Permaculture Design Principle number 10 – The ‘Edge Effect’: Use edges and value the marginal.
This principle gives value to the areas of cross-over or transitional spaces where 2 bodies or edges meet and the features of each area of overlap. I felt drawn to bring this into awareness during my time on the site for a few reasons. Firstly, timescale of the residency spans a social climate of restrictions as the Covid-19 virus is contained, slowly transitioning through several stages of easing on the restriction of movement throughout the 6 weeks. On 19th May hospitality venues such as the on-site White Hart Pub were opened for indoor gatherings and the Green Table cafe also transformed from an outdoor take-away area into a sit-down cafe once again. On the final day of this module it was great to see the courtyard buzzing with visitors and the Barn Cinema open for film screenings.
The ‘Edge Effect’ design principle gives value to the areas of increased diversity and the unique energy of cross-over points in our systems, which we know leads to increased productivity. Edges are usually very fertile places, and when 2 bodies meet there are often exciting interactions. Emulating this ecological phenomenon can lead to dynamic and productive results in all kinds of realms: social, material, horticultural, cultural! There is a fuzzy energy around edges which i find interesting. This is a theme I will definitely carry forward and would like to explore beyond the residency here on the estate.
The burst of connection when 2 bodies of natural pigment inks meet!
As the Green Table cafe opens, re-connections are starting to happen!
Transition by Grace Rodgers. Monoprint. Created 15/05/21
I was introduced to George, who taught Permaculture and Agroforestry for over 30yrs, by Mary Bartlett, a lady who runs a legendary book-binding studio on the Dartington estate. She has lived here for 60 years and told me that she spent time with Dorothy Elmhirst as a teenager - apparently Mary would be called on to arrange flowers for her!
George is a fascinating man and i felt honoured to have had the opportunity to chat with him about all things Permaculture. We chatted in the corner of the weekly creative arts group held at Marys studio, allowing the conversation to flow through topics relating to Dartington’s ethos and the challenges the pandemic has brought. He shared the stumbling blocks presented by red-tape and council policy in terms of Rewilding the land, with cheap management being given priority over creating habitats for non-human communities to thrive. He told me a story of how a student, Lyn Simonon, had designed a play garden in 1989 (when the Dartington first opened) for the local school, incorporating raspberries and blackcurrents, but that her plans were scuppered when the council raised safety concerns over the possibility of children roaming the surrounding countryside and poisoning themselves after learning it was ok to eat berries in the play garden! Another interesting topic we discussed was Lawns. In the context of the permaculture principle of valuing edges, George commented on the problems of devoting large areas of land to tightly trimmed lawn areas. He explained that this gives no chance for diversity of species and wildlife to thrive. I have also observed that many people gain a great sense of pride from their lawns and see them as a measure of personal success. I reflected on this and decided this would make a great focus for a project theme for further exploration, as the sense of self-worth placed in lawn-management also acts as a threat to rewilding activities. ‘Perfect’ green flat lawns with sharp edges not only inhibit wildlife but also require use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers as well as water during drought. We went on to discuss the concept of ‘Tokenary Wilderness’ where patches of garden are designated as separate to the rest of the garden, and we agreed on the need for ways of living that are better integrated with nature’s cycles. I think Dartington presents a good embodiment of old system meeting new in relation the management of the garden and definitely worthy of a permaculture design process at some point during 2021. This could also be applied to the admissions and admin process which at times i found was in need of reviewing for effectiveness, using a permaculture design process perhaps! George spoke further about the need for economic and social systems that serve the needs of non-human creatures too, and I was also interested to hear him talk about dendritic patterns in nature. I am looking forward to further discussions with George about Art and Permaculture...
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Inspired by a lecture on The Art of Wandering, I felt encouraged to exercise my spirit as a natural born wanderer. I explored the paths around the gardens and tried to work our where the many garden, forest and lawned areas connected to each other. On several occasions I breached the ‘PRIVATE’ boundaries to see what lay beyond (with consideration of safety and an intention to do no harm to any plants and animals of course). One of these wanders lead me to the speak with the Head Gardener at Dartington. I had been photographing a particularly unusual tree, covered in clouds of green moss that shrouded its beautiful fuscia-coloured blooms. Richard told me the tree’s name: The Judas Tree and explained that the way its blossoms grow directly and abundantly from the branch is very rare, as most trees blossom from their stems...
Etched in the ground, a private garden is defined outside the Elmhirst Library, Dartington.
Treasures of Trespass - the beautiful blooms of the Judas tree lay beyond!
