First of all, the key-hole design gave me the solution to a problem I've always had -- how to tend the plants that are too far to reach from the outside edge. I always disliked making an obvious step into the garden from the front, breaking up the design. Now I'm incorporating the keyhole as either part of the design or by creating a "backdoor" -- I.e. a path from the side or back of the bed so that the front row remains intact.
I also love the idea of creating an edible garden. I'd already started the raised bed veggie garden as well as the sunflower/corn house and fence row and a sunny meadow-to-be planted with pumpkins and scarlet runner beans to fill in the empty spaces. Part of my veggie garden is planted with Three Sister corn/pumpkin/bean bed and corn/cuke/sunflower/dill bed. So as you can see, the ideas of permaculture and the book recommendation was perfect for where I was going with my garden this year.
Reading the book made me re-think about two plants in my garden that have been left to fend for themselves -- ostrich fern and wild blackberries.
I planted the ostrich fern years ago along the NE side of the house. It's a neglected area, sometimes drying out and not entirely ideal, but the ostrich fern has hung on, so that they haven't exactly prospered but neither have they died off. There never was enough really to harvest the spring shoots though. So now, I'm moving them to the shady area under the trees along the back fence. The ones I've already moved are looking much happier. Hopefully they'll take off and will provide some tasty side-dishes next spring.
There is a corner area created by the back of the garage and side of the family room that is being taken over by wild blackberries. This is another neglected area that I'm reluctant to do anything major with because it's the logical part of the house to be remodeled to expand the family room. Right now, there are some native daylilies along the wall and a native azalea in the corner where the AC drain comes out and the blooms waft intoxicating fragrance into the family room window. My kids love the blackberries, but I've tended to systematically chop them at the base because the thorns are deadly!
But now, I'm inspired to take care of the brambles properly -- maybe Gaia - Mother Earth - has been making a suggestion to grow them here 
so I'll be putting up a T-trellis to encourage them to grow in a more orderly fashion, and pruning them into shape. My Edible Garden so far:
The dwarf apple tree has little apples reddening, blueberries are all green but are starting to show hints of color so I just put up the birdnet (8' bamboo poles topped by 2L soda bottles make great supports BTW). The birds are FEASTING on the mulberries, and no doubt will be moving on to the hawthorn. Kids and I are picking wild strawberries from the patch that provides ground cover for the Japanese Maple island bed in the front yard. The plums are going through their "June drop" but here are PLENTY of still-green fruits on the tree. The elderberry growing next to the mulberry has had some kind of a set back and is mostly growing new shoots -- not as big as before, and no flowers so far, but little suckers are trying to take over the yard so I'll have plenty to relocate as I work on my GRAND DESIGN.
I'm planning a "desert scape" garden where I'll be moving a Yucca from a shady area under a crabapple tree (it used to be sunny there until the crabapple moved in), and my mom is going to give me some of her prickly cactus. I'll plant some achillea there along with lavender and other drought tolerant herbs. It'll also be the perfect place to put the hen-and-chicks that are overflowing from their pot. I plan to design this in a spiral bed edged with sandstone.
Other plants I'm considering are: paw paw, NJ tea, bayberry, bamboo (this one's tricky -- but I'd love to be able to harvest the shoots!), some kind of a nut tree... a native would be a hazelnut but that's another one that suckers and takes over. I don't have THAT much room -- though I sure wish I did.
