Carbon Wise Landscape Design

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Peterborough, ON
Carbon Wise Landscape Design

Carbon Wise is small landscape design company based in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Take climate action by putting your yard to work.

12/17/2024

Hi everyone....it's been a minute! In 2024, I scaled back operations to focus on my day job (growing native plants at GreenUP Ecology Park), but I was thrilled to see some important projects through, including the one pictured here.

The clients' midcentury bungalow was vulnerable to runoff from up slope, which worsened after a large tree came down in the 2022 derecho. (Remember: trees are sponges!)

They wanted to address the poor grading, and replace the lawn and old hardscaping with a better seating area and biodiverse, colourful plantings that would suit the home's midcentury roots.

This 'Prairie School' inspired design has a bit of everything: rain gardens, flagstone patios, a dry creek, walk out deck, natural stone, and extensive plantings that sweep in close to the house, stabilize the backyard slopes, and provide privacy. The plant palette consists of 99% native woodland and prairie species, including small trees and many edible shrubs.

A huge shoutout to for carrying out the construction this summer.

I look forward to seeing how this project develops in the seasons to come - especially next spring!

02/20/2024

These are two very different gardens just metres apart. One is a dry, steep slope, the other a (relatively) flat rain garden that absorbsrunoff from a nearby downspout.

A couple of species carry across both gardens, namely Junegrass and Black Eyed Susan. This will keep things looking harmonious rather than disjointed.

12/02/2023

Who said the season was over? Snuck in one more drainage test before the long freeze.

(An infiltration or drainage test is used to determine how fast or slow soil drains. It's an important step when designing a rain garden, which should drain within 24 to 48 hours of rain events.)

11/26/2023

Late autumn PSA: it's wise to protect young trees and shrubs from winter browse by rabbits, voles, and other wildlife if you have a small garden with a limited number of plants.

While many young plants can withstand some browse (some shrubs even benefit from it), excessive winter browse can kill or disfigure young woody plants.

I protect most young woody plants in my garden, like this Serviceberry shrub, with tree guards and a nice wide circle of chicken wire. Short lengths of rebar give the cage its structure. If the barrier is high *and* wide, rabbits won't be able to reach the centre as the snowpack increases.

Of course, wildlife need to eat too. If you have a larger property with many shrubs and trees, you might decide to protect high value specimen plants and leave the rest!

10/02/2023

This Bluestemmed Goldenrod (Solidago caesia) was barely in the ground when it started getting visitors.

Stay tuned for more of this part-shade pollinator garden when work wraps up later this week!

09/30/2023

I made a quick stop at Hazel Bird Nature Reserve today, while picking up plants for my final installation of the season.

Bluestem and Savanna grasses, Heath Aster, Common Juniper...what's not to love, especially when we have some disconcerting weather to match? 😅

09/26/2023

A lot of my work is about converting stormwater runoff from a hazard to a resource, but without compromising on style.

This property suffers from a negative grade in the backyard, meaning water travels toward the foundation. (Bad.)

That runoff could be harnessed for irrigation while minimizing the risk of harm to the house *and* reducing the amount of contaminated runoff that enters the local creek.

In the backyard, a series of swales will slow and distribute runoff from the properties upslope, redirecting any overflow around the sides of the house. In the front, multipke rain gardens will capture runoff from both of the front downspouts before it heads toward the street.

See pic 2 for a rendering of one of the rain gardens, a feature unto itself!

It will wrap behind a new flagstone patio and curved drystack wall, which means it doubles as a privacy screen and source of shade. The wall will help disguise the downspout extender from view.

09/18/2023

A beautiful sight this past weekend. Drink up, little one, you have some work ahead of you.

09/05/2023

My first attempt generating water in Vectorworks, using built in Renderworks textures.

The rest of the rendering is completed in GIMP using hand drawn features and custom plant assets.

These renderings aren't intended to be hyper realistic. They're meant to show overall form while conveying something particular about the design intent.

Here, it's all about how layering shrubs can create texture and lots of privacy, in addition to all the ecological benefits of naturalized shorelines!

08/28/2023

The airy, delicate plumes of Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) are hitting their stride at this client's garden in Toronto. I don't get to Toronto often, so I was excited to catch them!

(I was in town to add a few more plants for mid to late summer colour and interest, not to mention pollinator benefit....specifically Allium cernuum, Echinacea pallida, and Schizachyrium scoparium, for those who are curious. Can't wait to see how it comes together next summer.)

08/21/2023

Texture and shape create as much interest in a garden as colour.

Here, delicate, ethereal Prairie Dropseed contrasts with flat Yarrow umbels and the fuzzy thimbles of Purple Prairie Clover. These kinds of contrasts can be explored and integrated at multiple scales...this is a micro example from Carbon Wise HQ.

08/10/2023

You never know when design inspiration will strike!

I snapped this photo of a patch of Anaphalis margaritacea (Pearly Everlasting) while on vacation a couple weeks ago. I love how it has nestled itself in this little opening on a west facing slope.

It's a useful reference as I puzzle through a midcentury modern landscape design for clients with a similar situation. The project plays loosely with Jens Jensen's concept of 'the Clearing.' Looking forward to sharing some of the concept work soon!

Address

Peterborough, ON

Website

http://www.carbonwiselandscapedesign.ca/

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