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Landscapes as beautiful to nature as they are to you

Natural gardens and shorelines designed and installed using native plants

Can we garden for nature as well as for humans? Can we make a beautiful landscape full of native plants that have co-evolved with Ontario's insects and birds? Can we see the world from the perspective of everything in it, not just through our own eyes? And can we leave our small patch of the planet a little bit better?

Why you'll feel good when you garden for life

A better future lies just outside your door.

Imagine no more mowing. No more fertilizing. Much less watering. Instead, you'll have a garden alive with butterflies and birds that changes month by month, season by season.

With the world facing a biodiversity crisis, it's hard to know what to do. The problem seems so big. One answer is to act where you can: close to home, healing the world one garden at a time.

Most importantly, you'll feel a deeper connection with your home and the land you live on. You'll be at the vanguard of humanity's rediscovered healthy relationship with the rest of nature.

Get a free guide to natural gardens and shorelines

Cover of Grounded's free booklet about natural gardens and shorelines in Haliburton County and surrounding areas.Fill out the form to get a free guide to creating natural gardens and shorelines in Haliburton County and surrounding areas, plus Grounded's popular newsletter.

"Great job on your newsletter! Well researched, fact based recommendations with excellent resources. Looking forward to more!" - Rita D.

 

Serving Haliburton County and surrounding areas

Including Kawartha Lakes, Muskoka and Hastings

Lawn Replacement and Native Plant Gardens

By admin | January 23, 2024

Lawns, long a symbol of garden perfection, have environmental and psychological implications. Transform your garden into a landscape that benefits you – and nature.

Shoreline Naturalization

By admin | January 23, 2024

Haliburton County’s lakes are its lifeblood, and healthy lakes require healthy shorelines. We can help bring your shoreline back to life.

Septic System Landscaping

By admin | January 23, 2024

Don’t know what to do with your septic bed? Using it for a native plant garden is a great way to combine functionality and natural beauty.

About Simon Payn

My name is Simon Payn and I help people transform their boring lawns into gardens that are beautiful for wildlife as well as for humans.

Sometimes it takes five decades of life to figure out your calling. Now I've discovered it. Fascinated by nature and gardens as a child, finally I've found a way to combine both, and to do our part to fix the biodiversity crisis the world is facing. Now my hands are in the soil ad my head is in native plants.

I've taken several courses with the University of Guelph, including one on naturalizing urban landscapes. And I've created a demonstration native plant garden in downtown Haliburton.

Gardens that please nature as well as humans are the future. Not only do they save hours of mowing and maintenance, but they create an ecosystem rich in invertebrates, birds and mammals. These types of gardens help us do our bit to fix our broken relationship with nature, and I want to bring them to the Haliburton Highlands.

Philosophical background

Snubsta

  • Each day is a meditation on the beauty and wonder that surround us. Most of all, it's about love. Read more here.

What is Grounded?

Education

University of Guelph

  • Naturalizing and Restoring Landscapes
  • Plant Identification
  • Business Principles in Horticulture

NDAL

  • Ecology-based Landscape Practice

Kelly D Norris

  • New Naturalism Academy

The Garden at Lucas House in Haliburton

One century building.
One fewer lawn.
One Grounded garden.

Making Natural Gardens and Shorelines

A Natural Shoreline Garden

By admin | October 8, 2024

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

Good Mess, Bad Mess: Using Disturbance in Your Landscape

By admin | September 25, 2024

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…

Forest naturalization in Haliburton County

Life on the Edge: An Enhanced Forest Clearing

By admin | September 23, 2024

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.

Growing a Green Renaissance

Cultivating Love: The Garden’s Path to Global Compassion

By admin | January 17, 2024

In the tranquility of our gardens, amid the rustle of leaves and the hum of bees, a profound transformation unfolds. It’s a journey of the heart, where the simple act of nurturing plants becomes a pathway to cultivating a deeper love – not just for our gardens but for the entire world.

Sowing Seeds of Change: Garden Rebellion as a Model for Environmental Action

By admin | January 17, 2024

In the quiet corners of our backyards, a revolution is taking root. It’s called the garden rebellion — a movement where ordinary gardeners are transforming their manicured lawns into wild, native havens. But this movement is more than just about changing gardening practices; it’s a microcosm of the societal shifts needed to combat global challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss.

Are You a Garden Rebel?

By admin | January 17, 2024

A new breed of gardener is emerging. These are the ‘garden rebels’ — individuals who are breaking away from the traditional, manicured lawns and perfectly pruned flower beds to embrace a more natural, sustainable approach to gardening.

Bringing Back Biodiversity

Goldenrod: The Myths and the Facts

By admin | September 13, 2024

Goldenrods face two cases of mistaken identity. Let’s clear up the mess and celebrate a valuable species.

bebb's sedge

Sedges for Haliburton, Muskoka and Kawartha Lakes

By admin | September 12, 2024

Sedges don’t get much glory. They’re everywhere in Haliburton, Muskoka and Kawartha Lakes but we seldom notice them. If we do notice them, we often confuse them with grasses. It’s time to shine a light on the genus Carex. Sedge Basics What Sedges Are The Morphology of Sedges Their Habitat and Distribution Their Ecological Importance…

Copy of the book, The Flora of Kawartha Lakes

Kawartha Lakes native plants: New guide gives detailed lists

By admin | July 19, 2024

The Flora of Kawartha Lakes, which lists plants native to the region, is also relevant to Haliburton County’s flora.

Get in touch

If you'd like to talk about Grounded gardens, please contact Simon Payn.

hello@groundedgardens.ca

Grounded
123 Maple Ave.
Box 261,
Haliburton, ON  K0M 1S0

Get a free guide to natural gardens and shorelines

Fill out the form to get a free guide to creating natural gardens in Haliburton County and surrounding areas, plus Grounded's popular newsletter.

"Great job on your newsletter! Well researched, fact based recommendations with excellent resources. Looking forward to more!" - Rita D.