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I’m delighted to say the garden is joining the David Suzuki Foundation’s Butterflyway Project. Thanks to the Haliburton County Master Gardeners for facilitating this.

I always knew the first year would be weedy. Until the plants are established and because I didn’t put a thick layer of mulch down (here’s why), weeds will pop up. I’m taking a pretty relaxed attitude towards them. In the main, I want to stop them seeding and creating more weeds, so I’ll keep…

This is what makes it worthwhile. A monarch butterfly on the Swamp Milkweed planted in the garden.

Someone passed by the garden at Lucas House the other day and said: you’re going to need more plants. Not true – mostly. It’s true, the planting looks rather sparse right now. The thing is, we’re used to instant gardens – big plants, already flowering. Boom, you’re done! This garden was planted with smaller plants…

In December 2022 I completed a course with the University of Guelph on naturalizing and restoring landscapes. My final project was a proposal to create a natural native plant garden at Lucas House, in Haliburton, Ontario. Introduction Lucas House is a Century home in the centre of Haliburton, Ontario. It is co-owned by myself and…

Planting 1,200 plants was daunting. Fortunately, I had two people to help me. We had it done in three days. I used a powerful drill with an auger attached. This made making holes much easier.

I did a detailed planting plan, which I mostly stuck to. The plants are in drifts and groups of up to 20 individuals, with the little bluestem grasses filling in between them. I chose plants that have a variety of blooming times, so there is always interest throughout the growing season. I used spray paint…

I ordered 1,200 plants for the garden at Lucas House from Grow Wild! native plant nursery in Omemee , Ontario. They came as plugs – so quite small. But they will grow quickly and within two years will densely cover the ground. Buying plugs is more cost-effective. They’re much cheaper than bigger plants, but soon…

I decided to use a wood-chip mulch. I don’t believe a mulch is strictly necessary, but I chose to do so for aesthetic reasons because the garden is in a prominent position. I only put 1-2 inches down, which is less than recommended for most garden projects. However, for a native plant garden, less mulch…