My office has a nice view, at first glance.

Sitting and searching for inspiration, I look deeper into the landscape outside.  Its beauty slowly begins to lose appeal.  Maybe it’s because of the heavily rectilinear environment that my mind is currently encased by; the box of a room I’m sitting in, the rectangular piece of wood I’ve spread my things out on, the square paneling on the walls or the two square windows I peer out of.  Or maybe it is because my view looks out to a bunch of bad design decisions.  This “lovely vista” encompasses an overgrazed/under-managed parcel of land with an inefficient water storage system and a fully exposed McMansion straight out of the movie Beetle Juice.  I’ve got to get out of here.

Luckily I can move outdoors to my auxiliary office in the backyard.  And with a change of view, so goes my mindset.  Now it’s a hammock, a gentle breeze, shade from a tree and lighting from the sun.  My eyes, now looking to the east instead of south, scan intensively grazed/holistically-managed paddocks, a restored riparian zone, a natural hillside and turkey vultures circling above.

With a landscape design philosophy stressing “design with nature”, that task becomes much easier when all five senses are surrounded by nature.  Out here, I notice there are not many straight lines in nature’s design.

I believe that no matter how hard man tries to improve upon or even attempt at deciphering nature he will always fail.  This is why I sit back and observe nature, take notes, experiment and then aim to create a natural but constructed landscape similar to something Mother Nature would have designed.  If you can figure out what certain things do best, get them together, let them be themselves and then observe, you are on the right path.  The goal is thoughtful observation, NOT thoughtless action.

I’ve made the decision to be a sustainable landscape designer so now there are really no other decisions to be made.  I actually like to think of myself as one who designs regenerative landscapes but that is for another discussion.

When designing, I begin with a conceptual plan where the needs and resources of the land and the client are obtained.  This is a very important first step.  It is important to note that this plan will be directed by outside influences and energies.  And don’t forget, a good design should work socially, economically and environmentally.

As the design process gets rolling, it seems I am always reminding myself to make the least amount of change for the greatest possible effect.  Do you really need to dig a big pit, line it with plastic, rig up a bunch of PVC piping and run electricity out to it so that you can pull water out of the creek to supplement your orchards’ dwindling wells?   Maybe if you had concentrated on building your soil with green manure crops, brought in a keyline plow for sub-soil tillage and then incorporated on-contour swales into your orchards you wouldn’t be having these water issues that cause you to create a massive eyesore and resource drain.

Another key point in the design process is not to impose your will when trying to figure out a design solution.  If you are a flu-ridden Michael Jordan in the NBA Finals then maybe this is alright but not when it comes to design in the landscape.  Let nature direct your land use plan and you will then arrive at the solution.  Only trouble will come when the puzzle piece is forced into a spot where it just doesn’t match.

One-dimensional designs look at how to do things, two-dimensional designs go for how and when to do things, multi-dimensional designs look for patterns.  When searching for design answers, the landscape will provide for you if you can recognize the patterns. Learning to recognize the patterns of the landscape and then adjusting for that in your design is crucial.  This is especially key because we are shooting for the creation of regionally and culturally appropriate designs.

Putting things where they go is common sense but one that is heavily stressed in my designs.  Things are placed within proximity of the need.  Put the greenhouse and chickens close to the house and then locate the orchard and compost pile farther out.  Those tasks that need daily attention will have a much better chance of thriving when placed near the house in what I call Zone 1.  Those tasks that need less care, say maybe just once a week, can be placed further away in Zones 3 or 4.

I aim for installing a diversity of functional connections in my designs.  Every plant, structure, animal has to have multiple functions.  I want to place that element into the system where it will perform as many functions as possible.  On the flip side, I also want to incorporate multiple elements that will perform the same single function.  In other words, I want multiple methods to achieve the function, almost like a backup plan.

My designs make sure that they are catching energy and materials and retaining them onsite.  The more I can catch water and keep it on the property the closer I will get towards creating a sustainable environment.  There is no need to dump your green waste at the landfill.  Keep it on-site to create soil fertility for much less than it would cost to obtain it off -site.  Waste shall be managed for productivity and all unused resources are considered pollution.

Note that the best designer in the world can’t create a spectacular landscape that doesn’t stray from the original plan throughout the years.  Dynamic landscape systems become such only through constant adjustment.  Don’t be afraid to fail, mistakes are the tools for learning.

And remember, while it seems like the problems today are becoming increasingly complex, the solutions are embarrassingly simple.

About the Author
Rob Durham, founder of plant, has a B.S. in Natural Resource Conservation and Management from the University of Kentucky. He is a Licensed Landscape Contractor, a certified Permaculture Designer, a graduate of the Tom Brown Tracker School, and has continued his education with courses and workshops in Biodynamics, Keyline Design and Sustainable Land Management. He has developed his skills from over 10 years of working with nature including stops in New Jersey, Kentucky, Washington and California. Rob enjoys surfing, herbal medicine, fermentation, mycology, and canning.