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permaculture - Re: [permaculture] Exotic Plant Erradication

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  • From: lfl@intrex.net
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Exotic Plant Erradication
  • Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 03:00:40 -0700

Kirby Fry wrote:


That we (those in the permaculture community) are glad for the presence of
exotics and woody plants sets us apart from the aggies and native plant
societies. It's a distinction I'm proud of and have had several
conversations with Bill Mollison about.

He sees the invasive woody plants as nurse trees for the next wave of
succession, and if an exotic plant has useful properties, which they almost
always do, then it's up to us to utilize them in a way that builds biomass
and wealth. Even kudzu, he says, is edible by pigs and cattle.

So I think we, the permaculture community, play an important roll in helping
people to realize the potential of these exotic / invasive plants. And
once again the old adage of working with nature rather than against it must
be our credo - no exceptions!

These writings seem appropriate as a followup to what you've written:

A Tribute to Alan Chadwick, Master Gardener by Hilmar Moore
Reprinted from STELLA NATURA Inspriation and Practical Advice for Home
Gardeners and Professional Growers in Working with Cosmic Rhythms - (The 1993 Kimberton Hills Agricultural Calendar available from the Biodynamic
Association, Kimberton, PA)

"I think that the source of Alan's strength as a teacher and inspirer lies in his unique vision of what a garden can be. This vision is based on two pillars: a clear understanding of the rhythms of nature in creating an environment in which plants can thrive, and of the role of the garden in human culture."

"The enthusiasm, delicacy, and accuracy of Alan's presentation of the rhythms of nature are unforgettable. "Why do you water the soil?" he would ask. "So it will dry out!" came his answer, thus pointing to the rhythmic undulations between warmth and cold, wet and dry, that plants require and that must come from the environment skillfully managed by the gardener. His vividly pictorial lectures on the management of fertilization, propagation, irrigation, and cultivation within the cycle of the year, the breathing of the earth, will live as long as people remember his words."

"He taught that the garden is both the epitome and the Mother of all true
culture. He foresaw a society thatwould become ever more decentralized and diverse, with its foundation an agriculture that would unite art, science, and religion. What religion? That service to the spirit of the earth without which we have no real inner life; that devotion which allows us to become creative collaborators in the future of earthly evolution. He showed how horticulture can bring about artistic creation in each household, religious devotion in the soul toward one's
environment; and how by understanding the requirements of
building a living soil community, one receives the bounty of a renewed and enlivened earth."

--
lfl@intrex.net
http://market-farming.com






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