What is Biodynamic Farming?

With much anticipation last Saturday I gathered up the clan with mom / grandma and headed out to Healdsburg to visit the impressive gardens of Quivira Winery.

Along with the always gorgeous landscaping of most wineries Quivira has taken the next step and have added an entire biodynamic estate garden along with a very happy flock of chickens adding their contribution to the green efforts.  Now I am no stranger to this famous little corner of Sonoma wine country, many a time I have taken the West Dry Creek Road and enjoyed immensely the row of high end wineries from Rafanellis, Belvedere, Hop Kiln, Rochioli and their tremendous Pinots, to Lambert Bridge winery makers of my favorite Viongier!  In fact I would have to say this is my single favorite stretch of wineries in all of wine country & I’m from Napa!  Quivira is just a bit north on West Dry Creek Road so I have tended to miss this winery as I always headed south….I will certainly be adding this facility as a must visit winery from now on!
Now let’s start with a little background information on this wonderful little winery.  Quivira, along with precious few other wineries, are true pioneers in the field of biodynamic farming for both their vineyards and their estate gardens.  In fact their mantra is ‘Biodynamics maintains that nature is very powerful… if you let it reign.’ They generally feel that the core of biodynamics is the creation of the best soil possible.  So with a mix of science and a little spiritual attitude mixed in they have built a standard of horticultural practices that would be a major boon to the environment if practiced by the wine industry in general.  The norm in the industry is to mono crop acres of vines, use devastating chemicals which together do not create a natural balance at all in the vast amount of vineyard areas that dominate Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino counties!

The Biodynamic Gardens of Quivira

So what is Biodynamic farming?  Is it a fancy term for organic farming or sustainable farming?  Or is it a unique entity that has its own standard of rules and practices?  As mentioned above the main focus of Biodynamics is the soil and how to build it to a healthy sustaining entity that thrives with living organic activity.   Normal farming practices generally deplete and sap the soil of its vitality, eventually only able to sustain crops with heavy doses of chemical fertilizers to get them to grow in this now poor soil devoid of any organic material.  With no natural ecosystem in place copious doses of  pesticides and herbicides must be applied throughout the growing season to ensure there will be a crop at the end of the process!   No Good!   Biodynamic farming strives to put back into the soil what was taken from it. The end goal is to make the farm, as a whole, a healthy self-contained, sustainable entity that is reliant upon the plants, animals, soil, and us humans to make it work.  So yes it is organic, and yes it is sustainable …but these are just individual factors that make up Biodynamic farming in general.
So how exactly is Biodynamic farming carried out?  For it to be true to its definition it must really be a farm …..a farm as we all picture in our minds as it should be.  With lots of diverse and beneficial plantings of crops and non crop plants that bring in a diverse population of insects that will carry out the natural order of things.  If you lack these plants that house these beneficial insects that prey on the very bugs that dine on your crops you leave your ecosystem out of balance resulting in a lack of vitality in your plants and biosystem in general.  What else do you see on a farm?  Animals!   At Quivira it is the chickens and bees that

Busy Busy Bees!

are making the biggest impact …along with a little help of their bovine friends.   They prepare natural spray applications that are generated from their animal manure, herbs, and essential minerals.  These application formulas are quite diverse as they have nine different concoctions of different ingredients that are timed to be applied at certain times of year to focus on the life cycle of their plants and grapevines.  These are focused specially for rebuilding the soil, stimulating root growth, feeding beneficial microorganisms, and aiding the plants in photosynthesis.   Specific examples are given at Quivira, which include:

• To stimulate microbial life in the soil in the springtime they create a spray that is developed starting in the fall when they bury cow horns stuffed with cow manure.  These remain buried all winter long and dug up in the spring after they have gone through an entire biological transformation and are teaming with beneficial microbes and broken down micro elements.
• They grow stinging nettle in their gardens (so be careful of what you touch!) to harvest and bury in containers in the ground to decomposed.  The end resulting material is added to the compost piles, which when applied to the vineyards supplies unique nutritional elements that are vital for peak health of the vines.

Another side to Biodynamic farming practices that are lacking in the organic and sustainable models is a bit of the cosmic and mystical element.  So when they are doing these applications to the vineyards and gardens, Quivira sticks to a strict schedule that is supplied by the astronomical calendar.  This includes all horticultural practices that take place at the winery estate including pruning, cultivating, and harvesting.   The end result of all this nurturing and care are impressively healthy vineyards and crops that are naturally more resistant to pests and disease. How about you? Do you know a farm or family that is practicing Biodynamic activities to grow their crops? I would love to hear their or your story of maintaining gardens in balance with nature…naturally!

High on Grass Part 1

High on Grass Part 2

The Big Boys

There are so many delightful choices among the large specimen grasses that it’s going to be hard to fit them all within the confines of this article. Probably my most used large grass in my landscape designs the Purple Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’) (Zone 8-11). This grass adds a dark and dramatic element, growing to about 4 or 5 feet tall after a couple seasons. This is the one grass that I’m perfectly happy putting all by itself, as it has all the qualities desired of a large grass and specimen plant. Gorgeous seed heads flowing above the dark, thick, majestic grass blades, and best of all it is sterile so there is no chance of it getting out of control in your yard. The only issue I have seen living in my zone 9 area is that it can disappear easily over the winter not to return if hit by too hard a frost.

For a nice contrast to this purple beauty, try Miscanthus sinensis ‘Strictus’ (Zone 6 to 9) a gorgeous large grass that tops out at about 4 to 5 feet in height (other versions of this plant can reach upwards of 12 feet, which I wouldn’t suggest for any property, except maybe the back forty of a safari reserve!) This large, deep green grass with yellow banded blades looks like it would be right at home being grazed upon by a large herd of elephants along a stream in the plains of Africa…or tucked into the corner of your tropical- themed backyard! This grass is very effective in large clumps at the back of large yards or used open meadows for a very dramatic effect.

Another large grass that is impressive for its grand display is the Muhlygrass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) (Zone 4 to 10). Nothing I’ve seen quite compares with the fall display this unique grass brings to the party. Most of the summer this plant will look like standard, tufted grass, growing to about 3 feet high, then it will suddenly push up an additional 2 feet or so of an almost cloud-like pink haze of ruby seed heads, and when back-lit by the sun it is hard to believe what you are actually seeing! This does very well in the east where it is a native to its more acidic soils.

For a different look you can use Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) (Zone 4 to 7). Its grass blades come from the main stem like bamboo (another grass!), and grows to about 3 feet high before erupting with flattened fish-like oat heads that dangle from the entire plant. These will transform from green to pink and then to an earthy brown by late summer while the foliage obligingly stays a bright green until finally fading to a gorgeous yellow by late fall. Although the name suggests otherwise, its native habitat is from the Midwest of the United States down through the Southeast.

Last, but not least is North America’s most widespread native, Switch Grass or Panicum virgatum (Zone 3 to 9). Depending on the varietal, it can range from 3 – 6 feet high. The shorter forms have a real stiff, upright form while taller versions have the weeping vase like shape. All varieties sport colorful string-like, long, draping seed heads that make this a fun and diverse plant that is adaptable to most garden and soil conditions.

So, there you have just a brief summary of some of my favorites, but there are so many more wonderful grasses out there.Others you should feel free to explore include Helitotrichon sempervirens (Blue Oat Grass) (Zones 4 to 9), Schizachyrium scoparium (Bluestem)*  (Zones 3 to 9), Sporobolus wrightii (Giant Sacaton)*  (Zones 6 to 9), and Deschamsia flesuosa (Wavy Hair Grass)*  (Zones 2 to 7).

So what have you liked in your yard? How do you want to use grasses in your landscape, and what would you plant with them as good companions? And I would love to know if you are inspired to go forth and give these diverse gems of the horticulture world a chance in your space and really see how they make a landscape shine!

If you need more ideas on planting grasses, here are some good sites to get you started:

Native Grasses of California
Growing Ornamental Grasses

* Note – These plants will be in the database soon!

Gazing out over the tapestry of a Yosemite meadow a couple years back, I had an epiphany which gave me even more confidence as a landscape designer. It occurred to me that one of the biggest foundations of flora in nature is the amazing array of grasses! From the delicate tufts of grass, adding texture to that high mountain meadow to the grassy native sedges holding our coastal sand dunes in place, almost every major biome (anywhere in the world!) prominently features grasses in their many forms.

As a designer I was always attempting to tie into nature and it was my genuine attempts to replicate nature that created the best designs.  Yet in the industry, where the client’s priorities come first, my designs were mostly determined by the opinions of the clients and what appealed most to them, not necessarily what looked most natural.

Once in a while, I would meet with some resistance from clients when including grasses in a landscape design. Often, they assume grasses will just look dead in the winter, or not provide the same visual impact of a blooming plant. The truth is, most people would be amazed by the variety of color, texture, size, shapes, and all season interest available in the grass community. Some varieties produce long lasting, blooms that are almost surreal with their uniqueness and unbelievable beauty. Actually, if grasses are missing from your garden or landscape, you are missing a basic component that makes up the best of nature’s planting plans. Nothing really softens and transitions between plant groups like the movement and flow of grass, especially if planted in groups that create soft drifts of earthy colors and flicker with movement in every breeze.

In my next posting I will begin going over some favorite grasses used in landscaping and gardens. How about you and your space? Have you been a long time fan of ornamental grasses? Have you always wanted some in your garden, but are not sure how they would look or work?

New variety alert!  Check out ‘Blonde Ambition’ a fantastic new cultivar of the native prairie grass Bouteloua gracillis .