Field notes

Notes from the field.

Practical writing on gardens, landscapes, and keeping a property calm and healthy in Southern Ontario. Written by Troy.

Keeping New Plantings Alive Through a Hot GTA Summer

Almost everything that dies in a new landscape dies in its first summer, and almost always from watering habits, not weather. The routine that gets plants through.

By Troy · June 9, 2026 · 3 min read

Seasonal

Planting After the May Long Weekend: A Zone 5 and 6 Guide

The May two-four rule exists for a reason, but it's a rule about certain plants, not all of them. What goes in early, what waits, and how to plant so it takes.

May 19, 2026 · 3 min read

Garden Care

Mulch: What We Use and Where We Skip It

Mulch is the cheapest insurance a garden can buy, and also the most commonly botched. Our materials, our depths, and two habits we wish would disappear.

April 28, 2026 · 3 min read

Zen Gardens

The Five Elements of a Backyard Zen Garden

You don't need a temple courtyard to build a real Japanese-style garden in Ontario. You need five elements handled honestly, and the discipline to stop there.

April 14, 2026 · 3 min read

Garden Care

Cutting Back Grasses and Perennials Without Wrecking Them

Late March is cutback season. Most of it is easy, but a few plants punish the wrong cut for a whole year. Here's how we handle the usual suspects.

March 31, 2026 · 2 min read

Seasonal

Spring Cleanup in the GTA: The Order We Do Things

A spring cleanup done in the wrong order makes work for later. The sequence our crews follow, and the one mistake that hurts a garden all season.

March 10, 2026 · 2 min read

Hardscaping

Flagstone, Pavers or Gravel: Choosing a Surface That Lasts

In a freeze-thaw climate the surface you see matters less than the base you don't. How the three main patio and path materials compare in Southern Ontario.

February 24, 2026 · 3 min read

Our Process

How We Quote a Job (and Why We Walk Every Property First)

We don't price landscapes over the phone, and it's not because we like meetings. A look inside our quoting process and what a real scope should include.

February 10, 2026 · 3 min read

Design & Build

Why January Is the Right Time to Plan a Spring Landscape

The yards that get finished by July are the ones that were planned in January. A look at how the season actually works from our side of the fence.

January 27, 2026 · 2 min read

Garden Care

Road Salt Is Hard on Gardens. Here Is What We Do About It

That white crust along the driveway does more damage below the soil than above it. What salt actually does to beds and stonework, and how we limit it.

January 13, 2026 · 3 min read

Garden Care

Protecting Japanese Maples Through an Ontario Winter

Most winter damage on Japanese maples in the GTA comes from wind and late frosts, not deep cold. A few honest hours in December save a lot of grief in May.

December 22, 2025 · 3 min read

Zen Gardens

What a Zen Garden Looks Like Under Snow

Snow strips a garden down to its bones. If the design is good, what's left still holds together. December is when you find out.

December 9, 2025 · 2 min read