Berkano has the energy of a birch grove, and is an hidden sanctuary in times of need. The birch is the first tree to awaken in the spring time, and so Berkano is about the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Healing of all sorts is strongest through this rune, particularly recuperation, rejuvenation, purification, detoxification and regeneration.
Our story starts with a Rune found on the driveway of 72P. Berkano, the Rune of continued growth and continual rebirth or renewal in all things. The Rune of becoming.
Mowing and gardening wasn't going to resolve the primary cause of the growing ugly. 95% of all the ground had been covered in layers of weed mat and other plastic. While it had been removed from the most of the garden, the driveway remained a combination of poor quality fill and erosion, with black plastic popping to the surface. And this was a large driveway that consumed all of the yard area. Indeed, a driveway that is rarely used as our clients most often come to the island by ferry on foot.
Over 2 days, 303 metres was removed from the driveway, garage and surrounds. Rod, his Dingo and truck made easy the prep for the landscaping. In addition to the 10 cms removed from the surface, a small pit was dug for water retention ahead of the existing septic trenches. The whole area was then covered in geofabric, followed by 5 cms of road base. The area then compacted and smoothed with a wacker packer. Next, the Trugrid was laid and fully interlocked across the whole surface.
The Trugrid was laid up into the yard from both gates then bridged into a "U" shaped connected panel. After this starting point was established to was simple to build out from that in any direction necessary. Edges were then cut as required with a circular saw.
Our project team included Chris for his botanical and landscaping knowledge and to separate design from production. Mark for various repair and make and do tasks. Josh to assist in getting the physical work done. Rod to do earth moving. And Yani, my jobs, linking it all together to get a result. We invented tools to do the job, including a roller to tow behind the ride on mower which made an excellent mini tractor once the mower deck was removed.
A perfect lawn deserves a reel mower. And the easy way was perhaps to buy a cheap Ozzo mower from Bunnings. Buying Chinese junk that doesn't last, it just rings bells for any concept of sustainability or an interesting outcome. Concept, to buy a second hand reel mower and if the motor had issues, convert it to battery power. Which lead to the finding of the ATCO above, built in 1952. Same mower my grandfather had when I was a child. The only way to respect this mower is with a full restoration.
So we bought a 17 inch reel mower, without the historic value for our conversion. And to go with this,a new reel and bed knife, 1000 watt motor with controller bearings. This will be the mower used for fine lawns.
The first 6 months revolved around tree removal, weed removal, ending a destructive ant infestation and building up mulch on the existing gardens. Landscaping isn't an instant project and benefits from plenty of "ooo-rrrr" factor. The only starting point there can be is removal of existing plants that are problematic and previous features such as fake grass.
With most of the previously ugly now covered with turf and the new outlines of the garden roughed, all of us become enthralled by the difference made to the presentation of the house and to a sense of being more relaxed while standing in the garden. Over 303 metres of arbor's chips have been used on the garden, including 10 which had been added to the garden in the previous 6 months. 45 kgs of Gypsum and 30 kgs of dynamic lifter has been spread over the garden. A water retention agent has been applied to the soil prepared Trugrid surface before the turf was laid.
Making the call to remove the palms on the east side of the house required objective assessment between the costs of removal of the palms and their stumps. However, like the nasturtiums that got too big for their boots, so to had these palms.
Repairs were made before landscaping to prevent future maintenance resulting in potential destruction of the new garden. Repairing a rusted stump, cleaning gutters and roof and finally washing the house down of any accumulated dust from landscaping.
For 72P, the design attempts to keep in place much of the existing garden and within the context of those bones create a style nicknamed "Hamilton Hamptons" for the front of the house. As the discussion progresses the general concept is "Hamilton Hamptons" at the front and a "floral and fauna park" on the back block.
Lamb Island presents unique challenges, there is no quick trip to Bunnings or a $40 delivery. As stunning as our boat trips to Australia are, they are time consuming and counter productive to getting work done. Projects require an approach that recognises limitations specific to Lamb Island. One such limitation was the lack of any rocks on the island.
One such limitation was the lack of any rocks on the island. Over the course of a week, Josh with encouragement from Yani, became a master maker of artificial rocks my from cardboard boxes, reinforcing and cement; coloured with cement and wood stains. This first attempt at rock making, forced on us by necessity, created stones that the SMBI judges had not distinguished from the real thing.
Every project is an opportunity to engage with the best principles in ethics, environmental solutions, expanding community contentedness and exploring our inventive natures. Best principles within the challenges of isolation in the context of a group of people with a "can-do" attitude. And a client who when informed about the South Moreton Bay Islands (SMBI) Spring Gardening Competition said, "oh yes we are competitive, let's enter that".
[here we say something about the existing design -- refer to Chris]
The final photos