Down2Earth Landscape Design

🏡 Want to make your garden feel fuller, softer, and more alive without taking up more ground space?

In “Growing Up,” featured in the latest issue of Sideroads, I explore how flowering vines can transform fences, arbours, trellises, sheds, and awkward corners into lush vertical garden features.

🌿 From classic clematis and climbing hydrangea to hummingbird-friendly honeysuckle and fast-growing annuals like morning glory and sweet pea, there’s a vine for almost every garden situation.

👉 Read the full article for tips on choosing the right climber for your space.�Visit www.sideroads.ca to view a digital version or pick up a hard copy while you’re out and about.

📍WHERE TO FIND SIDEROADS: You’ll find copies of Sideroads Magazine at high-traffic spots across Scugog — including more than 120 locations — as well as in Sunderland, Beaverton, Uxbridge, Whitby, Oshawa, and Brooklin. Sideroads is also featured in Destination Ontario tourist offices across the province, with additional reach into select Toronto locations, Barrie, Orillia and the Kawarthas — including Little Britain, Lindsay, Peterborough, Fenelon Falls, and Bobcaygeon.

🏡 Mulch can be a huge help around trees… but only when used the right way.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is the “mulch volcano,” where mulch is piled up against the trunk of a tree. It might look tidy, but it can actually cause problems over time by encouraging roots to grow into the mulch and inviting extra moisture, insects, and damage around the base of the tree.

🌳 Instead, think of mulch like a donut, not a mountain.

A simple rule to follow is the 3-3-3 method:

👉 3 inches deep
👉 3 feet wide
👉 3 inches away from the trunk

✨ That little gap around the trunk matters. It helps protect the tree while still giving you the benefits of mulch: cooler soil, better moisture retention, fewer weeds, and less chance of mower or weed-whipper damage.

🎧 Catch the full Down the Garden Path episode of "Why Do Gardens Need Mulch?" on your favourite podcast app, or watch it on the Down the Garden Path Podcast YouTube channel.

🌿 Is your dad impossible to shop for? This year, skip the socks and BBQ tools and surprise him with “Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden” by Joanne Shaw and Matthew Dressing!

🏠 Tailored for Ontario's unique climate, this easy-to-follow monthly guide is packed with seasonal tips to help Dad cultivate a lush, low-maintenance garden all year round.

Whether he's a seasoned green thumb or just starting out, here are a few reasons he’s sure to enjoy it:
👉 The book is easy to follow with month-by-month breakdowns tailored for gardens in USDA zone 5
👉 It has expert Insights and proven strategies from seasoned professional landscape designers
👉 This handy guide is conveniently divided into four colour-coded growing seasons with monthly garden to-do lists

Get your copy today on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3U1V1Rv

🏡 Designing a small backyard can be tricky, especially when you’re working around existing features that need to stay.

In this design, the existing deck, shed, and vegetable beds became the starting point. Instead of removing everything and starting over, the goal was to work with what was already there and make the space feel more intentional, inviting, and finished.

The design adds:
👉 A mulch path with stepping stones for easy movement through the yard
👉 Layered planting beds for colour, texture, and privacy
👉 Japanese maples, hydrangeas, cedars, grasses, sedges, and peonies
👉 A water feature to create a peaceful focal point
👉 Climbing hydrangea on the existing fence panel

One of the biggest challenges in landscape design is knowing what to keep, what to improve, and what to remove. Existing decks, sheds, fences, and garden beds can limit the layout, but they can also help shape the design in a beautiful way when handled thoughtfully.

✨ Sometimes a fresh set of eyes is all it takes to see the potential in the space you already have.
If you have a backyard with existing features that you’re not sure how to work around, reach out for a consultation. I can help you make the most of your space and your budget.