I’ve just come back from a trip to Europe, visiting family.
Flying over Holland, I couldn’t help noticing how deliberately the land is used. From 30,000 feet, you see nothing but a geometric puzzle – farmland cut into perfect rectangles.
The Netherlands, densely populated and massively engineered, shows how thoroughly we humans can reshape a place. Every inch bears our fingerprints. And this total control approach? You see it across the planet.
This is humanity’s world and everything else gets to live in it.
But this approach is showing its cracks. Biodiversity is crashing, soil health is declining and our engineered systems are facing huge challenges from climate change.
At Grounded, we see things differently. Instead of forcing our will upon nature, we work with it. We study what naturally thrives in each location and choose plants that support local ecosystems.
The result? Gardens and shorelines that are better for nature, better for the land, and better for us.
If you agree and you’d like to help your patch of the planet, get in touch – see the box below.
Simon
If you want a Grounded garden…
I’m currently booking garden and shoreline installs for 2025 and 2026.
My pipeline is filling up, but I still have space for summer and fall installations.
We start by having a quick call to see if it makes sense for me to come look at your site.
To see some of my recent work, please see this page.
Native plants for shorelines that flood
Many cottagers have shorelines that flood in the spring. Discover how to use native plants to make the most of the sogginess. Read more.
How plant sociability is critical in garden and shoreline design
Understanding sociability could be the difference between a self-sustaining plant community and a landscape that fights its own nature. Read more.
“Native plants are messy.” Is that true?
Native plant gardens are messy. That’s the number one claim that people such as myself face. But are natural landscapes really an unruly tangle? Read more.
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
The maintenance conundrum: This article has a controversial title (at least according to me) but it gets to the root (ha) of the lawn vs. natural garden debate. Read more.
Capital ideas: Ottawa is about more than politics (even this month). It’s also home to some fantastic rewilding efforts. Read more.
Soft landings: A super article on the importance of planting around keystone species, instead of leaving the area as grass. It’s all about insects that fall off the tree… Read more.
From the ashes: How landscape designers are learning from the devasting Los Angeles wildfires. Read more.
Get the free guide
I’ve updated my guide to natural gardens in Haliburton County and surrounding areas.
I’ve put together some information “cards” about native plants. These are plants I use in my designs.
Today let’s look at Butterfly Milkweed.
Below the ground
The snow plow uprooted this Striped Maple. It’s not often you get to see a tree’s roots. And seeing them up close highlights why these underground networks matter so much.
Being an understory species, Striped Maple has evolved the perfect root system for its habitat. It doesn’t waste energy on deep taproots but spreads shallow, fibrous roots just beneath the forest floor. This makes sense in our Canadian Shield bush, where most nutrients are in the upper soil layers.
When choosing plants, root structure matters as much as what grows above ground. Aim for complementary root systems—some deep, some shallow—that match your soil conditions while sharing space efficiently.
(P.S. We don’t use Striped Maple in our designs. There are more suitable and aesthetically pleasing species.)
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Today’s eye candy
I love, love, love this landscape by Kelly Norris.
Pictures are better than words, so click here to see the Facebook post and click here to see a bunch more images.
Watersheds Canada is coming to Haliburton!
The organization that promotes healthy lakes has chosen Haliburton as the venue for its first annual conference in May.
Speakers include expert gardener Mark Cullen.
I’ll be there… if you’d like to join me, you can find out more at this link.
