Natural Garden News from Grounded – December 7

Inside this edition of Natural Garden News

  • It’s time to tango
  • If you want a Grounded garden…
  • A Haliburton cottage garden
  • How ‘arrested succession’ is a win-win for humans and nature
  • New here? Start with these articles
  • Today’s recommended reading
  • Today’s VIP (Very Important Plant)
  • Of copper and snow
  • From the socials

I hope you enjoy the newsletter! If you have any questions or feedback, please reply to this email.

In the meantime, I wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. Thank you for reading, for your comments and for your business in 2023. I appreciate it all.

Simon Payn
Grounded

Email: hello@groundedgardens.ca
Web: groundedgardens.ca

Follow Grounded on the socials!

It’s time to tango

The more I learn about and practice natural garden design, the more I come to appreciate that nature has it all worked out already.

It’s just a case of dancing with it.

I’ve been thinking about ecological succession this month (see the article below) and the big thing I discovered is that a biodiverse landscape is a beautiful landscape. There seems to be an inherent connection between an ecosystem that is rich in food and habitat, and one that looks nice to our eyes.

This means it makes sense for me to work with nature to create something beautiful. Instead of thinking I know best, I know that nature knows best and if I can work with the best of nature, I can create the best of designs.

It’s a tango. Nature leads, I follow… and we dance.

Simon

If you want a Grounded garden…

I’m now booking garden and shoreline installs for next year.

There’s too much snow on the ground to come look at your site, but I’m already getting booked up for 2025, so now’s the time to get in touch.

To see some of my recent work, please look at this article.


A Haliburton cottage garden

A look inside a recent project: some traditional garden beds, all with native plants. (Please watch out for bears.) Read more.

How ‘arrested succession’ is a win-win for humans and nature

Working with ecological succession is the secret to beautiful and biodiverse landscapes. Here’s why. Read more.

New here? Start with these articles

Native plants and natural gardens 101

Links to my most important articles. Read more.

Myths about native plants and natural gardens

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

Go wild! An excellent primer on natural gardening and landscaping. It’s written for the Pacific coast but don’t let that deter you – the same principles apply. Read more.

Life in death: How some cemeteries are rewilding – allowing native plants to grow in the place of lawn. Here in Haliburton County, the Master Gardeners are helping add native plants to the new green burial site. But maybe more of our cemeteries could be hives of life amidst death? Read more.

Good disturbance: Conservation isn’t necessarily about leaving things as they are. Instead, disturbance is often introduced. The secret is to practice that disturbance in harmony with nature. The same is true with the landscapes we design here at Grounded. Read more.

New perspectives: Part of the secret to natural landscape design is encouraging people to see beauty in a new way. Here, for example, are pictures of a garden in the fog. When colour is stripped out and backgrounds dissolve we see a new beauty in plants. Read more.

Drone’s eye view: Here are some pictures of a garden in fall taken from above. You get an entirely new picture of the garden. Read more

Get the free guide

I’ve updated my guide to natural gardens in Haliburton County and surrounding areas.

Now booking garden and shoreline installs

If you’d like me to come and look at your garden or shoreline, please contact me.

Today’s VIP (Very Important Plant)

I’ve put together some information “cards” about native plants. These are plants I use in my designs.

Today let’s look at Buffaloberry.

Of copper and snow

One of my jobs is to encourage people to see differently.

We’re attuned to the bright, somewhat artificial blooms created by traditional horticulture. But if we’re to move away from this aesthetic and embrace something that has more benefits to nature, it helps to appreciate beauty in different ways.

It has snowed heavily in Haliburton County this past week. The result is a landscape dominated by white…. and by copper.

Below are some pictures. The first three were taken at Lucas House, my test garden in Haliburton Village. The top image shows the stems and seeds of Little Bluestem, which contrasts magnificently with the snow. Below that are two images of the seedheads of an aster species. And at the bottom is a landscape near my home that shows the dormant leaves of beech trees.

Beauty is everywhere – in the coldest, snowiest, smallest places. If we would only notice.

Please share me!

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From the socials

This is a picture taken by landscape designer Nigel Dunnett of an English landscape. It’s not a garden and while it’s not nature as we know it – those trees are along the boundaries of fields – I find it quite inspirational.

Look how the lines of trees lead up to the focal point of the church. Also notice how brown is a colour in this snowy landscape. Gardens don’t die in winter.

See the post here.

Rufus says Hi!

Thank you for reading!

Simon

Email: hello@groundedgardens.ca
Web: groundedgardens.ca