Landscapes as beautiful to nature as they are to you
Natural gardens and shorelines designed and installed using native plants
Can we garden for nature as well as for humans? Can we make a beautiful landscape full of native plants that have co-evolved with Ontario's insects and birds? Can we see the world from the perspective of everything in it, not just through our own eyes? And can we leave our small patch of the planet a little bit better?
Why you'll feel good when you garden for life
A better future lies just outside your door.
Imagine no more mowing. No more fertilizing. Much less watering. Instead, you'll have a garden alive with butterflies and birds that changes month by month, season by season.
With the world facing a biodiversity crisis, it's hard to know what to do. The problem seems so big. One answer is to act where you can: close to home, healing the world one garden at a time.
Most importantly, you'll feel a deeper connection with your home and the land you live on. You'll be at the vanguard of humanity's rediscovered healthy relationship with the rest of nature.
Get a free guide to natural gardens and shorelines
Fill out the form to get a free guide to creating natural gardens and shorelines in Haliburton County and surrounding areas, plus Grounded's popular newsletter.
"Great job on your newsletter! Well researched, fact based recommendations with excellent resources. Looking forward to more!" - Rita D.
Serving Haliburton County and Surrounding Aeas
Including Kawartha Lakes, Muskoka and Hastings
Lawn Replacement and Native Plant Gardens
Lawns, long a symbol of garden perfection, have environmental and psychological implications. Transform your garden into a landscape that benefits you – and nature.
Shoreline Naturalization
Haliburton County’s lakes are its lifeblood, and healthy lakes require healthy shorelines. We can help bring your shoreline back to life.
Septic System Landscaping
Don’t know what to do with your septic bed? Using it for a native plant garden is a great way to combine functionality and natural beauty.
About Simon Payn
My name is Simon Payn and I help people transform their boring lawns into gardens that are beautiful for wildlife as well as for humans.
Sometimes it takes five decades of life to figure out your calling. Now I've discovered it. Fascinated by nature and gardens as a child, finally I've found a way to combine both, and to do our part to fix the biodiversity crisis the world is facing. Now my hands are in the soil ad my head is in native plants.
I've taken several courses with the University of Guelph, including one on naturalizing urban landscapes. And I've created a demonstration native plant garden in downtown Haliburton.
Gardens that please nature as well as humans are the future. Not only do they save hours of mowing and maintenance, but they create an ecosystem rich in invertebrates, birds and mammals. These types of gardens help us do our bit to fix our broken relationship with nature, and I want to bring them to the Haliburton Highlands.
Philosophical background
Snubsta
- Each day is a meditation on the beauty and wonder that surround us. Most of all, it's about love. Read more here.
What is Grounded?
Education
University of Guelph
- Naturalizing and Restoring Landscapes
- Plant Identification
- Business Principles in Horticulture
New Directions in American Landscapes
- Ecology-based Landscape Practice
Kelly D Norris
- New Naturalism Academy
Garden Masterclass
- Naturalistic Planting Course with Noel Kingsbury, Nigel Dunnett and Cassian Schmidt.
Examples of Grounded's Work
Work in Progress: Natural Gardens and Shorelines on the Drawing Board
Here are the designs of some of the natural garden and shoreline projects that are in our pipeline, ready to go from drawing board to soil.
Enhancing Beauty: A Haliburton Cottage Garden
Haliburton cottage gardens come in all shapes and sizes. Here are some traditional sunny and part-shaded garden beds, all with native plants.
Garden by the Lake: A Natural Cottage Shoreline Landscape
Plants can do many things. Here’s a recent cottage shoreline project that played several roles.
Sedge Meadow: Native Plants for Shade at the Cottage
Many cottage landscapes are in shade or part-shade. And many are on slopes. Here’s a solution using native plants for that kind of site.
Sunny Prairie: Native Plants on a Cottage Septic Bed
Your cottage septic leach bed can become wonderful native plant gardens. You just have to choose the right species.
Life on the Edge: Adding Native Plants to a Cottage Woodland Clearing
You don’t have to start afresh. Here’s an example of native plants added to a cottage woodland clearing.
From Our Blog
Is that Plant Easy-Going or Is It Super-Fussy?
Here are three useful ways to make sure we choose plants that will thrive with little management.
Lucas House Diary: May 10, 2025
Spring clean-up is pretty much complete now. The garden can breathe again. particularly the parts that were under a thatch of Little Bluestem stalks.
How to Create a Landscape that Belongs Here
To make your home truly belong in its surroundings, the finishing touch comes from thoughtful planting choices, creating a natural connection to the local environment.
Native Plants for Haliburton County
The Garden at Lucas House in Haliburton
One century building.
One fewer lawn.
One Grounded garden.
Get in touch
If you'd like to talk about Grounded gardens, please contact Simon Payn.
Grounded
123 Maple Ave.
Box 261,
Haliburton, ON K0M 1S0
Get a free guide to natural gardens and shorelines
Fill out the form to get a free guide to creating natural gardens in Haliburton County and surrounding areas, plus Grounded's popular newsletter.
"Great job on your newsletter! Well researched, fact based recommendations with excellent resources. Looking forward to more!" - Rita D.