Plant Guilds in Permaculture: When Plants Work Together in the Garden
You've probably heard of companion planting, this traditional practice of combining certain plants so they help each other. But do you know about permaculture plant guilds? These small plant communities go far beyond simple companion planting and could completely transform your approach to gardening. Let me introduce you to this fascinating concept that draws directly from Mother Nature's wisdom!
From Companion Planting to Guild: A Giant Leap for Your Garden
Companion planting, you probably know it: we plant marigolds near tomatoes to repel certain pests, or basil to improve their flavor. It's a simple association between two plants that provide mutual service.
Permaculture guilds go much further! Imagine not just a simple association, but a true mini-ecosystem where each plant plays a precise and complementary role. The guild associates several plants to recreate a mini-ecosystem.
Nature as a Model: The Intelligence of Wild Ecosystems
Have you ever observed how plants grow spontaneously in nature? It's never by chance! In a forest or wild meadow, plants that coexist have "chosen" each other through evolution. By observing these natural associations of wild plants, permaculturists understood they could reproduce these synergies in our gardens.
This science that studies wild plant communities is called phytosociology. A complicated name for a simple idea: understanding why certain plants like to live together and drawing inspiration from it for our crops.
How Does a Guild Work? The Apple Tree Example
To better understand, let's take the concrete example of the apple tree guild, well-suited to our temperate European climate.
At the center of this guild stands an apple tree, which will be the main and tallest element. Around it, different plants with complementary functions are organized:
- Hops that can climb up the trunk
- Nitrogen-fixing plants like Elaeagnus multiflora, which naturally enrich the soil
- Aromatic plants like chives and sweet cicely, which repel certain pests
- Comfrey and lovage, whose deep roots extract nutrients from the subsoil
Each plant occupies a different space, whether in height or root depth, and each contributes to the whole. Everyone participates in maintaining and ensuring the proper functioning of the ensemble!
A Living and Balanced Soil
In a well-designed guild, certain plants, like comfrey, seek nutrients deep in the soil that are inaccessible to others. When their leaves fall and decompose, these nutrients become available to their neighbors. Others, like legumes, capture nitrogen from the air and integrate it into the soil through their roots.
Natural Help Against Pests and Diseases
Aromatic plants and certain flowers emit substances that naturally repel harmful insects. Others, like nasturtiums, play the role of "trap plants" by attracting aphids that will leave your precious vegetables alone.
Less Maintenance, More Time to Observe
Once established, a guild requires much less work than a traditional garden. The soil remains covered, limiting weeds and evaporation. Plants support each other, reducing the need for human intervention. You'll spend less time weeding and more time admiring!
Exuberant Biodiversity
By diversifying plants, you naturally attract varied fauna: pollinators, birds, beneficial small mammals... Your garden becomes a true biodiversity refuge, an island of nature in the middle of our often too uniform landscapes.
Some Inspiring Examples to Get Started
Besides the apple tree guild already mentioned, here are some classic associations that have proven their effectiveness:
The Three Sisters Guild
Inherited from Native American traditions, it associates corn, climbing beans, and squash. Corn serves as a natural trellis for the beans, which in return fix nitrogen in the soil. Squash, for their part, cover the soil, limiting evaporation and weeds. A winning trio!
The Horticultural Guild Around Tomatoes
Around a tomato plant, plant basil which stimulates its growth and improves its flavor, marigolds that repel nematodes and aphids, and spinach as ground cover that prevents weeds from establishing. Add some nasturtiums to attract aphids away from your precious tomatoes!
The Hazelnut Guild
Under this shrub can flourish nitrogen fixers like sea buckthorn, small fruits like black currants, perennial herbs (oregano, mint, horseradish) and nutritious plants like comfrey.
Challenges and Limits: Let's Be Realistic
Creating a guild is not an exact science and requires some precautions:
Plant Selection
Not all plants are compatible with each other. Some compete for the same resources or secrete substances that inhibit the growth of their neighbors. Therefore, it's important to research before planting.
Climate and Soil Adaptation
A guild that works perfectly in a Mediterranean garden might fail in a more humid northern climate. It's essential to adapt associations to your local context.
Necessary Patience
A guild takes time to fully establish and reveal its potential. The first years may seem less productive than a classic garden, but patience will be rewarded in the long term.
Where to Start? Some Tips to Get Started
If the idea of guilds appeals to you, here's how to start simply:
- Start small, with a single guild in a corner of your garden
- Choose plants that have similar needs in water and light
- Consider the final height of each plant to avoid unwanted shading
- Include at least one nitrogen-fixing plant, one deep-rooted plant, and one ground cover plant
- Observe, take notes, learn from your successes as well as your failures
The important thing is to keep in mind that you're creating a living ecosystem that will evolve over time. Your role is to initiate it, then accompany it with benevolence and curiosity.
Conclusion: Guilds, A Dance with Nature
Permaculture guilds invite us to change our perspective on gardening. Instead of fighting against nature, we learn to dance with it, to follow its rhythm and draw inspiration from its millennial wisdom.
By creating these harmonious plant communities, we're not just growing vegetables or fruits: we're cultivating a new relationship with the living world, more respectful and more humble. And perhaps this is the most beautiful gift that permaculture offers us: reminding us that we are an integral part of nature, not its masters.
Ready to team up with your plants?
To learn more about permaculture guilds, you can consult these resources:
- Wikipedia Phytosociology