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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 vegetation:

• without contaminating groundwater as previously assumed (see linked article below)
• without using heavy machinery (when site access is limited)
• without disturbing and removing large volumes of soil
• without using mass amounts of man power (removing this stuff by hand is physically very labour intensive), and
• with less financial expense versus physical removal

According to the article linked below: Glyphosate is degraded in soil and water by microbes and binds tightly to soil particles, which prevents leaching of glyphosate into ground water.

Glyphosate is not a silver bullet and I will be using it strategically by way of a trained herbicide application specialist. There are still more cases where I will be physically removing vegetation, but I am open to herbicide if the situation warrants its use.

Anecdotally, I visited a friends property for the first time in 2022. He's got a beautiful pond that he is naturalizing with native plants (in an attempt to house more native biodiversity on the whole). The pond was previously infested with invasive Phragmites, crowding out any native shoreline / aquatic vegetation. Since it has been treated with Glyphosate the Phragmites is gone, native plants are now growing along the banks and in the pond itself, along with native species of fish, frogs, salamanders, turtles, plants, etc.

Seamless Eavestrough Partnership

Since managing rainwater is what AVESI does, it's been a priority of mine to find a high-quality, reliable, and reasonably priced source for exterior aluminum work (eavestroughs, facia, soffit) which is now available directly through AVESI thanks to K&M Seamless Eavestrough.

They're a top subcontractor for some of the largest roofing companies in the area so I'm really excited to be able to offer their work under the AVESI umbrella.

The first rule of managing rainwater is: start upstream. When it comes to our individual homes upstream is always the roof and eavestroughs. I've met with hundreds of people suffering from water problems in the basement or on the landscape where the solution was simply new eavestroughs and downspouts.

When eaves and downspouts are updated we get to reimagine where the rainwater is going. This is customizable, to a degree, and is a vital component to responsibly managing rainwater. And the upgraded exterior elements improve the value and appearance of our homes. Check out this Before & After...

Monarch Awards Application Deadline June 20

About the Monarch Awards: In early 2016 a group of Hamilton gardeners, concerned about declines in populations of Monarch butterflies and bees, decided that people who create habitat in their yards for pollinator species and wildlife should be recognized. The Monarch Awards want to acknowledge the validity of this ecological approach, and want to support and encourage people who garden for nature not just for curb appeal.

The deadline to apply for the Monarch Awards is summer solstice, June 20th at midnight. Click the link below.

Sharing lessons from this years projects...

Rainscaping projects have been up and running for weeks now and I am sharing projects and lessons over on my Instagram page.

Landscape consultations continue all season so if you've got a project to tackle and need help getting to the next steps I'd be happy to help.

That's all for now,

Michael