The Gilded Grove

Permeable Paving: Treadable paths that manage water. 🌧️♻️
Here are some of our favourite options - curated to our clients' needs and foot traffic.
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In urban areas, most surfaces (roofs, roads, sidewalks) are impermeable, causing runoff and flooding.
Let’s change that by managing rain on-site:
💚 Restores the earth's natural water cycle.
💚 Traps pollutants before they hit our waterways.
💚 Replenishes our aquifers instead of overtaxing city sewers.

Fun Fact: These systems are like icebergs—the real magic happens underground! When built with deep stone reservoirs, they double as infiltration trenches, absorbing and sequestering far more water than meets the eye. 💧

Throwback to our little Winter pruning of these native Cedars!
Its a great way to open up the space and provide some brightness while maintaining the health and integrity of these beautiful trees.

❄️ Why prune in the Winter?
Winter is ideal for pruning most woody plants, as they are dormant - minimizing stress, energy loss, and disease transmission. They're able to heal well and grow beautifully come Spring.

Throwback to our little Winter pruning of these native Cedars!
Its a great way to open up the space and provide some brightness while maintaining the health and integrity of these beautiful trees.

Why prune in the Winter?
Winter is ideal for pruning most woody plants, as they are dormant - minimizing stress, energy loss, and disease transmission.

So grateful for our 2nd season and thankful for every pollinator habitat and rain garden system we got to create this year! 🙌🥰

💚 96% of our plantings this year consisted of native, near native, and nativar plants this year

* Renowned ecologist Doug Tallamy recommends a minimum of 70% native plant biomass in residential landscapes to support local food webs, particularly insect populations which are crucial for bird survival.

This front yard was filled with overgrown invasive groundcover and a downspout directed straight into the lawn.

What we did:
✔ ️Removed the invasive groundcover and pruned the existing bushes
✔ ️Extended the garden space and redesigned the flagstone path
✔ ️Created a river rock swale to direct the downspout water into the garden
✔ ️Designed and planted a pollinator-friendly ground cover selection with perennial accents that tie in with the surrounding gardenscape.

💚 Perennials includes: Pearly everlasting, Bearberry, Butterfly milkweed, Marsh marigold, Turtlehead, Echinacea, Woodland Strawberry, Blanketflower, Helenium, Cardinal flower, Moss Phlox

From the client:
🤩 "Wow, what a big change. I look forward to eating the strawberries and bearberries"

This section of backyard space was filled with invasive trees and plants.

What we did:
✔ ️Removed the invasive Burning bushes, Rose of Sharons, English Ivy, and groundcover Euonymus
✔ ️Pruned and shaped the existing trees, vines, and shrubs - creating an open space
✔ ️Designed and created a flagstone meandering step path through the garden - featuring a birdbath and Serviceberry tree.
✔ ️Installed statement rocks and a whimsical face on the fence to match the client’s style
✔ ️Designed and filled the gardens with a keystone and native trees and perennials

💚 Tree and shrub includes: 1 x Serviceberry, 1 x Oakleaf hydrangea
💚 Perennials includes: Canadian columbine, Wild ginger, Bigleaf aster, Pennsylvania sedge, Male fern, Echinacea, Wild geranium, Wild phlox, Rudbeckia, Bloodroot, Zigzag goldenrod, Foamflower, White trillium

From the client:
🤩 "I love how everything is looking. You both work so hard and did a fantastic job!"

Partnered with

🌳 Natural Tree Crutches

Have you ever noticed a whimsically shaped tree like this lil Sumac? Perhaps it grew at a slant, has uneven weight distribution, or has very widely spread branches?

While its irregular shapes can add character, they can also put the tree at risk of splitting under its own weight.

That's where natural tree crutches come in! By repurposing pruned branches as supports, we can gently hold the tree in place and prevent damage. We love using this technique as it blends seamlessly into the garden, creating a natural, effortless look.

So, if you've got a tree that's leaning a little too much or has some uneven weight distribution, maybe give it some extra support with a natural tree crutch! 💚🙌