The phrase “right plant, right place” is so commonplace now, especially in the circles I move in, that I forget it was coined only in the 1990s.
I’ve been in the UK and as you’ll see in one of the articles below, I visited Beth Chatto’s garden. Her most famous creation is a gravel garden where she chose plants that would grow without being watered – right plant, right place. This was pretty innovative at the time.
It’s easy to forget this mantra. We see a plant we like and we want it, forgetting that it might not be suited to where we are. Right plant, right place leads to happy plants and happy gardeners because it’s much less work when we choose the right species.
With the native plants I use, I like to go even further: right plant, very right place. Not only are native plants suited to the climate, they’re also suited to the plants that surround them and to the thousands of animals that rely on them.
It requires a grain of humility to limit ourselves to right plant, very right place. But when we dance with nature, everyone is better off.
Simon
If you want a Grounded garden…
I’m now booking garden and shoreline installs for next year.
We still have a few more weeks until the snow flies, so if you’re interested in talking about a Grounded garden, there’s still time.
To see some of my recent work, please look at this article.
Natural patterns make a great starting point for landscape designs. Here’s why. Read more.
Some British naturalistic gardens (autumn eye candy)
On a recent trip to the UK, I took the opportunity to visit some naturalistic gardens by heroes of mine. I thought you’d like to see them too – and see what I learned from them. Read more.
In case you missed it: Deer and Haliburton
There was a broken link in the last newsletter, so here’s another chance to read about the lessons (and hope) from my battle with deer at Lucas House. Read more.
I hear a lot of myths. Here’s the reality. Read more.
All about shorelines
A look at shoreline naturalization: why it’s important and how to do it. Read more.
Today’s recommended reading
Play it again: One of my most valuable design tools is repetition. It helps make the design legible. And the interesting thing is, nature has repetition in it, too. Read more.
Big hort: A meaty article on the problems with the nurseries business. I resonate with a lot of this, which is why I buy my native plants from growers within 90 minutes of Haliburton. Read more.
How plants succeed: Here’s a good primer on plant survival strategies. It helps to be aware of how plants grow and behave if you’re going to design a landscape that works. I’ll be writing more about this from a local perspective in a future newsletter. Read more.
Get the free guide
I’ve updated my guide to natural gardens in Haliburton County and surrounding areas.
I’ve put together some information “cards” about native plants. These are plants I use in my designs.
Today let’s look at Black-eyed Susan
This week in The Highlands
I’m a fan of the Haliburton Highlands Last Trust. I was a board member a few years ago and have watched them go from strength-to-strength since.
Most interesting is the Highlands Corridor, where the organization is helping people steward the land in a critical geographic region that runs east-west through the county.
Now they’ve identified a property within the corridor. It meets all their specs for a high-quality piece of habitat, so they want to buy it to protect it in perpetuity.
To help fundraise, the Land Trust is this month launching an online auction where you can bid on some fantastic items. Christmas gifts, anyone?
If you know someone who might like this newsletter, please forward it to them!
Did someone forward this to you?
Get your own copy by clicking here and adding your email address.
From the socials
Did you know you can plant into building rubble? Below is an example. It was planted into aggregate, with just a pinch of compost. It looks pretty good, doesn’t it?
The secret, as always, is choosing the right plants. Despite what you may hear, some plants love impoverished soils – that’s the condition they’re suited for. Indeed, if the soil were too rich, they wouldn’t thrive.
Worth considering. Soils don’t have to be amended if you make the right choices.
