Permaculture is about much more than gardening, but since it emphasizes the role of plants and animals in human life, many people come to permaculture though their love of gardening and agriculture. The aim of permaculture is to create ecologically sound, economically prosperous human communities. It is guided by a set of ethical principles—care for the earth, care for people, and sharing the surplus.
A main element of permaculture design is the thoughtful grouping of plants in communities. Both natural and ecological gardens stress the role of plant communities, groupings of trees, shrubs, and non-woody pants that naturally occur together. Vegetable gardeners use companion planting for pest control, better pollination, to provide habitat for beneficial insects, maximize use of space, and otherwise increase crop productivity.
Permaculture goes one step further. Plants are combined into synergistic, groupings. Permaculture calls these guilds. They form healthy interacting networks that reduce the gardener’s labor, yield abundantly, and help the environment by restoring nature’s cycles. Permaculture combines natives, food plants, medicinal and culinary herbs, insect and bird attracting species, plants that build soil, and others, each serving more than one function. A guild is named for its dominant plant, often a tree, and has six elements.
The peach tree is the example here. Note that this guild is all flowering plants, and that the bloom times overlap through the seasons, attracting beneficial insects even into winter. Clover fixes nitrogen and suppresses weeds. Comfrey provides nutritious mulch. Strawberries suppress weeds and bear fruit. Garlic repels pests and is an important culinary herb. Chicory’s deep root draws minerals into the root zone. Baked and ground, the root is used in coffee and leaves can be eaten in salads. Cosmos’ long bloom period attracts birds, bees and butterflies.