Naofa Permaculture

Naofa Permaculture Creating meaningful and abundant spaces that feed all life

Some detail around the whys of this design - I can’t fit much into the Insta format and could spend ages of the details ...
13/04/2026

Some detail around the whys of this design - I can’t fit much into the Insta format and could spend ages of the details so ask away if you have any questions.
The guild on the second slide (sorry the title font doesn’t line up!) showcases the plants under the deciduous trees and all of these have a beneficial function to the garden, ranging from nectar and pollen production in their flowers to safe habitat for insect & lizards, to edible berries or flowers or ground cover to protect soil moisture.

Edible garden plan - focused on popular fruiting varieties underplanted with a mix of natives, perennial and self seedin...
12/04/2026

Edible garden plan - focused on popular fruiting varieties underplanted with a mix of natives, perennial and self seeding annual crops, with seperate space for annual vegetable crops.
Next post will be a more detailed description of the shrub and understory layer

Here is the design! It is definitely a softened version of a formal garden, shrinking the scale down to this section siz...
08/03/2026

Here is the design! It is definitely a softened version of a formal garden, shrinking the scale down to this section size means striking a balance between very structured and actually enjoyable to live in. The paths on the northern edge are designed to end with formal features like a water feature or sculpture, with the circular forms within the paths used for a bird bath or a quiet garden seating area. The paths themselves I imagine as a paver with a white or light stone chip, keeping within the look of formal but more contemporary and easy care.

I have tried to keep the bulk of the garden as green, with the shaped hebes, myrsine and pittosporum forming the main shrub layer ( see my last post for the plant selection). The coprosma and totara will be shaped in tree cones, with the totara also as a higher hedge at the back of the garden. I have added in a larger tree as a feature - this could be a managed titoki or a large citrus or a kowhai, depending on preference.

What do you think?

Design is almost ready but the foundation plants are chosen! As most of these plants will be shaped in some way (and usi...
27/02/2026

Design is almost ready but the foundation plants are chosen! As most of these plants will be shaped in some way (and using traditional plants like buxus is not climate resilient), I have focused on varieties that will prune easily or that hold a rounded or pyramid form naturally.
This will be a bit more textured than a traditional formal garden as it needs to blend with surrounding native street planting and play a part in softening the heavy lines of a cookie cutter new build home (hi tonal grey everything).
Let me know if you have any questions!

Images from Google

This week I’m exploring a design for a subdivision property based on a formal garden theme. These gardens evolved mainly...
24/02/2026

This week I’m exploring a design for a subdivision property based on a formal garden theme. These gardens evolved mainly from the grand Baroque gardens like Versailles that were designed as statements of power. They are very ordered, controlled gardens, with strong geometry in layout and shaping of hedging and topiary. Viewpoints are also controlled through hedged/walled paths or sunken/raised areas so the garden is revealed in stages, often opening out to water features, statues or avenues of feature potted plants.

As a designer, this is not my chosen style of garden, but this visual language of garden is so culturally ingrained that formal gardens are still synonymous with wealth and therefore still aspirational for many.

This is the beginning of a project to create garden concepts for subdivision gardens. I wanted to do this as these are l...
20/02/2026

This is the beginning of a project to create garden concepts for subdivision gardens. I wanted to do this as these are likely options for those able to purchase property or good rental options for suburban areas, but are often poorly planted/gardened as the space is small. This particular one was taken from a new subdivision locally in an especially midrange, cookie cutter part of the housing available there.

Starting next week, I will be presenting a variety of design themes and their plants/ features/ design rationale. All designs will favour easy care, climate resilient planting, with natives as priority choice. Providing habitat/food for wildlife and a balanced range of plants to support soil structure and plant resilience will also be carefully considered.

My ideas for designs are: Formal, Cottage, Edible/Permaculture, Tropical. What else would you like to see?

More holiday discoveries 1 Muehlenbeckia in the driftwood and pebbles of Lake Ōhau2 Tussock of the Lindis Pass, I love t...
16/02/2026

More holiday discoveries

1 Muehlenbeckia in the driftwood and pebbles of Lake Ōhau
2 Tussock of the Lindis Pass, I love the bobbly forms and the subtlety of this alpine ecosystem
3 Ferns and moss on the walk to the Marien Falls, such a magical environment
4 From the boat at Piopiotahi - the forest grows on near vertical cliffs with trees held in place by interlocking root systems. And probably pushed back into the cliffs by wind which is no joke - gale force is the standard going out to the Tasman Sea.
5-6 Lichens and ferns are massive on the entrance to the Kepler Track
7 - Just for for the joy of lakes and mountains - near the summit of Isthmus Peak
8 - beautiful little ecosystems in the shale on Isthmus Peak
9 - Harakeke plant protectors in Wānaka
10 - Mountains of rock and rock of mountains - on the riverbank near the Blue Pools
11 - 15 The richness of Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere/ Franz Josef. I will be looking up what these plants are as I’ve never seen them before. The glacier itself I have big feelings about, it is hard to stand in such a pristine place and see the impact of climate change so obviously.
16-17 Punakaiki sits on a warm air current, causing the vegetation to change abruptly from the lowland alpine forest surrounding it. There are SO MANY nikau in the hills and so many plants just clinging on to sheer rock faces.
18 Trees holding on above Whites Bay
19 The pink chipped paint rock pools of Whites Bay

I am completely captivated by these rich landscapes, both in their aesthetic forms, colours and textures and in the sheer life they offer to us to be a part of. I can’t wait to return 🏔️

Visit to Te Waipounamu - it’s been a long time, if at all, that I’ve seen this land so I have lots of notes!1-3 The stre...
16/02/2026

Visit to Te Waipounamu - it’s been a long time, if at all, that I’ve seen this land so I have lots of notes!

1-3 The street gardens in Ōtautahi are superb - an interesting mix of natives and exotics and are given space to flow by wide footpaths or side ditches. New developments are flanked by undulating parks that stretch through multiple blocks, stretching the sense of green through the apartments.

4 The delight of tussock ecosystems at Lake Pūkaki. The blue! The mountains!

5-7 The textures of alpine ecosystems at Aoraki National Park on the climb up Sealy Tarn.

More to come!

This is the Test Garden for .boorndap - I have been looking forward to visiting ever since its unfolding early in the ye...
04/12/2025

This is the Test Garden for .boorndap - I have been looking forward to visiting ever since its unfolding early in the year. It will eventually be a much larger biodiverse pollinator garden which Melbourne will be so lucky to have ❤️. Even on this small scale, it is a wonderland of shifting texture and colour and profoundly exciting to be amongst.

Submitted this project today - concept for a native garden on a sloped site. Mixed media collage - half hand drawn and h...
19/09/2025

Submitted this project today - concept for a native garden on a sloped site. Mixed media collage - half hand drawn and half printed paper. It’s the last of a round of assignments so I finally might get some gardening time this weekend!

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