My dream magical, mystical forest garden backyard

For years, I’ve been dreaming of changing the world with permaculture, a term coined in the 70’s, but consisting of concepts that have been around for millennia. It promotes working with nature instead of against it.

The way most people farm and garden (and live) involves combating and “defeating nature” at every turn. What a waste of energy. But hey, I love my modern comforts: heat, AC, a lack of bugs in my home. Though when it comes to how we grow food, plan our yards, or even live our lives, it becomes much more efficient and abundant when we team up with Mother Nature. I plan on sharing a lot more posts about permaculture, and eventually about my forest garden once I get the land to grow it on… but for this post I’m simply touching on several elements of my dream forest garden design. But first,

What is a forest garden? Or food forest??

When I think of a forest garden, I think of the precursor to a food forest. Or simply a more curated one. A food forest is exactly what it sounds like: a forest-like ecosystem designed and implemented for the production of food. A food forest, or forest garden, utilizes permaculture principles to grow food efficiently, regeneratively, and in ways that benefit nature as well as people. It attempts to mimic the way a forest grows: self-sufficient once established, and more and more productive each year.

Though the words food forest and forest garden can be used interchangeably, I tend to think of a forest garden as a more maintained affair with a mixture of annuals and perennials, whereas a food forest can be quite forest-like, wild, and focused on perennials. A forest garden might be the first step because perennials like fruit trees take years to become productive, so in the mean time, you can plant annuals among them in order to produce a harvest.

My dream forest garden

A part of me would love to create an untame jungle where I could frolick around amongst fruit trees and herbs and shrubs (oh my). But alas, I have a kid and a husband, so my backyard needs some curation and open green space for running around and playing. I also know my husband prefers a more tame-looking backyard as opposed to a dense forest, and to be honest, so do I. I want lots of plants, lots of green, lots of color and vines, okay maybe a little bit of jungle vibes. It’s all about balance. I want box gardens, trellises, flowers galore, and a form of food forest. AKA some fruit tree guilds scattered around the yard, around the edges, or all together (undecided).

If you’re unfamiliar with a guild, it’s a family of plants that all benefit each other. A fruit tree guild is centered around one fruit tree, so there are several companion plants intentionally chosen to support its health. These can be pollinator plants, nitrogen fixers, dynamic accumulators, pest repellers, etc (we can dive into that in another post).

My backyard forest garden design is always changing the more I think about it or get inspired, and I really can’t design it until I know all of the specific factors of its future location, BUT there are some elements I’m certain about. And some elements I dream of. I’ll most likely dive deeper into all of them in future articles, but for now, I’m just touching on them. Let me take you into my garden paradise (currently in my mind)…

1. Mosquito-repelling flowers and herbs surrounding my patio.

I’m excited about this one. There’s no bug I despise more than the mosquito. One of my main goals/desires for my backyard forest garden paradise is for it to be a place my family wants to spend a lot of time. Nothing can send one running back inside like getting mauled by mosquitoes. In permaculture fashion, these patio-surrounding plants will serve many functions. Not just repelling mosquitoes with their strong scent, but also repelling other pests, creating lovely atmosphere through their beauty and aroma, supplying medicinal and cooking herbs, AND attracting beneficial insects to my yard and other surrounding plants. Win win win win win.

2. Raised beds

Whether I buy a metal raised bed, build a wooden one, or utilize yard scraps to make a hugelkultur bed, having a raised bed is a great way to get started with a backyard garden. It’s more resistant to pests that reside on the ground, and you can fill it with the best soil. Whereas a bed directly in the ground gives you less control of the soil conditions and is vulnerable to all manner of pests. I’ve also heard a raised garden bed can potentially extend your growing season because it heats up faster than the ground below.

3. Trellises.

I’d love two (or 4?) raised beds with a trellis connecting them. That way I can grow beans up it and have a magical (and useful) walk through. I’d also love to build a trellis tunnel that I can walk through or sit under. I can grow squash or cucumbers up it (or grapes!), and I can admire and harvest them from underneath. Or maybe one of those magical wooden trellises above a seating area with vining flowers to create shade and ambience. Ahhhh *daydreams in trellis...Trellises are magical to grow all manner of vining things, and they are great for utilizing vertical space. I also want to build a teepee shaped trellis for my son to play in.

4. A dwarf apple tree guild right next to my patio.

I wanted to plant an apple tree for my son when he was born, but since it was in the dead of winter, I could not. My current patio gets next to no sunlight, so alas, I’ll have to wait. But, I’m so excited to plant it at our next place. I want to plant this one fruit tree right outside our house for easy access and enjoyment, that way we can admire it and grab a snack whenever we’re hanging out on the patio. Dreamy. And around this apple tree, I’ll plant a little plant family to support it in not just surviving, but thriving. It’s also recommended in permaculture to start right outside your back door with one system, and if it works, repeat it elsewhere. The closer it is to your home, the more likely you are to notice it and care for it.

5. Wildflowers

I’m a sucker for wildflowers. In fact, I gave out wildflower seed packets at my wedding and still have some I’m saving to plant at our dream home. Anyways, I want a good portion of my yard or surrounding land to be devoted to wildflowers. They are great for pollinators, which attracts them to plants that need pollinating. Plus, they’re beautiful, and I’d love to pick bouquets for unique and whimsical house decor. At least some of them will self-seed or come back year after year. Whether I create a wildflower border around the outside of my yard, create a patch in a corner, or an entire field, this garden element is as much for my soul as anything else. Oh! How could I forget my love of butterflies, hummingbirds, and dragonflies, which are also attracted to wildflowers. Another big win-win.

6. Food forest

I do indeed want a food forest, but I recognize that it probably won’t feel forest-like for the first few years. So in the meantime, I’ll most likely plant some annuals among the fruit trees, shrubs, and perennial herbs and flowers. I have this vision of planting my food forest in the shape of a circle, another (you guessed it) trellis archway framing the entrance, and when you walk through it, you enter a paradise for your senses. Fruit of all kinds, delicious scents, birds chirping, a lovely open space in the center of all this beauty where you can sit, rest, admire, snack on fruit plucked nearby… ahhhh

7. Rainwater catchment

In any permaculture system, it’s ideal to have some sort of rainwater harvesting system. So much rain lands on our roofs, driveways, and roads and just flows away. We want to keep as much as possible in our little ecosystems. I guess the simplest rainwater catchment is lots of plants and healthy soil. The more trees and plants you have, the more water your yard will absorb. There are also simple barrels you can set up to collect rain from your gutters. Instead of allowing all the rain to flow from your gutters and down your street, why not catch it and use it?

8. Compost

Compost is another necessity in any permaculture system. It recycles and reuses waste, and transforms it into a vital resource for your soil and plants. I’ve tried composting in containers on my balcony through normal methods and vermicompost, and though it is quite doable, I’m excited to have more space to compost. Just as starting plants from seed and watching them grow into beautiful plants, vegetables, and flowers is incredibly satisfying, so too is composting. Watching my kitchen and plant scraps (that would otherwise end up in a landfill) transform into the best possible soil is very rewarding. I recently was inspired by the idea of keyhole gardening where you incorporate a small compost within your garden bed. This way your bed is constantly fed.

9. Outdoor shower

In my dream of dreams, I’d love an outdoor shower. In college, I lived in a little beach shack with an outdoor shower, and it was the BEST. As long as the weather allowed, and it was Florida so it mostly did, I always showered outside. In my forest garden, I could use the greywater from the shower to water surrounding plants, and to rinse off after using the…

10. Sauna

I guess this doesn’t have a whole lot to do with my forest garden except that I want it to be a part of it. I once stayed in an Airbnb with a beautiful balcony garden and a sauna with windows. It was in Portland, so I was in the hot sauna looking out at the cold, rainy, green surroundings. It was magical, like I was in a small (warm) pocket of paradise. I want a sauna with hot stones that I can use in every season. The windows will look out to my beautiful fruit trees and flowers, and I can use my herbs, like lavender and rosemary, to enhance the experience. I can almost smell the herbs and hear the sizzle of water on stones now....

Well, that's our show. Just kidding. I hope you enjoyed taking a little tour of my dream forest garden backyard. I can’t wait to turn this dream into a reality and to take you along on the journey. Permaculture is one of my biggest passions, and I’m excited continue learning and sharing. It's so much bigger than gardening. If all of us incorporated some permaculture concepts into our life, it would change the world! Well I'm off! Just a happy little faerie in her magical forest garden. Bye for now :)