The Quirk Residence
This was a very steep, devegetated site with heavy clay soil and a lot of roof water run-off resulting in a failed French drain. The Quirks wanted a wildlife and food garden with a wild esthetic and low maintenance. We diverted the run-off to several swales, planted an edible landscape (including many natives), and left a deep mulch. Re-used concrete and stone paths and an adobe stone wall were installed to provide access and prevent erosion. Worm bins for recycling food nutrients to the garden were installed and have been dutifully utilized. We started this project in February 2002 and finished it in May.
Here is a view of the adobe stone wall. We built a swale below it to catch run-off and organic matter, and then planted a grape, banana passionfruit, evergreen blueberries, and a cherry tree. Culinary herbs reside on top of the wall for easy access.
You can see the swale we dug here before it was planted and mulched.
Here is what the finished swale looks like (almost invisible).
