Natural Garden News from Grounded – January 4, 2025

Inside this edition of Natural Garden News

  • To 2025!
  • If you want a Grounded garden…
  • The best intro to natural gardens
  • Why ‘good soils’ aren’t necessarily a good thing
  • New here? Start with these articles
  • Today’s recommended reading
  • Today’s VIP (Very Important Plant)
  • Seeing red
  • From the socials

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

Simon Payn
Grounded

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

Follow Grounded on the socials!

To 2025!

It was lovely to wake up on January 1 to a fresh carpet of snow. A new start right there.

So here’s to a 2025 of stewarding our landscapes, adding rather than taking away, acting for the whole of nature rather than ourselves, and making our surroundings more beautiful and bountiful, one plant at a time.

Thank you to you for reading this newsletter. And thank you to my clients who have trusted me with their landscapes. I’ll be with you, from green shoot in spring through to fat seed in fall as together we garden for life.

Happy new year!

Simon

If you want a Grounded garden…

I’m now booking garden and shoreline installs for 2025 and 2026.

There’s too much snow on the ground to come look at your site, but my pipeline is starting to fill…so now’s the time to get in touch.

To see some of my recent work, please see this page.


The best intro to natural gardens

A new book by Kelly D. Norris is set to become the go-to guide for those who want to understand the kind of things we do here at Grounded. Read more.

Why ‘good soil’ isn’t necessarily a good thing

Poor growing conditions don’t have to be a problem. Indeed, natural gardeners often prefer them. 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

Unslippery slope: Here’s an article about planting on slopes. I did a project on a slope last year – not dissimilar to this. A lot of the sites here are hilly, so this is a good read. Read more.

For when the snow is gone: This garden by Adam Woodruff is one of my favourites. There’s some good advice here, but the reason I’m linking to it is for the eye-candy. Read more.

Worker bees: Love this video about a meadow that was created outside an office building. Inspirational! Watch it.

A lazy gal’s garden: The title made me laugh. But there’s good advice here on creating a natural, native plant garden. Read more.

Hope for the new year: An article about why it’s worth taking small steps to protect nature in our backyards, even when it seems the odds are against us. 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 Bunchberry.

Seeing red

Let’s continue last month’s theme: seeing differently.

When winter’s world is monochrome, colour stands out. Here, for example, are some reds: the sunrise on the hills, the fallen needles of the White Pine, and the stems of Red Osier Dogwood.

Beauty is in the small things. We have a better day when we notice that.

Please share me!

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From the socials

I’ll admit I’m obsessed with the Grey to Green project in the British city of Sheffield. Why? Because it’s everything: manages water, looks amazing, brings nature into the city…

I know we don’t have any cities up here, but where could a little bit of green infrastructure like this work? I’d love to make it happen.

See the post here.

Rufus says Hi!

And no, I’m absolutely not responsible for the mud all over the car.

Thank you for reading!

Simon

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