Biggest Haliburton Natural Garden Questions Answered
I was interviewed by Dianne Woodcock of Canoe FM for a new show that will be launched in January 2026. Here is an edited version of my answers.
The Philosophy
How did you end up in natural gardening?
This is my third career. I’m a big believer in eventually figuring out what you want to do – and often that’s what you wanted to do as a kid. Growing up in England, I loved nature and gardens, but I didn’t realize until recently you could combine both. Traditional gardening keeps them somewhat separate. Natural gardening uses native plants and works with nature’s principles. I feel I’ve found my home with this.
What do you mean by “dancing with nature”?
Over thousands of years, we’ve changed from being part of nature to seeing ourselves as separate from it. We feel we need to control it, that we’re the boss. I think that mindset has led to a lot of our current problems.
Natural gardening is about understanding nature and working with it, creating landscapes that work with how nature actually functions. You can still steer it—you’re not just letting everything go wild. Think of a beaver. It does massive engineering with ponds and dams, but it actually improves biodiversity. A human who clears land for a cottage and then plants native species is doing the same thing—creating habitat, improving biodiversity.
It’s give and take. Like a tango. You move one way, your partner moves the other, and together you create something functional and beautiful that’s easier to manage long-term.
Lake Legacy Leadership
You’ve coined the term “Lake Legacy Leader.” What does that mean?
Cottages have traditionally been family legacies—handed down through generations. I’m asking: can we widen that concept beyond just the building to include everything surrounding the cottage and the lake itself?
If you have a healthy shoreline, the lake will be much healthier. Shorelines filter runoff, prevent erosion, and provide habitat. Lots of people want to do this. They don’t always know how to start, but once they do, they love it. It enhances their cottage enjoyment while knowing they’re improving lake health.
I see these people as pioneers on their lakes. I have a client with a naturalized septic area near the road. People stop to compliment her on it. Word spreads. That’s how change happens.
A report shows only 22% of lake properties meet minimum naturalization standards, yet 85% of owners say water quality is their priority. Why the disconnect?
People don’t know where to start or what to do. They have other priorities—they want lawn for the kids, they want to enjoy their cottage in traditional ways. They don’t always think long-term. There’s confusion: I want a better lake, but the neighbours aren’t doing anything, so why should I?
If you see that disconnect in yourself, plant one plant. You’re making your lake one plant better.
Managing Wildlife
Deer are a constant complaint. What’s your approach?
It’s the number one issue. People have real angst about plants being eaten.
Here’s the thing: deer are part of nature, too. Natural gardens are designed to be food and habitat. A natural garden only succeeds when it’s eaten a little bit. That’s unusual for traditional gardens where we protect everything, but we’re gardening for ecosystems.
That said, there are too many deer right now in Haliburton County. At Lucas House, they’ve eaten a lot of flower buds. The other week I met two people whose neighbours were feeding deer—their landscapes were decimated. Feeding deer disrupts the ecosystem, puts everything out of balance. Don’t blame the deer. Blame the neighbours!
What can you actually do about it?
Certain plants deer won’t touch, such as beautiful grasses like Little Bluestem. or plants with fragrant leaves like Mountain Mint. Plant what you want surrounded by plants deer don’t like—they act as bodyguards. If you have lots of plants and you’re not precious about individual specimens, it’s not devastating if they eat one or two.
When establishing a garden, use Bobbex, a natural spray that deters deer. Accept they’re here, do a bit to prevent them, but live with it to some extent.
What about geese?
If you have lawn going down to the lake, you’ve opened a restaurant for geese. It’s not the geese’s fault.
Geese need to feel safe. They want to see the water and have easy escape routes. They need certain angles for takeoff and landing, like a plane. If you have a dense barrier of plants between your lawn and the lake—as deep as possible, with some height—geese are much less likely to come. You can still have a path through to access the water.
You don’t have to eliminate all lawn, but a dense plant barrier will deter geese and help lake health.
Practical Planting Advice
What about heavy shade under pine and balsam trees?
Sometimes I tell people: don’t even try. If things could grow there, they would be growing there. There’s heavy shade, it’s very dry because the trees are sucking up water, and the needles create acidic conditions. Sometimes that’s just how it’s meant to be.
That said, some plants can work. Wintergreen likes those acidic conditions. Bunchberry can work too. In less extreme shade, there are lots of options: sedges, ferns, perennials like Early Meadowrue and Wild Blue Phlox, and woodland ephemerals that flower before leaves emerge.
When I do a site analysis, I look at soil, moisture, existing plants, and sunlight. That tells me what will work.
Can you plant on a septic leach bed?
Yes, if you’re careful. Don’t use plants with deep roots or plants that seek water—they’ll go down where the leach bed is operating. Stick to shallow-rooted plants. I get called out to look at septic beds regularly. I was at one yesterday.
Where do you start with shoreline naturalization? It seems overwhelming.
Just start with one plant. Figure out your conditions—sunny or shaded, wet or dry. Use plant databases to look up suitable species. I have one on my website. Start with a few plants, add to them over time. Maybe a few shrubs for structure, a few perennials for flowers. Don’t try to do everything at once.
Planting Strategy
You recommend 120 to 140 small plants per 100 square feet. Why so dense?
Two reasons. First, that’s how nature does it. Go to a natural area and look carefully—lots of plants growing together, next to each other, on top of each other. Traditional planting is plant, mulch, plant, mulch. That’s not natural.
Second, management. Dense planting creates living mulch. Once plants establish and fill in, weeds can’t get established. You have the plants you want and don’t have to worry about weeds anymore. It’s natural and easier to maintain.
What are plant “sociability levels”?
The measure how gregarious a plant is. Is it a loner that stands in the corner, or is it a party person who wants to be surrounded by others? If you mix them, party people overwhelm loners and you have constant management problems—pulling up aggressive plants to protect less competitive ones.
If you match sociability levels, they find equilibrium. If you don’t care about maintaining your original design, you can let them fight it out. Party people will take over and loners will disappear.
Your maintenance begins the moment you choose plants. At Lucas House, I planted Mountain Mint early in my career—I’d do it differently now. It’s great for deterring deer and attracting insects, but it’s aggressive. It threatens to overtake the Butterfly Milkweed and Pale Purple Coneflower. The sociability levels are mismatched. Without careful management, I could end up with only Mountain Mint.
Results
Do native plants actually attract wildlife?
A client near Haliburton Lake planted Swamp Milkweed. He sent me a picture of a monarch butterfly on it. He didn’t think monarchs came this far north. He was excited.
At Lucas House, the Mountain Mint was incredible last month. You could hear it—louder than traffic. I’d walk into it and there were so many insects I didn’t recognize. All sorts of bees, wasps, grasshoppers, crickets, flies. Everything buzzy. These weren’t there before when it was just lawn.
It’s incredible that specialist insects find these plants from everywhere. Although I believed it would happen, seeing it was overwhelming.
The Practice
You tell people to “become intimate” with their gardens. What does that mean?
Slowing down and spending time without distractions is the hardest thing. I talk about it, but there are so many times when I’m not doing it because I’m busy, thinking about my day, with my puppy, on my phone.
But when I do it, it’s not just day-changing, it’s life-changing. I walk into the garden to do some weeding, I see what’s there, and my mind stops. That sense of wonder knocks you out of daily nonsense.
When I install a garden, I tell clients to spend five minutes per day in it. When you go to your car, detour through the garden. Go right inside. Pull a weed if you want. While you’re doing that, notice what’s there.
That’s when you connect and start to love the garden. You get motivated, you’re more likely to go back, because you get that feeling when you’re in the garden with the insects. For a moment, you’ve forgotten about your phone, the news, what you’re having for dinner.
Why do you do this work?
To some extent, for myself. I see what’s happening environmentally, and I feel I’m doing something. You can’t control what neighbours do. Maybe they see what you’re doing and think they could do it too. You don’t know.
There’s a disconnect when you think you should be doing something but you’re not. It doesn’t feel good. When you’re doing something and seeing results, that’s all you can do really. It makes you feel better.
Plant one plant. You’re making your environment one plant better.
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