While studying permaculture, the biggest change that I’ve found in my garden design approach is patience.

I don’t have a landscape plan for my house. I have ideas, but nothing else. My husband brings up possible problems, design ideas, and I just think, “We’ll see.”

Permaculture is all about observing. I’ve only been here a few months, most of which has been in the dead of winter. I can’t plan everything yet–I don’t know the sun angle in relation to the trees in the summer and exactly what areas get full sun or full shade. I don’t know how the irrigation water will run, what areas will be more wet or dry. I don’t know what weeds grow where, and I haven’t dug around in the soil that much.

I could guess, make a plan. I’ve done it all the time, because I don’t have the luxury of sitting on client’s work for months at a time. But with my home, where nothing is pressing, I’m content to wait and observe for a year before I start finalizing plans and ripping out grass or seed meadows. I will do some things: take away what I know I don’t want, start some cover crops, and provide play areas for my children. I’m still planting a vegetable garden. But I’m not in a hurry to order a bunch of fruit trees and start building raised beds.

What I’ve found while observing, is that the first design ideas get tossed away, modified, and mostly improved. New ideas come, and because everything is still flexible, I can incorporate them easily. Problems in the landscape aren’t horrible, because I have yet to determine what everything will be and can easily adjust. Waiting is a good thing.