Making Gardens

Haliburton cottage gardens come in all shapes and sizes. Here are some traditional sunny and part-shaded garden beds, all with native plants. The work we do here at Grounded covers a wide spectrum: from projects akin to rewilding where we work with succession to create a landscape that is biodiverse and beautiful, to more traditional…

On a recent trip to England, I took the opportunity to visit some gardens by heroes of mine. I thought you’d like to see them too – and see what I learned from them.

Natural patterns make a great starting point for landscape designs. Here’s why.

Plants can do many things. Here’s a recent shoreline project that played several roles.

Whenever we do something in our landscape, we cause disturbance. But is disturbance good or bad? The answer depends on what we want to achieve. What is disturbance? From an ecological perspective, disturbance is any event that disrupts an ecosystem. Think of a forest fire, a flood, or a storm toppling trees. Each of these…

Sometimes it’s not so much about starting afresh, it’s about enhancing what you already have. This is how we’re working to make something that’s already great… even better – for humans and for nature.

Piet Oudolf is a pioneer in naturalistic landscaping. And he’s a big inspiration for us here at Grounded. Here is a book that celebrates him.

How does naturalistic landscaping differ from traditional landscaping? The answer: more plants, in layers, and in a community.

I often get asked to advise on native plants that are suitable for the more challenging sites. Here are some ideas.