All those lovely herbaceous plants!

Hey all!

 I'm a permaculture hobbyist from the central coast of California.  I've just been getting more seriously into permaculture in the last 5-6 years.  I went to the reunion of my Dad's permaculture design class in about 2007, and that was what first got me interested in permaculture (don't think I even knew what it was before that .  

 But it took a dream message from him after his death to get me really 'in-the-dirt', so to speak.  (In the dream, he encouraged me to 'take care of the land')

The last few weeks, I've been lasered-in on studying herbaceous plants, and observing them in the large infiltration trench on the side of my condo.  So, I was so happy with the abundant rainfall this morning, so I could observe some of the principles I'd been studying in action (isn't the best part of a system seeing it in action?).  Here are some images I captured this morning (~this is my living lab, I go out here every morning~).

Some of the things I pondered while I watched (been going over these principles in my head for several weeks):

- The herbaceous plants bending to accommodate the water, slowing it without hindering its flow.
- How the dense roots, and soil beneath, receive the water abundantly; so it can infiltrate deeply and widely; soak, hold, and drain as needed.
- Root respiration; and how the microchannels in the roots allow oxygen to get in - even in areas of saturation
- The roots spreading the water laterally and vertically, preventing localized saturation

As a relative permaculture newbie, might I ask: what fascinates you about these hardy herbaceous plants?  What have you noticed about their qualities, and uses, to improve the stability and infiltration in swales?

Inquiring minds want to know

John F Dean wrote:Hi Cameron,

Welcome to Permies.

Thanks John, good to be here~

-Cameron

Welcome to the forum!

I am interested in the names of your herbaceous plants, can you share?

Hi Cameron - great first post! I think observation is something I miss out on in the excitement of getting started.

Is that infiltration trench like a rain garden, A temporary pool formed with run off water from the road? It's difficult to tell, but it looks like you can see strata where different plants have found locations that they are more happy with.

Is this your land or the neighbouring plot?

Anne Miller wrote:Welcome to the forum!

I am interested in the names of your herbaceous plants, can you share?

Hi Anne~
Well, all I know for sure is that we have Alyssum (the white ones), and some different fescues and weeds.  As far as the rest, that's anyone's guess

Nancy Reading wrote:Hi Cameron - great first post! I think observation is something I miss out on in the excitement of getting started.

Is that infiltration trench like a rain garden, A temporary pool formed with run off water from the road? It's difficult to tell, but it looks like you can see strata where different plants have found locations that they are more happy with.

Is this your land or the neighbouring plot?

Hey Nancy, well this is actually a drainage ditch planted with natural grasses / fescues / weeds, and some Alyssum (>70 yds long, and about 70 feet wide + 5 feet deep).  And this is at the front of my condo community - about 50 feet from my front door.  It does look like the plants have sorted themselves out, some seem to have sprung up naturally, while others were intentionally placed.  They do look pretty happy !