Creating Spaces Where Nature Feels at Home

  • Black-eyed Susan flowers in a pollinator friendly garden bed, perennial planting and landscape design in the South Okanagan, BC
  • Frost covered seed heads in winter sunlight, seasonal garden interest and natural landscapes in the South Okanagan, BC
  • Flowering chives and companion planting in a mixed perennial bed, ecological garden design and pollinator friendly planting in the South Okanagan, BC
  • Strawberries growing in a raised garden bed, edible garden planting and organic gardening in the South Okanagan, BC
  • Bumblebee pollinating lavender flowers, pollinator friendly planting and ecological garden design in the South Okanagan, BC
  • A peaceful backyard garden featuring layered perennial planting, a stone pathway and seating area, designed for relaxing outdoor living in the South Okanagan.
  • A vibrant perennial garden filled with colorful flowers, lush green foliage, and a variety of plants blooming under the sunlight, creating a serene and picturesque landscape.
  • Vibrant purple heather flowers growing in a landscaped garden with green shrubs and rocks."
  • Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) growing on dry slopes, native drought tolerant plants of the South Okanagan, BC
  • Spring flowering tree above a garden deck, seasonal landscape planting and garden design in the South Okanagan, BC
  • Perennial garden bed with ornamental grasses and flowering plants along a pathway, landscape design inspiration in the South Okanagan, BC
  • White yarrow wildflowers at sunset, native pollinator plants used in ecological garden design in the South Okanagan, BC
  • Perennial flower bed with ornamental grasses, daisies, and drought tolerant plants in an ecological garden in the South Okanagan, BC
  • Yarrow flowers and herbal tea made from native plants, traditional plant use and ecological gardening in the South Okanagan, BC
  • Ecological garden design with seating area, ornamental grasses, and pollinator friendly plants in a landscaped backyard in the South Okanagan, BC
  • Naturalistic drought tolerant landscape with native plants and stone pathway, ecological garden design in the South Okanagan, BC
  • Naturalistic drought tolerant garden with ornamental grasses and perennials, ecological landscape design in the South Okanagan, BC
  • Purple crocus flowers blooming in a spring garden bed, seasonal planting and garden design in the South Okanagan, BC
  • Arrowleaf balsamroot wildflowers growing in a natural meadow landscape in the South Okanagan, BC, native plant and ecological garden inspiration
  • Naturalistic garden pathway with drought tolerant plants and native landscaping in the South Okanagan


I create gardens that renew, inspire and heal by blending the dreams of my clients together with the needs of nature.

My designs artfully blend a variety of plants on the basis of their four-season beauty. In the natural garden, plants are chosen for their dependable traits, where minimal intervention is required. The result is a harmonious, everchanging arrangement of colour, form, texture and movement, pleasing to all the senses. A microcosm of nature occurs- with butterflies and other pollinators abounding.

Perennial meadows are created using all of the elements of a naturalistic garden. Informal pathways and resting places are artfully placed amongst swaying grasses and splashes of colour. In the winter, sunlight shimmers on frosty seedheads.

Xeriscape gardening is not “ZERO”-scaping. On one hand, zero-scaping consists of layering inert rock on top of landscape fabric, destroying the soil and creating a space devoid of life or beauty.


Xeriscaping, on the other hand, is designing landscapes that flourish in our unique, semi-arid Okanagan climate. The framework of the garden may use artfully placed rocks and boulders, pathways and other hardscape features for visual interest. Added to this is a living plant community that thrives with minimal supplemental water, and healthy soil teams with life. The hardy plants chosen in my xeriscape designs are often native to the Okanagan or other, similar environmental regions, grown in native soil wherever possible. In this way, even urban neighbourhoods become a refuge for our sensitive pollinator species and native ecosystems prosper.

Native habitat restoration projects can be very simple by design or they can be challenging and elaborate. Creating space that supports native wildlife is something we all can participate in. For example, verge gardens can be incorporated between property edges and the roadside. These have many benefits, including improving visual appeal, cooling the urban heat island effect, reducing runoff, creating habitat for beneficial insects and birds, and fostering a sense of community with neighbours.


Restoring all or part of our lawn areas to native habitat has the same benefits.
In urban centers, or landscapes affected by natural disasters, damaged ecosystems can be restored to healthy native habitat to support living wildlife communities.

Food growing can be well above and beyond farm fields and formulaic backyard gardens. Edibles can be beautiful and versatile; food bearing plants can be integrated wonderfully into ornamental landscapes in unique and exciting ways. Food can be celebrated with all the senses, nourishing the body and soul. By nature, gardening in the front yard unites people in neighbourhoods in conversation and sharing, and provides wonderful learning and collaborative experiences for adults and children alike.

Contact

Email: info@wildcaregardendesign.ca