A Cultivated Art Inc.

Having spent a lot of the last couple of years working with and learning from a lot of native plants, I have decided to begin offering a limited design service, specifically focused on native plant garden planning. It includes working with you to help plan out the initial plantings for a space that you have decided to allocate to a native plant community. Rather than continuing with the widespread practice of extracting soil from healthy ecosystems and transporting it to new gardens, I’m looking to work with people who are willing to work with the existing soil along with minimal/reclaimed inputs, such as mulches from arborist wood chips, salvaged cardboard, leaf bags etc. and, where appropriate, annual plantings for a transition year to prepare the planting area. I won’t be designing any paving stone or other concrete over gravel spaces, but I can help with planning paths of travel and sightlines, as well as planning out vegetable garden placement, or the inclusion of other plants that offer food for humans, and practical elements like rain gardens, laundry lines and compost areas. Rather than centering the planning on aesthetics, I’m offering assistance in developing a plan for converting ecologically depleted spaces into places that include as much healthy, thriving life as possible, including yours. Not that the results can’t be beautiful, healthy, thriving systems tend to be beautiful. If this appeals to you, please email me a description of what you would like to work with me to accomplish and I’ll let you know if it sounds like something I can help with and what I would recommend for next steps. -My service area includes urban and suburban Ottawa and can also include Perth -My meeting availability is weekdays in the daytime and early evening If you would like more information about me, my experience with plants, horticulture and design and the process that I recommend to DIY native garden designers and that I apply to my own work, you might enjoy the ‘Planning Complex Native Plant Communities’ presentation that you can find here https://acultivatedart.com/videos Since many of my older project photos are pinned to quite a few boards, I'm leaving them active but the one that most applies to my current services in the Native Plant Gardens project at the top of the list.