Consultations & FAQS

Where does the name "Gaia" come from?

According to the ancient Greeks, Gaia was a primordial deity and the personification of the Earth. In fact, her name can actually be translated to mean ‘land’ or ‘earth’. In Greek mythology, Gaia was the second being to have emerged during the creation of the universe. She is perhaps best known as the mother of the Titans, though she also had countless other offspring.

According to one version of the Greek myth of creation , Gaia (also spelled Gaea), Chaos, and Eros co-existed at the beginning of time. Another myth states that these three entities emerged out of a Cosmic Egg. The best-known myth about Gaia, however, may be found in Hesiod’s Theogony, a poem describing the origin of the gods. In this literary work, Gaia is said to have arisen after Chaos. Gaia then gave birth to Ouranos, the personification of the Sky, whom she took as a consort. Gaia also gave birth (by herself) to Ourea (the Mountains) and Pontus (the Sea).

Source: https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/gaia-0010891

What is Permaculture exactly?

The way I look at Permaculture and the design of permaculture properties, is that it is a design approach where the system works collaboratively, with energy efficiency and in a regenerative or sustainable manner that mimics the natural environment. Coined from the words "Permanent" and "Agriculture" it was co founded in the early 1970's by two Australian men, David Holmgren and the late Bill Mollisson as a way to work with nature, rather than against nature. Diversity, poly cultures, working with natural energy (sun, wind, water etc..) and built upon the three ethics of Earth Care, People Care & Fair Share, Permaculture design is an incredibly practical and well thought out process that a trained Permaculture designer goes through to ensure the system supports itself.

Consultation & Design - how much and how does it work?

A consultation can range from 2 hours on site for a "pick my brains" walk and talk to a 6 hour consultation with report and planting recommendations. (Cue favourite Permie phrase) "It depends"

I generally spend anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes on the first phone call with a client listening and questioning. This can then develop into a booking for a site visit which is tailored to suit because let's face it, we are all different.

Consultation & Design - how much and how does it work?

Design your own consult: minimum two hour on site talk and walk with the client to highlight specific area's of concern with aerial and topographical mapping including sectors and zones, plant suggestions, soil structure and pH for 1 area, idea's and bullet point for suggestions, troubleshooting and problem solving. I will also email you any applicable handouts, workshop notes that come up in discussion. Clients are to take their own notes also on the day.
Where the client is looking for inspiration beyond the bare garden and can see the productive and sustainable possibilities. Onsite meeting is conducted to discuss ideas, give you other options and considerations for a permaculture landscape design. Clients are very much encouraged to take their own notes also.
For the client who realizes the day has come to get the ideas and inspirations onto a working plan. Perfect for those who have a small space/property and want to bring together all their ideas and implement them into a permaculture landscape. Also great for small new properties (<400m2) where no landscaping has been implemented.
An option for those who may have already started implementing permaculture techniques or have done lots of reading but are not confident in putting it all together. You may have a blank canvas on a medium sized property and not sure where to start.
Custom quote based on client brief and specifications. When you just need your plan sorted, detailed, long term outlook and steps to get the work done. Ideal for those who want a full property site assessment and a full plan, report and scale design, this Level 4 consultation and design process is broken down in three phases. Site visit with preliminary, design and report and then the final phase, handover. Please contact me for full overview.

Let's start at the beginning. All consultations begin with a client questionaire which really assist the clients to consider what they want from their property, what they know, where they have time. It starts with a double column ranking inf there are two people's opinions to be considered, so they rank from 1 - 5 the importance of certain aspects as well as where they see it on the project timeline. We look at the overall outcome for the property, how many people does it need to support, how much time do people have to spend now and in the future. Water consumption (if from mains), water harvesting from roof as well as grey and black water, what you eat, what you don't eat plus many more items for consideration. Permaculture is not a garden plan, it is a whole property plan for regenerative sustainable behaviour and this includes the home. Generally this takes clients <30 minutes to complete and is to be returned to me at least ONE week before the consultation on site. I spend >30 minutes gathering this information, requestiong DBYD information, reviewing any applicable local government policies and guidelines as well as aerial and topographical mapping, surrounding infrastructure and convenants if applicable.

Consultation Levels 1 - 5

Workshops including Local Government

Many Shires, Councils & Cities offer FREE workshops to their tax payers and the outside community on a wide range of topics and information. I count myself fortunate enough to be engaged to facilitate these.

My workshops are written for adult, teen or children and really revolve around a short and snappy theory session, hands on and practical insight into how we can better support our gardens, environment and lifestyles. I support discussion in my workshops provided it is on track and does not get me off time, however I will stay back for up to an hour after the workshop finishes to talk individually to participants as I want to make sure everyone is going home with their questions answered and a solid understanding of the content covered.

Speaking of which, some of the topics I deliver range from Composting & Nourishing soils, Native bee hotels, Wicking & raised garden beds, Reticulation 101, Organic vegetable growing to an Introduction to Permaculture, Integrated Pest Management or Seed bombs & pizza wicking bottles (kids ones).

I can tailor content to suit the client, participants and shire.