I do let everything seed as I can pull up lots of it for the chickens. They seem to be able to eat huge quantities of greens.
I agree…and even scatter seed quite deliberately for potting on as seedlings…they are usually much more robust! Tarmac is quite destructive!