Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture
Hemenway, a permaculture expert and associate editor of The  Permaculture Activist, explains how gardens can function as  ecosystems, describes the basic parts of an ecological garden  (soil, water, plants, and animals), and shows how to create  backyard ecosystems through guilds. Guilds, the author tells us,  are groups of plants that function as an ecosystem to provide  products for humans, create cover and food for wildlife, nourish  the soil, conserve water, and repel pests. A simple example of a  guild is the "three sisters" (corn, beans, and squash); corn  stalks provide a trellis for beans, the beans supply nitrogen to  the soil, and the squash leaves inhibit weeds and conserve  water. While Hemenway's ideas are intriguing, creating guilds  specific to an area involves extensive research, which involves  either observing plant communities in the wild or using books or  university contacts. In addition, the author doesn't  sufficiently explain how to incorporate the many sun-loving  vegetables and flowers into guilds, which are often  shade-oriented. Recommended only for botanical and academic  libraries. Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove P.L., ILCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.