Count down
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of radio and television interviews across the country, and one interviewer’s question really stood out for me; I was asked what I believe are the biggest mistakes or missed opportunities are when it comes to the backyard and outdoor design. This led to me creating a whole presentation for […]
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oreo
This one is for all of the people I know who struggle with the image they have of themselves. To begin, I want to be the first to say “Stop worrying about your looks.” And then I want to let all y’all know how difficult it is to “stop worrying about your looks”. For people […]
Risky business
I have a problem, which will take some time to lay out to you, but I can’t solve it without your help. I’m working on a book, authored by a descendent of Daniel Reynolds who, according to legend, built the stone house that still stands on Wellington Main Street, and is probably the first actual […]
Myths about trees
My inspiration for this week’s article comes from two different places. First, from an article written by a colleague that I have the utmost respect for: Stephen Westcott- Gratton on the Gardenmaking. com site; and secondly, from a series of videos I just filmed for ONtree, the Ontario Tree Care Experts. In both cases, the […]
Who are the people in your neighbourhood?
Aren’t we fortunate!? This is more an exclamation than a question. I promised myself I’d get to the Milford Fair with LOML and that’s exactly what we did on Saturday. The Milford Fair did not disappoint. We chatted with lots of old friends. We checked out the vendors’ “market”. We ate lunch under the shelter […]
The Mill Pond project
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of bringing my friend and colleague Sean James into my garden club for a presentation on a wetland recovery project that he did in Guysborough. This project was for a Texan who married a Nova Scotia and agreed to call Canada home. They purchased a beautiful piece […]
Power, vision and influence
Okay, I’m still gone, so don’t tell anybody. There’s just a few more things. I would like to start with a strange analogy: Canadian folk hero and musical legend Valdy once performed in front of an audience which clearly hated his music, because it didn’t fit where they were at, and the messages he wanted […]
Bring on the Candy Apples and Chili Sauce
Did you get out to The County Fair? LOML and I dodged the rain and headed out after lunch on Saturday. If you know me, and let’s face it you don’t, these days I have to be convinced to go out to do just about anything in public. The thing is, I spent a lot […]
Driveways
When it comes to driveways, I am not a fan of using interlock for the entire space. I have several reasons why: Often interlock is installed without a proper base. We know that in our climate with lots of freeze-thaw periods, a patio needs at least eight to 10 inches of drainage gravel (base) to […]
Split again, naturally
I know I’m on hiatus, so pretend you are not reading this. While I clear my mind, and set my thoughts at ease, I suffer that ‘vacation thing’ in which your brain doesn’t know if you turned the iron off before you were 100 miles away. Until you truly hit vacation mode, your brain keeps […]