The Permaculture Interpretive Garden in Randwick, New South Wales, Australia | Garden centre

The Permaculture Interpretive Garden

Locality: Randwick, New South Wales, Australia

Phone: +61 413 123 456

Address: 27 Munda Street 2031 Randwick, NSW, Australia

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23.01.2022 PERMACULTURE’S 10 BEST INITIATIVES As I started listing these permaculture initiatives to balance my earlier story, The 11 shortcomings of permaculture, I realised how limiting it is to limit them to ten. https://medium.com//permacultures-10-best-initiatives-7dbc

23.01.2022 GROWING WELL Stimulated by the late-summer rains, native vegetation planted at the entrance to Randwick Environment Park is thriving. The shrubs were established by Randwick Council's Bushcare team in what was barren, sandy soil. They add to the habitat value of the Environment Park and are of interest to botanically-minded visitors.... The path leads to a lookout platform from where the presently-empty extent of the ephemeral wetland can be viewed. It continues as an informal bush track which, unfortunately, is inaccessible to less-mobile people. The possible extension of the mobility aid-accessible path some time in the future, along the route of the informal foot trail, may make it accessible. #randwickenvironmentpark #randwickcommunitycentre #permacultureintepretivegarden #bushland

23.01.2022 NATIONAL MEDIA COMES TO THE RANDWICK SUSTAINABILITY HUB The Permaculture Interpretive Garden and associate works has attracted urban agriculturists from Canada, horticulturists from the media, book launches, sustainability educators from councils in Sydney and interstate and Coata Georgiardis and his crew from ABC Gardening Australia who have filmed in the garden. Now, it has attracted the ABC science program, Catalyst. Catalyst filmed an eight-week experiment conducted by re...searchers from a Sydney university. THE PROGRAM The program followed the experience of people suffering from chronic pain and psychological disorders who participated in an experiment to assess whether the practice of mindfullness has any value to people with those conditions. The program is currently available on the ABC TV website and through iView. THE VIDEO Catalyst features video shot in the Permaculture Interpretive Garden and in the community centre building and Munda Street Reserve. There is drone footage of the site that reveals usually-unseen perspectives. The use of the facilities at Randwick Sustainability Hub, the name given the community centre, permaculture garden, community resilience education program, pre-and-primary schools basic environmental science education program and community volunteer program and other facilities, is yet another example of how the site meets its design goals of being a multiple-use regional park in Sydneys Eastern Suburbs. Oh, yes. It turns out that the practice of mindfullness does have therapeutic value in pain management and repairing psychological conditions. Find the Catalyst program here: https://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/4952971.htm Images from the program appear below.

22.01.2022 BUG SAFARI On an Organic Gardening course at Randwick Sustainability Hub, participants search for insects in the Permaculture Interpretive Garden. Education was chosen as a major use of the Garden and Hub during the initial community participation planning process which involved local people and local community organisations.... #randwicksustainabilityhub #randwickcommunitycentre #randwick #permaculture #organicgardening

22.01.2022 LOOKING BACK Looking back into the garden's early years, we find landscape architect and permaculture educator, Steve Batley from @Sydney Organic Gardens planting a fruit tree in the Permaculture Interpretive Garden. A number of species were trialled. Some, like the olives, lillipilly and citrus, thrived. Others, like the black spate, found the winter-wind-whipped and the summer-sun-heat-and-dryness too much.... Its has been interesting seeing what thrives in these harsh conditions and in the sandy soil.

22.01.2022 GROWING WITH LESS WATERING QUESTION: How do you grow herbs and veges in Sydney's hot summers without having to water them every day? ANSWER: You get them to water themselves.... That's what they've done in the Traning Garden at Randwick Sustainability Hub where the raised, self-watering or 'wicking' planters are used by participants n the Organic Gardening course. THE GARDENS IBCs Intermediate Bulk Containers used to transport liquids were cut in half. Coiled 100mm agricultural pipe was placed in the bottom and covered with a layer of geotextile. Growing medium, soil, was then used to fill the container, and plants established in it before mulching to conserve soil moisture. The lower section is filled with water via a tube that comes to the soil surface. As the soil dries, capillary action moves the water from the lower reservoir, through the permeable geotextile and into the soil where it becomes available to plant roots. The system works with up to around 30cm of soil, above which capillary action becomes limited by gravity. You can see by this how a basic knowledge of physics assists gardening. The IBCs were clad in recycled hardwood planks because the site is a multiple-use regional park. In public place design, appearance, aesthetics, is important to how people perceive the place. Poorly presented installations cause complaints to council. The raised gardens are on the southern side of Munda Street Reserve. #RandwickSustainablityHub #RandwickCommuntyCentre #permaculture #wickingbeds #gardening #irrigation

21.01.2022 FLOWERING In the landscaping at the Meeting Place plaza of the Randwick Sustainability Hub, the name the council-led educational program, gardens and buildings is known by, a yellow kangaroo paw comes into flower. The kangaroo paw is an Australian native plant suited to the sandy soil and hot summer sun the area is exposed to. ... The pergola you see in the background will be covered by a vine which, in summer, will provide shade and, in winter after the leaves have fallen, allow sunlight to warm the paving and provide a warm meeting space. #permaculture #randwickcommunitycentre #mundastreetreserve #nativeplants #randwicksustainabiityhub #randwickcommunitycentre

21.01.2022 A GARDENING IDEA FOR HOT, DRY WEATHER The self-watering container garden, otherwise known as the 'wicking' garden because of the way it wicks water from a reservoir into the soil above, is a solution to growing herbs, vegetables and flowers during our hot, dry summers. HOW IT WORKS The diagram in the image explains how it works. ... The system consists of a reservoir filled with water separated from a growing medium such as soil by a porous geotextile membrane. As the soil dries, it pulls up moisture from the reservoir. Plants are established in the soil. The reservoir is filled with material that gives it structure, such as gravel or coiled, 100mm irrigation pipe. The geotextile membrane prevents soil from moving into the reservoir. The reservoir is refilled through a tube that takes water into the reservoir. An outlet in the side of the container drains excess water. The self-watering container garden needs refilling every so often, depending on water uptake from the reservoir into the soil. The planter in the photo is at the Permaculture Interpretive Garden in Randwick. Others can be seen at Barrett House, at the end of the commercial strip on Frenchmans Road, Clovelly. ................. SUMMARY WHAT? A container garden that includes its own water supply and self-irrigates. Suited to vegetables, herbs, flowers. WHY? To irrigate plants during hot, dry conditions. To irrigate plants that are left unattended for periods of time. HOW? Water moves from reservoir, through geotextile membrane and into soil by osmosis. The limit of water movement is around 30cm, making deeper reservoirs unsuitable. Excess water drains through an outlet in the side of the container. ................. THE PHOTO The hot shows a self-watering container cleared ready to replant. The filling tube is visible close to the side. Located at the Permaculture Interpretive Garden in Randwick (Sydney Eastern Suburbs) and at Barrett House in Clovelly, the planters were designed and built by permaculture educator and landscape architect, Steve Batley, for Randwick Council's community resilience education program managed by sustainability educator, Fiona Campbell. #randwickcommunitycentre #gardening #containergardens #wickingbeds #permaculture

20.01.2022 A TASTY LEAF How it has grown. From a seedling a few centimetres high, planted a few years ago, to a sturdy small tree on its way to becoming a sturdy big tree casting shade on those below, the lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) in the Permaculture Interpretive Garden is now established. A tree indigenous to Australia, the lemon myrtle is so-called for its lemon-tasting leaves. They make a fine cup of lemon tea and are used in cooking as a food flavouring.... The bushfood is not for the small home or community garden, as it can grow to a substantial size and width. For smaller spaces, grow it in a large pot. That makes sense because home cooks will need only a few leaves at a time. It is really a tree for parks and public places. Next you come by the Permaculture Interpretive Garden, check out the specimen in the native plants area. #bushfoods #lemonmyrtle #trees #PermacultureInterpretiveGarden #RandwickSustainabiltyHub #RandwickCommunityCentre #Randwick

20.01.2022 A SIGN OF CHANGING TIMES Randwick Community Centre now has an electric vehicle charging station. Irrspective of what politicians say, it is clear that electric vehicles are here and increasing in number.... The station is located at the carpark on Munda Street. #electricvehicles #RandwickCommuityCentre #RandwickSustainabilityHub

19.01.2022 THE GOLDEN LIGHT OF LATE AFTERNOON It is late-winter and the golden light that precedes the coming of night illuminates the Classroom. Located on the eastern edge of Munda Street Reserve, the Classroom expands the multi-use facility that is the Randwick Sustainability Hub that includes the adjacent community centre.... Development of the entie site has turned what was once Defence Department land into a regional parkland complete with the Randwick Environment Park, a 3.6ha patch of endangered, remnant Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub. #randwicksustainabilityhub #randwickcommunitycentre #permacultureinterpretivegarden #permaculture

19.01.2022 Link from a different facebook

19.01.2022 A DAY IN THE GARDEN The day might have been cloudy but it did not dent the enthusiasm of the Permaculture community volunteers and the Australian Conservation Volunteer's Green Gym crew at work in the Permaculture Interpretive Garden. A local government initiative, the Garden is part of the Randwick Sustainability Education Hub which combines the site and an eduational program offered to the public. Courses in organic gardening, forest gardening, Living Smart and community l...eadership, plus swap parties, the Ecoliving Fair and International Permaculture Day events make up the program at the Hub. #randwicksustainabilityhub #randwickcommunitycentre #permacultureinterpretivegarden #permaculture #randwickenvironmentpark #randwick

18.01.2022 MOSTLY EMPTY For up to 80 percent of the time, the ephemeral wetland at Randwick Environment Park is empty of water. During these dry times, grasses colonise the depression and turn it into a broad grassland. The wetland we see today is not the wetland that was here before the military arrived early in the Twentieth Century to make use of the land. They were not the main agents of transformation of the landscape, however. That was the sandmining of the 1950s and 1960s. The m...ining transformed the terrain and enlarged the existing wetland to the size and shape we and today. Today, when full, the wetland is home to a range of water birds including black swan, which breed here. When the rains go, evaporation and infiltration into the aquifer drain the wetland and the grasses move in again. This is the cycle of nature here grassland to wetland and waterbird habitat, to grassland again until the rains come. The Environment Park is regarded as so biologically important it is now protected by federal and state legislation. #randwickenvironmentpark #randwickcommunitycentre #wetlands #naturalsystems

17.01.2022 WHY THESE DEAD LEAVES? Why are there dead leaves and stems on the ground in the Permaculture Interpretive Garden? The answer is simple and demonstrates how the gardeners, including the Permabee volunteer crew, apply a little scientific knowledge to recycle plant nutrients, turning garden waste into garden fertiliser.... PART OF THE NUTRIENT CYCLE The dry plant material is from the arrowroot grown in the garden. A single-stemmed, large-leaved perennial (which means its life cycle spans years), arrowroot was originally planted in the Permaculture Interpretive Garden as a low windbreak to protect seedlings and young trees from the cold, blustery and strong winds that come with winter. Now that those seedlings have grown, the arrowroot has been thinned with some kept to be cut for mulch. Mulched arrowroot that is what we see here on the ground. The Permabee garden volunteers cut the plant then spread it on the soil. There, it will slowly break down and its organic matter will be incorporated into the soil where it becomes available to plant roots as a nutrient. It also improves the moisture and nutrient-retaining capacity of the poor, dry sandy soil. The arrowroot will soon grow back from the tubers in the ground and the grow>cut>mulch>regrow cycle will be repeated. #randwicksustainabilityhub #randwickcommunitycentre #permacultureinterpretivegarden #permaculture #randwickenvironmentpark #gardening

16.01.2022 Guess who has been visiting??? Costa Georgiadis Official

15.01.2022 DAMAGE For some people, trees are things to be hacked and trashed. That is what happened along the Habitat Trail on the edge of Munda Street Reserve when someone took to one of the eucalypts with a cutting instrument of some kind. Vandalism of public property is all-too-common. People see something they don't like, like the dogs-on-leash sign at the entrance to the Reserve which was defaced or, perhaps, this tree, and imagine they have some right to trash it. Ironically, the...y probably think of themselves and law-abiding people a, bit of a hypocritical contradiction. It is ratepayers who foot the bill to repair their damage. The Habitat Trail is used for Randwick Council's basic science schools excursion program for primary schools. Here's hoping the kids learn how not to treat trees. #randwicksustainablityhub

14.01.2022 BIRDLIFE A magpie makes its melodic call at the Permaculture Interpretive Garden. Since the Permaculture Interpretive Garden replaced the low-grade lawn at Randwick Community Centre, birdlife from the adjacent Randwick Environment Park and beyond has found a new home. Encouragingly, that includes the small birds like the New Holland Honeyeater and Double-Barred Finch that big birds, like magpies and currawings, chase away.... #randwickcommunitycentre #permacultureinterpretivegarden #permaculture #randwick

13.01.2022 From Annette Annette Loudon Hello Living Smarties! Just letting you know we have a clothes and plants swap coming up in Randwick next week. Love to see you there!

12.01.2022 TIME FOR A REMAKE Permabee volunteers remake the aquaponic system into a hybrid soil/hydroponic garden. Newly planted-out with vegetable and other seedlings, the decision to remake the aquaponic system was made for maintenance reasons.... The Permabee community volunteer scheme was started by council sustainability educator, Fiona Campbell, to reduce social isolation and alienation for local people and to offer informal horticultural learning-by-doing. Permabees are coordinated by horticultural educator, Jon Kingston, and landscape architect and permaculture educator, Steve Batley. #randwicksustainabilityhub #randwickcommunitycentre #permacultureinterpretivegarden #permaculture #randwickenvironmentpark #Randwick

11.01.2022 DESIGN NOTES linking inside with outside In designing public places it is important to think about movement and circulation how people move from one part of the site to another. This necessitates making links between the parts of a site. What are the functional relationships between them? How do people move from one to another? What are the main movement corridors and what are the minor? How do people move from inside to areas outside a building?...Continue reading

10.01.2022 HARVEST It was a big harvest for the Permabee community volunteer crew last Friday. Enough Jerusalem artichokes dug from the Permaculture Interpretive Garden for a giant soup or many. Permabee was started to offer social interaction, overcome social isolation and learn a little horticulture by doing.... Permabees meet in the Garden every Friday morning. #RandwickSustainabilityHub #RandwickCommunityCentre #Randwick #permaculture

10.01.2022 CHECKING THE CHIA... Checking growth of the chia crop planted by the Permabee team is the then-sustainability educator for Randwick Council, Fiona Campbell. Fiona led the council's community resilience education program for more than a decade. Chia are edible seeds of Salvia hispanica, a plant from South America.... The BBC has more information on using chia seed: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com//gu/health-benefits-chia-seeds

10.01.2022 PERMACULTURES 10 BEST INITIATIVES As I started listing these permaculture initiatives to balance my earlier story, The 11 shortcomings of permaculture, I realised how limiting it is to limit them to ten. https://medium.com//permacultures-10-best-initiatives-7dbc

10.01.2022 CHECKING IT OUT On a tour of the Permaculture Interpretive Garden, visitors check out what is growing and how the Garden was designed. Tours fulfil part of the educational role of the Garden. Visitors come not only from Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, but from the Inner West and Southern Suburbs as well, demonstrating how the Garden and associated landscaping and energy and water efficient structures underlay its status as a regional park.... #permaculturesustainabilityhub #permacultureinterpretivegarden #randwickcommunitycentre #randwick #permaculture

09.01.2022 ALONG THE TRACK Wandering the path around the ephemeral wetland in Randwick Environment Park, walkers move through an avenue of native vegetation. The vegetation grew back from seed left in the soil following sand mining in the 1950 and 1960s. The mining transformed the terrain and turned what was a smaller wetland into the ephemeral lake we find today. Previously, the site was used by the Army and Navy.... The Environment Park demonstrates how disused industrial sites can be restored to nature. #randwicksustainabilityhub #randwickcommunitycentre #permacultureinterpretivegarden #permaculture #randwickenvironmentpark

08.01.2022 A REGIONAL PARK, A COMMUNITY EDUCATION CENTRE, A PLACE FOR CELEBRATION The Randwick Sustainability Hub, Permaculture Interpretive Garden, Munda Street Reserve and Randwick Environment Park are all of those things combined. Celebrations, like Earth day and the Nox Night Sculpture events, extent into the evening. These photos are of an Earth day event. There are few events in the city that are free to attend, however those at the Hub are free, creating the opportunity for econ...omical family outings where kids can have fun and adults meet with friends and acquaintances. #randwicksustainabilityhub #randwickcommunitycentre #permacultureinterpretivegarden #permaculture

07.01.2022 Oh, I didnt know this was here. What a surprise. Its excellent!. Thats a typical statement when people discover the Randwick Environment Parks ephemeral wetland when it is full of water. It is a surprise to discover a small lake in the suburbs, the only trouble is that it might not be there next time you visit. A PLACE OF CONSTANT CHANGE...Continue reading

07.01.2022 THE HARVEST It's a bumper year for olives at the Permaculture interpretive Garden. The trees are laden with ripening fruit and, yesterday, the Permabee community volunteer crew were out harvesting it. COMBINING THE SOCIAL AND THE GARDEN The Permabee program combines the social needs of local people with learning and food production. All are important components of permaculture design.... Permabees meet in the Garden Friday mornings. The scheme was started some years ago to provide social contact and counter the social alienation some people experience in the cities. Permabees also acquire gardening knowledge and skills from each other and from the qualified horticulturists who lead the program. Last year, the Permabees were joined by Australian Conservation Volunteers Green team, a scheme to provide health-giving moderate exercise in the garden with social contact for aged people. The scheme continues this year. STACKING LANDUSES Permabees and the Green Team add additional uses to the Permaculture Interpretive Garden and the Randwick Sustainability Hub of which it is a part. Like any good permaculture design, multiple uses are stacked atop the site. And, like good permaculture design, social needs are given equal importance to nutritional and garden management. So, what of those olives the Permabees picked last Friday and which they will continue to harvest over the season? Next Friday, landscape architect and permaculture educator, Steve Batley, will take the Permabees through the processing of the olives into tasty, delicious food. #randwicksustainabilityhub #randwickcommunitycentre #permacultureinterpretivegarden #permaculture #randwickenvironmentpark #olives

07.01.2022 Construction of the Permaculture Interpretive Garden started in 2010. The Garden was opened in May of that year. Works continued in the Garden over successive years as it came into use as a venue for council resilient living courses, a popular picnic area and as part of a new regional park in Sydney's Eastern suburbs.

06.01.2022 BOTANISING These days of rain should perk-up the vegetation in the Permaculture Interpretive Garden. With the recent dry spell, plants have dried out and the garden has taken on a parched look. That's despite the work of garden volunteers and council staff you see watering the Garden when you walk past. The dryness is normal because of the the freely-draining, sandy soils on the Garden and the Munda Street Reserve. ... It doesn't seen to deter these folk, however. Like others, they enjoy looking at the range of species, the botanical diversity in the Garden. #permacultureinterpretivegarden #randwick #ranwickcommunitycentre #permaculture #gardens

06.01.2022 DESIGN NOTES Assisted by recent rains, the trees and shrubs are growing well at the Meeting Place plaza installation beside Randwick Community Centre. To minimise garden maintenance, native trees, shrubs and groundcovers were established as landscaping when the Meeting Place place was built. The initial planting was led by ABC TV Gardening Australia host, Costa Georgiardis, when the mayor of Randwick opened the development at a public event. The Friday Permabee team, a coun...cil initiative for people who want to socialise and learn about horticulture at the same time, do periodic garden maintenance. The newly-planted vegetation is suited to the winds, hot summer sun and nutrient-poor sandy soils of the Munda Street Reserve. The vegetation will fulfil a number of functions as it grows: * trees will form a windbreak to reduce the intensity of the blustery, cold south-westerlies which rip across the Munda Street Reserve trees established will partially shade the Meeting Place plaza, improving amenity during the hot summer months the vegetation will provide food and refuge to bird and insect life flowering vegetation will provide bee forage for the Sydney Bee Club's nearby hives and for the native bees that are important to plant pollination and of which a number of species have been identified in the nearby Permaculture Interpretive Garden and the olive avenue the diversity of species adds to our urban biomass and the environmental services it provides. The landscaping is still young and will spread over the ground as it matures. Previously, there was only a monoculture of stunted, dwarf trees. #permaculture #randwickcommunitycentre #mundastreetreserve #nativeplants #randwicksustainabiityhub #randwickcommunitycentre

05.01.2022 HOW THINGS GROW How things grow. Walk through the Permaculture Interpretive Garden now and you find this bamboo is now a tall, bushy specimen. The Bambusa oldhammai was planted as part of the windbreak to protect the garden from the cold and blustery southerly winds that damage the garden. ... The species is an edible bamboo, the new shoots being harvested and cooked. This early photo of the garden documents the bamboo's planting.

05.01.2022 JUST ANOTHER SUPERB SUNSET The panoramic skyline at the Randwick Sustainability Hub allows us to see spectacular sunsets over the year. This one, for instance, an autumn sunset. We are looking from the western edge of Munda Street Reserve over the military area as the sun is close to the horizon.... Have you watched the sunset here? It's worth it. #RandwickSustainabilityHub #MundaStreetReserve #Randwick #RandwickCommunityCentre #sunsets

04.01.2022 2018: MAN WAVING A TROWEL OPENS FINAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AT RANDWICK SUSTAINABILITY HUB It was last year when Costa Georgiardis, presenter of ABC TV's Gardening Australia, joined the mayor of Randwick to open the Meeting Place plaza at Randwick Sustainability Hub. Costa is a long-running supported of the Hub and its works, such as the Permaculture Interpretive Garden, and has filmed there for Gardening Australia. ... A GATHERING PLACE The Meeting Place, the final construction project on site, was created as a gathering place for people waiting for events in the community centre building and for use by park visitor. With its sandstone block seating, recycled brick paving, pergola and adjacent landscaping, the Meeting Place has already become a quiet, relaxing venue for people using the park. As the trees grow and the vine covers the pergola, it will offer a shaded sitting and meeting place in what has become a regional park in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. RESPONDING TO URBAN CHANGE Increasing population numbers and denser urban development was one of the drivers behind the development of the Hub. They make multiple-purpose design, that stacks active and passive recreational usage, mandatory for city parks. IMPLEMENTING USES DEFINED THROUGH PUBLIC PARTICIPATION The uses of the park were defined by a public participatory, placemaking process after the Defence Department handed over the park and community centre building to council. Those ideas have been implemented over time as budget permitted. Landscape architect: Steve Batley, Sydney Organic Gardens. Architect: Terry bail, Archaeology. Randwick Council project adviser: Fiona Campbell, sustainability educator/civic entrepreneur. #RandwickSustainabilityHub #Randwick #permaculture #PermacultureInterpretiveGarden

03.01.2022 BIODIVERSITY INCLUDES BUGS AND INSECTS TOO A stick insect found in Randwick's Permaculture Interpretive Garden provides evidence for the biodiverity value of this botanically diverse garden that is home to food, native and exotic plants. The insect was of particular interest to the children who crowded around to look at it and to their parents too.... #randwicksustainabilityhub #randwickcommunitycentre #permacultureinterpretivegarden #permaculture #randwickNSW

03.01.2022 Living in the Eastern Suburbs and hungry for good food? Here's your answer.

01.01.2022 THE LATE-SEASON GARDEN The Permaculture Ingterpretive Garden is flourishing now that we're in late-autumn. The asparagus is bushy, leafy greens are in leaf and there's a good hand of bananas on the tree.... Something edible is a-growing. #randwicksustainabilityhub #randwickcommunitycentre #permacultureinterpretivegarden #permaculture #randwickenvironmentpark #randwick

01.01.2022 WALKING THROUGH A FOOD FOREST The food forest area of the Permaculture Interpretive Garden is a botanic collection of plants established to demonstrate what Sydney Eastern Suburbs people could plant in their home and community gardens. The planting include fruit trees like citrus, olive, lillipilly and persimmon, the longer-term broad bed vegetables like Jerusalem artichoke, Warragul greens, French sorrel, arrowroot and rosella, and support species like the legumes and flow...ers that improve the soil and attract pollinators and other beneficial insects. The garden, as it grows, will make use of vertical space on the model of the open forest: taller trees with an intermediate layer of lower-growing trees and shrubs below, a ground layer of low-growing and sprawling species and a rhizome layer of root crops such as Jerusalem artichoke, arranged according to their need for light. This makes the most-productive use of limited space and is a model that home and community gardeners could adopt. The sandstone blocks seen in the photo mark the entrance to the track which traverses it and serve as seating. The tall bamboo at the far end is Bambusa oldhammaii, a species with edible bamboo shoots and the culms (stalks) of which are useful for garden construction. The bamboo is part of the windbreak which shelters the garden from hostile, cold and blustery southerly winds in winter. Windbreak, plants vertically stacked as in an open forest, durable path, sitting opportunity and botanical interestall features found in the food forest area of the Permaculture Interpretive Garden.