Making Gardens

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.

New here? Here are the most important articles on this website about native plant gardens and shorelines.

At Grounded, we hear a lot of myths about natural gardens and the native plants they host. Here’s my personal takedown of this fake news.

Here is an advertorial about using native plants in Haliburton cottage landscaping published in the June 27, 2024 issue of The Highlander.

Creating natural landscapes isn’t just about native plants. It’s more like playing a 4D game of Tetris. Here’s how I choose the right plants.

I was out weeding the native plant garden at Lucas House this week, before it got too hot. Just an hour later, I felt 100 times better.

Here are two Haliburton native plant landscapes Grounded has installed this past month. One is a dry prairie-style garden on a septic leach bed, the other is a shade garden on a steep slope.

There is no such thing as a totally deer-resistant plant. But native plants have a better chance of being nibble-free than most.

When I install a new garden, I provide a handbook, explaining the plants in the garden and how to manage the garden in the future. Of all the advice in the handbook, this is the most important.