Permaculture is the conscious design and maintenance of an ecosystem to ensure diversity and resilience. Permaculture practices harmoniously integrate landscape and strategically incorporate human needs and efficiency.
Over 20 years I learned about permaculture, draught-tolerant local plants both as they relate to viticulture and to gardening and landscaping.
I worked with the Osoyoos Desert Society using two of my estate vineyards to serve as research cover-cropping sites. I led two significant landscaping projects accompanying the various building projects and design builds I executed. From 2010 to 2013, I built a custom, award-winning architectural home with architect Lucia Sakharani. We finished the build by also completing the landscape design with the assistance of RedBird Landscaping.
The JoieFarm Farmhouse re-build included a stunning native-species, drought-tolerant meadow and significant hardscape features like a cor-ten steel-framed oyster shell bocci court and cascading concrete staircase rising to its entry. With master gardener Eva Antonijevic of the Friends of Summerland Ornamental Garden, I planted a second native-species, drought-tolerant meadow and living stone wall at my last home up Smethurst Road in Naramata.
The Sworder House Landscaping incorporated important elements of permaculture such as a custom chicken coop and herb gardens located right off of the kitchen. Larger potager gardens were located on the hot south-side of the house.
Abundant and seasonally cycled perennial beds and infinity lavender hedge served as pollinator gardens which beautifully completed the landscaping.
During the re-build of the farmhouse, I was privileged to work with three local master gardeners, in tandem with the Summerland Ornamental Gardens, to plant a stunning beneficial meadow providing habitat for native pollinators that still dynamically undulates in the persistent breeze of the Naramata Bench.
The garden was inspired by the repetitive patterns and modern Californian landscape design of Andrea Cochran and softened with a selection of local drought grasses and species more appropriate to a farm landscape. The meadow invites conversation about its plantings and guests to interact around and amongst the tall grasses sounding the lawn and cor-ten steel bocci court.
The vineyards which I planted around my homes were managed with cover crops aimed to provide habitat for beneficial inspects, control moisture and temperature in the vineyard floor and provide nitrogen at optimal times.
Over 15 years these vineyard’s soil diversity and tilth was greatly improved providing a healthy root microbiome for the vines to fix micronutrients and establish and express literal terroir.
