Davisons Residence

This property is a 1-acre rural lot located in west Sonoma County. It features a terraced, deer-fenced, food forest garden, including a large variety of fruit and nut trees, berries, vegetables, chickens, rock walls, soil building and insect attracting planting communities.

Also included on this property are a small habitat pond, a native bunch grass meadow and a worm bin.

 

Permaculture Neighborhood Center

This suburban scale co-housing community is the site of the Permaculture Artisans showcase gardens. The property is 1/3 acre right in the heart of the town of Sebastopol, CA. In just over two years we have transformed this land from a 50% paved 50% gravel lot into a budding small scale Permaculture and ecological design training center.

When we bought this property, it was adjacent to households of long-time friends and colleagues. We removed the fence separating our properties and now share the responsibility and abundance of this urban farm. There are now four houses on the property line engaged in the community and the upkeep.

Our showcase gardens include storm water harvesting systems, 4500 + gallons of roof water catchment and storage, two habitat ponds, 80+ fruit trees, 2 espaliers, 1 Belgian fence, dry stacked rock walls, sediment ponds, French drains, raised beds, flagstone patio, small scale off-the-grid solar, children-centered garden structures, microclimate moderation, edible mushroom cultivation, Earthen oven-bench-outdoor kitchen, grey water integration, perennial vegetables, rare and heirloom fruits, custom redwood arbors and gates and on and on…
*This is an ongoing project of Permaculture Artisans

 

Sunrise Ridge Gardens

The setting of this 7-acre Biodynamic certified property is spectacular as it rests nestled on a southeast-facing slope in Occidental, Ca

The property includes wonderful varieties of gardens and orchards including a ¼ acre lavender farm, a terraced ¼ acre citrus grove, Mediterranean food forest systems, essential oil production gardens, ½ acre stone fruit orchard, a medicine wheel raised beds garden system, composting, habitat ponds, extensive storm water harvest and infiltration systems, habitat brush pile systems, sediment controlling brush check dams and more.

 

Jensen-Himan Residence

This five-acre property in Sebastopol, CA features a variety of ecological systems. Two acres of overgrown unhealthy forest have been cleaned up, replanted with natives and managed as a model sustainable forestry project complete with carbon-sponge habitat brush piles, edible mushroom cultivation, invasive plant removal and hazelnut coppice groves.

The gardens include dry-stacked rock walls, an acre of drought-tolerant native plantings, soil rehabilitation, a small intensive food forest, a small intensive ecological vegetable farm, extensive storm water harvesting and erosion control systems, extensive carbon sponge systems, and a one-acre meadow complete with wildflowers, native bunch grasses and winter grain and vegetable production in some winters.
*This is an ongoing project of Permaculture Artisans

 

Miles-Stone Residence

This water wonderland is a five-acre property managing 30 acres of upslope catchment coming from neighbors' properties and the road. The amount of storm water resources have informed the now- existing and thriving water-harvesting meadow, habitat ponds and food forest system.

 

Skipstone Ranch

This is a Vineyard/Ranch located in Geyserville, Ca. Although the site has extensive vineyard and olive groves, Permaculture Artisans additions include a designed and installed ½ acre organic farm, a small terraced water-harvesting orchard, and their events site, which includes large custom made flagstones patios, benches, steps, a circular flagstone bench, fire pit, and gathering area. Surrounding the hardscapes are native drought tolerant plantings.

 

Healdsburg Health Spa

This small business, closed due to the recession, features a stunning small-scale edible retreat-style landscape. There is a habitat pond, outdoors massage areas, a thyme lawn and hidden nooks for sitting and relaxing on benches, complete with edible and native plantings.

 

The Backyard (Non-Profit)

This is an amazing property on 110 acres in the Anderson valley California. The long-term vision for this property is to be an intentional community/education/retreat center. We have been working design on this project since 2009 and just started installation in 2010. Our pilot project is a 2-acre space meant to be a small-scale food production and recreation area for the growing community of residents. So far we have installed an amazing series of five water-harvesting terraces linked together with a dry creek system. This terrace system has been extensively planted with fruit, nut, berries, insect attracting perennials, perennial vegetables and more. Included in this landscape design and installation is a small spring-fed natural pond located above the terrace system. This pond has been plumbed with a flood irrigation system (gate valve) allowing us to flood the contour terraces with nutrient rich pond water. The pond then gets topped off with spring water in between.

At the end of the entire water course, before surplus water leaves the landscape and goes back into the natural drainages, are two rock gabions to eliminate sediment movement off the site, as well as further slowing water down, thereby mitigating the risk of erosion.

Also in this landscape is a grey water wetland system and a 100’ + long x 4’ high dry stacked rock retaining wall. Look for more pictures next year as we continue with the next phases of installation!
*This is an ongoing project of Permaculture Artisans

 

Dellamadre Residence

This suburban scale residence features a habitat pond, native bunch grass meadow, a flagstone patio, a series of rain gardens, raised garden beds and a food forest landscape.

 

Oloph Granath, DDS Office

This is actually the family dentist for Permaculture Artisans owner Erik Ohlsen. This business office located in down town Santa Rosa features edible landscaping throughout the site including citrus trees, pomegranates, strawberries and more. Also in the planting scheme are tons of insect and bird attracting perennials located just right so they can be seen and observed from the dental chair. Oloph has even come to calling one of the room’s “Hummingbird Room” as the hummingbirds enjoy the sweet nectar of the landscape right outside the window!