neighbourhood Archives

As well as general maintenance (weeding) and spring cleanups, Gardens4u completed several new garden designs so far this season, although one is still a work in progress. Most of the time I remembered to take before and after pictures.

Continuing the Neighbour Theme

At the end of last season, a third neighbour asked me to help them reconfigure their front yard around an updated veranda and interlock walkway.

This was one of my easiest projects as the homeowners were very hands-on. From shopping for and planting perennials and shrubs to sod/grass removal,(the black fabric smothered the existing grass) soil enhancement, and edging of the finished creation, they barely needed me. My job was to recommend plant choices and their placement based on mature size and bloom time. I also created the garden shape with a hose and suggested the location of the stepping stones.

This is what the yard looked like during the process:

…and this is what it looks like now:

Wedding Preparation

Another client asked me to help him transform and design new gardens on his parents’ farm property in preparation for his daughter’s upcoming wedding. The house is being renovated as well with plans for an Airbnb property.

There are seven garden beds; a huge undertaking that I have been working on all summer. The bride and groom-to-be have been helping too, doing most of the clearing, weeding, mulching etc. This frees up my time for designing and planting, my two favourite parts of a new garden project.

Here are a few before pics:

some during pics:

and some after pics:

These after pictures are of just the new garden designs at the front of the house. Disclaimer: I had nothing to do with the gorgeous sidewalk.

The other beds are still in progress. When this project is complete, I will show you the final pictures of all garden beds created. Stay tuned!

Moving to the Backyard

I have been working with these clients for several years now, first at their old home here in Kanata…

…and then at their new Hintonburg area home after they moved. Last season I worked on new garden designs for the front yards of their new duplex. The outside of one side is very traditional looking, the other quite modern, so I designed gardens to match the two different styles…

Before pics:

This is what they look like now:

This season these same clients requested my services for garden design and an overhaul in their back and side yards.

before pics:

after pics:

Next season these newly renovated garden beds will look awesome!

Garden Touch Up

At the end of the last (2020) season, I modified a neighbour’s garden, moving plants and adding new ones to the expanded space. We also added stepping stones to break up the larger area. At the time she had some natural coloured mulch we used up.

This summer we changed the look by adding dark brown mulch, (right on top of the natural coloured mulch) creating a much more vibrant look, which contrasts well/better with the maturing plants.

Designing new gardens or updating tired, old, outdated or overgrown gardens is my favourite part of my gardening business. Check out my before and after pictures of my creations.

photo credit

Recently on our evening walk through our neighbourhood of Kanata (suburb of Ottawa, Ontario) we have encountered a fox on two separate occasions. Our neighbourhood is fortunate enough to still have a few wooded areas, but the sight of a fox on the streets was a surprise.

The first sighting was just around the corner from our home. We first heard a yapping sound like a small dog barking, then saw a small fox sitting in the middle of the road. It barely moved as we cautiously approached on foot and merely moved to the side of the road when a car went by. There was a cat in a nearby driveway that we assumed the fox was interested in. We knocked on a few doors in an attempt to alert the cat’s owner, but were told that this particular cat and fox played together often. I thought I was able to take a few pictures of this fox with my phone as he was in no hurry to escape from us, but they turned out much too dark to share. This is what he looked like, compliments of google photos:

A few weeks later we encountered a second, larger fox running across the street in front of us, a few kilometers into our walk. This one appeared to be less friendly and more interested in getting away from approaching people and cars. Although it was lighter out that evening, and the pictures probably would have turned out much better, I was not quick enough to snap a picture of this fox; he was in a hurry to get where he was going.

With these two fox sightings in a residential neighbourhood, I can’t help but wonder: is it merely a coincidence that there seem to be lots of signs posted in the neighbourhood regarding missing cats?