Hey Eric,

Thank you again for the tips. If I hear or find anything more on the ponds on the top of herb spirals, I'll let you know.

Regarding your questions about the willow fence, yes, you have to trim it as it grows. Apparently, it can grow up to 12ft in the first year! Also, as you cut it back or coppice it, more shoots will grow and as willow are more colourful when they are young, more colour will be added to the fence. Plus, you can weave the new shoots into the fence making it stronger.

Congratulations on your new home! That's very exciting. If you do decide to grow a willow fence, let me know and I can give you some more tips. I should be an expert by then.....

Talk to you again soon,

Catherine

Ps do you know anything about rock gardens???

Hey Eric,

Thank you again for the tips. If I hear or find anything more on the ponds on the top of herb spirals, I'll let you know.

Regarding your questions about the willow fence, yes, you have to trim it as it grows. Apparently, it can grow up to 12ft in the first year! Also, as you cut it back or coppice it, more shoots will grow and as willow are more colourful when they are young, more colour will be added to the fence. Plus, you can weave the new shoots into the fence making it stronger.

Congratulations on your new home! That's very exciting. If you do decide to grow a willow fence, let me know and I can give you some more tips. I should be an expert by then.....

Talk to you again soon,

Catherine

Ps do you know anything about rock gardens???

Hey Eric,

Thank you again for the tips. If I hear or find anything more on the ponds on the top of herb spirals, I'll let you know.

Regarding your questions about the willow fence, yes, you have to trim it as it grows. Apparently, it can grow up to 12ft in the first year! Also, as you cut it back or coppice it, more shoots will grow and as willow are more colourful when they are young, more colour will be added to the fence. Plus, you can weave the new shoots into the fence making it stronger.

Congratulations on your new home! That's very exciting. If you do decide to grow a willow fence, let me know and I can give you some more tips. I should be an expert by then.....

Talk to you again soon,

Catherine

Ps do you know anything about rock gardens???

One thing I want to try when I make a herb spiral is to make it over a stump or a pile of rocks. That way I should save on topsoil.

The book Gaia's garden has wonderfully detailed instructions on building herb spirals.

I am not sure what you mean by a living fence... Is that like a hedge, or more like espalliered fruit trees?

Eric in Japan

Hi Eric,

Thanks for responding and thanks for your tips on the herb spiral. Do you know anything about building a pond on the top of herb spirals? I've heard a little about this but I don't know too much about it. Also, do I have to put layers of compost or anything under the soil? I've been looking at some drawings but I wasn't sure if this was necessary. Any details you can give me would be so appreciated.

The living fence we are making is going to consist of willow rods. I have dug up a bed approx. 8 inches wide all the way around the garden. This week we are going to harvest willow branches of various lenghts. We are going to plant two rows of the willow rods on either side of the bed. As willow can root themselves through coppice, they will do so quite easily (hopefully). Once they are relatively secure, we then weave the willow rods on either side together and they will grow.

Talk to you soon,

Catherine

ps where in japan are you?

I have never heard of building a pond on top of the spiral, but I imagine you could do it with an old sink. In Gaia's Garden, he mentions that some people run a pipe up the middle of the spiral and put a mini sprinkler on top. I would put a pond at the bottom and grow watercress and some other plants in it. About the soil, just mix good topsoil and compost together, it should do fine. Make the mound (over a smaller mound of subsoil, rocks, or a stump if you want) then start placing head sized rocks in a spiral up the sides. After the rocks are in place, you can see the ramp, and plant the herbs.

The living fence idea sounds interesting. I love willows. Are you going to trim it as it grows, like a hedge? I wonder what will happen 5, 10, 15 years down the road...

I live about 100Km north of Tokyo, in Hitachi. But we are signing the deal on some property on thursday! Woo hoo! My own garden and yard. Maybe I will try that willow idea too...

Eric in Japan

Rock gardens... Hmmm... I seem to recall my grandfather saying that rocks were the only sure crop in MN. Every spring he harvested tons of them.

No, I don't know anything about rock gardens. Sorry about that.

As soon as I get the house built enough to shelter my family I will be counting on all of you out there to help me with my food forest and greywater plans!

Eric in Japan

just read your post about the living fence. Sounds so creative. How did you learn about it, can you refer me to a book about it, so I could learn more?