The Forest Garden area is coming on nicely, plants are filling out and more are being planted all the time. Everything here is perennial, a mixture of herbs, fruit bushes and flowers. Comfrey is interplanted throughout, chopped and dropped around the base of the plants to provide fertility. Rushes strimmed from the fields provide the mulching material, eventually rotting down to build up the topsoil. Permaculture techniques at work.
This little pond at the bottom of the polytunnel provides a paddling pool for the many frogs that have made their home in this microclimate. They in turn pay for their keep by gobbling up any slugs and other pests that invade their area. Nature working without any human interference.
I recently bought some plants for this pond as it tended to have a lot of algae. Now that they are becoming established the algae problem has disappeared. The little water Forget -me-not has just started flowering, pretty little thing. There’s also Water Lettuce(bottom left), Water Violet(bottom right) and a Flowering Rush beside the Forget-me-not.
Outside the back door Buddha keeps watch over this little pot of Sedum and Sempervivum slips. These plants grow easily from even the smallest piece.
In the field the animals relish the abundant Summer pasture.
And a curious Donkey comes to check out the camera or maybe see if I have any tasty morsel for her.
arignagardener 
I think I’m in love with Daphne! She’s a bit of a clown isn’t she?
Hi Angie thanks for your lovely comments. Seed swopping, yes, I’m definitely up for that. It would be fun. I save lots of seeds from flowers and veg. Everyone loves Daphne, she’s a sweetie. I wet the paper to keep it in place, then cover with straw or rushes. I mix nettles with the Comfrey too, also Horsetail (equisetum), it’s good for fungal diseases. Having it in the liquid feed means that plants get it regularly.
It all looks very lush and healthy. Love the donkey’s name too. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by my blog today.
That water lettuce will make its contribution to the permaculture mulch! Or is it less invasive in Ireland’s climate?
Have’nt had Water Lettuce before so all is to be revealed!
I also love the frogs and lizards who happen upon my garden to help with the slugs and insects. Right now, I have a young praying mantis in my squash/zucchini patch. Love your garden…the pond is lovely!
Love the donkey – what’s its name. Always wanted one myself or maybe two. I adopted one a few years ago at a donkey sanctuary they used to send me updates on her welfare and her friends, at the time that was the nearest I could get to having a large animal.
Donkey’s name is Daphne. Hmm, Lizards now that would be cool, not in Ireland though. We get newts and that’s it.