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
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
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
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
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.
Native Plants for Haliburton County
Making Natural Gardens and Shorelines
Some Great Naturalistic Gardens in the UK
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.
Using Natural Patterns in Landscape Designs
Natural patterns make a great starting point for landscape designs. Here’s why.
Haliburton Deer: Lessons and Hope From the Garden at Lucas House
Haliburton deer and gardens: it seems like they’ll never get along. But maybe there’s a way embrace our hungry friends.
Growing a Green Renaissance
Finding Joy in Nature and in Native Plants
Why finding the joy in nature is the key to developing interest in native plants. A local gardener is calling for more joy in our Highlands landscapes. Simon Payn, who owns Haliburton-based ecological landscaping company Grounded, says it’s time to ramp up the pleasure we get from our gardens and shorelines. “For so long, the…
My Haliburton Cottage Shoreline Helped Me Through Covid
Haliburton cottage shorelines do more than keep the lake healthy. The nature they attract keeps us feeling good too.
Gardening for the environment: ecological landscapes beautiful to us and nature
A look inside the book Garden Revolution, a beautiful inspiration for those of us who want to garden for the environment.
Bringing Back Biodiversity
The Invasive Plant Problem: Origins, Impacts, and Solutions in Haliburton Gardens
In the picturesque landscape of Haliburton County, a silent challenge is lurking in gardens and landscapes: invasive plants. These uninvited guests, often brought in through ornamental gardening or accidental transport, pose a significant threat to the local ecosystem.
Haliburton’s Homegrown National Park: The Power of Native Plant Gardens
A quiet revolution is underway, inspired by the visionary ideas of ecologist Douglas Tallamy. It’s a movement transforming private gardens into vibrant ecosystems that collectively form a new kind of national park — one dedicated to biodiversity. This concept, where every backyard becomes a haven for native species, is reshaping our approach to conservation and redefining our relationship with nature.
Beyond Aesthetic: The Hidden Environmental Toll of Lawn Culture
In Haliburton County and across Canada the lush, green lawn has long been a symbol of garden perfection. However, this seemingly benign landscape choice has far-reaching environmental implications.
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Get in touch
If you'd like to talk about Grounded gardens, please contact Simon Payn.
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.