To me, phenology dovetails really nicely with permaculture as
a multi-faceted medium for observing and connecting with nature as
well as monitoring ecological conditions such as pest emergence, etc.
Locally, we planted a roadside flower bed that doubled as a phenology
garden using a geotextile weed barrier to create a super low-maintenance
production bed. It was 100' long and 10' wide, and included about 15
flats of wildflowers, herbaceous perennials, native prairie plants,
herbs, and annuals.
It was located on a rural, yet heavily traveled black top road. It
functioned
as a roadside flower bed for beautification and aesthetics, a phenology
garden,
an herbary, a butterfly garden, a seed producing factory, a habitat for
lizards,
and an insectary/refugia for moths, butterflys, and assorted insects, as
well as a demonstration garden all-in-one. It remained on that site for
5 years.
Steve Diver
[permaculture] Phenology resource list,
Steve Diver, 02/18/2002