Philosophy

The Garden Artist combines contemporary ideas with impeccable design to create beautiful outdoor spaces.

This sloped planting next to the sidewalk serves as a beautiful alternative to grass lawn.

|Lawn Reduction|

Lawns are great for children's recreational activities, dogs, and stormwater management. Otherwise, their purpose is limited, and considering all the ways they are negatively affecting our ecosystems, their use as the standard for post-construction naturalization is questionable at best.

The Garden Artist offers alternatives to a grass lawn that can reduce watering, fertilizer, and maintenance.

Instead of a retaining wall, native grasses hold this slope and allow the massive sand volleyball court to blend in with the Muskoka flora.

|Permaculture/Sustainability|

My main priority will always be the aesthetic/overall impression.

With that in mind, principles of permaculture and sustainable design can be employed to reduce maintenance & ecological footprint, and to improve soil health & biological diversity.

What is Permaculture?

"Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labour; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system." - Bill Mollison, 1978

Old armor stones gain character as they age.

|Natural Materials|

Nothing in a garden looks worse than half-buried landscape fabric. Or plastic edging that has heaved in the soil.

Man-made products that aren't in perfect condition can make the whole property look run-down. Think of a house with crooked shutters and eaves!

On the other hand we have natural materials, which only look better as time goes on. A naturalstone walkway winding through a canopied garden gives a property unique character in a way that an old pool never can.