Permaculture · Sustainable Living · Circular Farming
Touching the soil
changes everything.
For 10 years I've been transforming my garden with permaculture. Honest notes on rare seeds, cuttings and circular living.
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Dasylirion longissimum: The Drought-Defying, Winter-Hardy Landscape Statement
Dasylirion longissimum — Mexican Grass Tree — is one of the most structurally striking drought-tolerant plants for the garden. At HE-QA Garden it sails through summer heat and Sakarya winters with no fuss at all.
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Weigela: The Shrub in My Garden With Those Deep Red Trumpet Flowers
When I saw these deep red, trumpet-shaped flowers, I suspected it might be Weigela. I don't know the exact cultivar name, but the flower structure and foliage point quite strongly to this genus.
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Fernleaf Yarrow (Achillea filipendulina): A Gold-Colored Guest That Gets By on Little Water
Since fernleaf yarrow entered my garden, it's become one of the corners that asks for the least water and complains the least. With its flat, plate-like golden-yellow flower heads, it's both a visual and a practical win.
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Gul Biberi (Rose Pepper): The Pepper From Germany That Resprouts From Its Root Even Through Frost
I brought this pepper plant from Germany - I know it as 'gul biberi' (rose pepper). Every winter it looks like it's died back to frost, but come spring it resprouts from the same root, and when it ripens it turns into a red, hot pepper.
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Pink Lady (Cripps Pink): The Late-Ripening Pink Apple in My Garden
I caught this apple on my tree at an early stage - the pink patches scattered over a green-yellow background and the late ripening timing pointed me toward Pink Lady. There's no confirmed nursery tag, but the visual and seasonal fit is quite strong.
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Kadi 77: Yalova's Registered Early Summer Pear
This pear sapling I got from Yalova Tarim is Kadi 77 - an early summer pear cultivar registered by the Yalova Ataturk Horticultural Research Institute. The first fruits in my garden stayed yellow, but the flavor is genuinely good.
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Vitis vinifera Alphonse Lavallée: The Purple Pearl of the Garden
With its large purple-pink berries and intense aroma, Alphonse Lavallée grape is one of the most spectacular fruits in our garden. Late August harvest, its flavor comparable to nothing in the store.
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Weeping Nootka False Cypress: The Conifer Whose Scientific Name Keeps Changing
This young conifer I've recently added to my garden is the weeping Nootka false cypress - its scientific name has changed hands among botanists more than once, but its drooping, almost weeping branch structure hasn't changed at all.
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Bougainvillea: My Ongoing Struggle to Grow It in the Ground in Sakarya
I still haven't managed to move my intensely magenta bougainvillea from its pot into the ground - Sakarya's winters are tough on this tropical beauty. I've seen it grown large in a few gardens here, but for me it's still an ongoing experiment.
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Lonicera Tellmanniana: The Yellow Honeysuckle That Paints My Pergola Orange
This orange-yellow honeysuckle climbing my garden pergola is Lonicera tellmanniana - a hybrid that brings North America and China together, and now it's putting on a show in my own garden.
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Acer Palmatum Tamukeyama: A Japanese Maple That Keeps Its Color Through Summer Heat
One of the Japanese maples in my collection is Tamukeyama - with its cascading, lace-like branches and deep red foliage that doesn't fade through summer, it holds a special place for me.
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Red Gem Goumi: The Cultivar With a Cherry-Like Flavor From Kiev
Another addition to the goumi family in my garden: Red Gem. Unlike Big Gem, this cultivar has a clear selection history behind it - and the flavor reflects that.
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A Paradise in 500 Square Meters: Permaculture's Three Numbers and the Third Ethic
I want to share a vision I teach in my courses: a small garden can feed an entire family, a tiny fraction of the world's land could feed everyone, and we could leave the rest to Gaia - if only we take Bill Mollison's third ethic seriously.
Read more"Keep the cycle, the future is in your hands."
— HE-QA Garden
Permaculture for me is not just a gardening technique — it's a life philosophy. To repair the soil, keep the cycle and leave a richer nature for future generations. Every seed is a trust, every cutting a hope.
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Letters from the Garden
Seasonal planting calendars, rare plant introductions and permaculture tips. Once a week.