Reader Hoping you and yours had a wonderful holiday season; all the best in 2025. Just before Christmas I joined the Hops & Hedges Podcast with Heather Jerrard to discuss the AVESI story so far... Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts Lessons from 'The Serviceberry' 'The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World' by Robin Wall Kimmerer is a book likely to be on every nature lovers reading list at some point. I just finished it and really enjoyed it; but I feel it's...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Reader The following article is an adaptation of a piece I wrote for Landscape Ontario after I was asked to be part of a panel on Marketing Your Fusion Landscaping at the first Fusion Landscaping Conference earlier this month. Note: Fusion Landscaping is another word for Rainscaping - which is landscaping based around sustainable use of rainwater via earthworks and native plants. Lately I've been thinking about this less from my own perspective, and more from the perspective of my customers....
4 months ago • 3 min read
Reader Every year I discover a few new plants, and this year was no different! In this issue: List of New Plants for 2024 Herbs for Health Leave Avesi a Google Review FREE WEBINAR Monday Nov 4th New Plants for 2024 This list has: 2 forbs (wildflowers), 1 sedge, 1 rush, 1 grass, & 1 shrub While sedges, rushes, and grasses all may LOOK like grasses, they are actually 3 different kinds of plants. There is a popular saying in botanical ecology that is used to help differentiate them... sedges...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Reader I never thought I'd say this but I have finally come around to using herbicide, specifically Glyphosate... In this issue: Why I've started using Glyphosate New partnership for eavestrough, soffit, and facia work Monarch Awards celebrating native flora and fauna Glyphosate (Roundup) Ain't All Bad The reality of the situation is unwanted vegetation, whether a lawn or invasive species, is extremely difficult to remove effectively. Glyphosate offers us the chance to eradicate this...
10 months ago • 2 min read
Reader This spring I'll encourage you to Start with Shrubs... shrubs are often the most overlooked and under-utilized layer in residential gardens. This article from LEAF outlines 5 reasons to plant shrubs. 5 Reasons to Plant Shrubs 6 Strong Shrubs With the last Naturalistic Planting Design webinar of the season wrapping up earlier this week I wanted to build off the 6 Great Ground Covers with a list of some of my favourite shrubs. Shrubs native to Southern Ontario for structure & pollinator...
about 1 year ago • 1 min read