Last weekend I spent an afternoon studying different bushes, trees, and herbaceous plants in order to design the newest guild on our Permafarm. This one will be positioned in the front of our home creating a peaceful and beautiful landscape to enjoy while sipping freshly brewed mint tea on our porch (and keeping the goats and free-range chickens at bay with the surrounding fence)!
Long before we began our study of permaculture we were utilizing herbal medicine. I spent many years studying different herbs and preparations; and we enjoyed the various teas and products we created with them. Now that we live on our Permafarm, it seemed natural to marry our two passions together in what is called a “guild” (for more information on creating guilds see Gaias Garden). I am christening this particular guild our “Medicinal Guild”.

The plants I chose for our medicinal guild:
• Prunus cerasus (Sour Cherry) Tall-Tree Layer

• Poncirus trifoliata (Flying Dragon/Hardy Orange) Tall-Tree Layer

• Aronia melanocarpa (Black Chokeberry) Low-Tree Layer

• Lycium barbarum (Goji Berry) Low-Tree Layer

• Hyssopus officinialis (Hyssop) Low-Tree Layer

• Lonicera caerulea (Blue-Berried Honeysuckle) Low-Tree Layer

• Chamaemelum nobile (Roman Chamomile) Herb Layer

• Echinacea purpurea (Echinacea/Purple Coneflower) Herb Layer

• Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage) Herb Layer

• Calendula officinalis (Pot Marigold) Herb Layer

• Achillea millefolium (Yarrow) Herb Layer

• Rudbeckia hirta (Black-Eyed Susan) Herb Layer

• Mentha (Mint) Herb Layer

• Symphytum officinale (Comfrey) Herb Layer, dynamic accumulator, mulch, medicinal

• Trifolium pretense (Red Clover) Ground Cover Layer

• Trifolium repens (White Clover) Ground Cover Layer, living mulch, nitrogen fixer

• Lonicera sempervirens (Major Wheeler Honeysuckle) Vine Layer

• Daikon (Mild flavored Radish) Root Layer

Honestly, I took longer than necessary to design it, but I’m a bit of a perfectionist and it was just plain fun. Planning comes naturally to me; the execution of the design is always a little more cumbersome and physically demanding so I rather enjoy the pen and paper portion of the project.
As I began to work on the plan, I…READ MORE AT MOTHER EARTH NEWS