10 Hardy Trees for a Northern Climate

I have assembled a quick reference for anyone interested in planting a tree or perhaps re-greening a property. For the most part, the selected trees are notable for their hardiness to Zone 3B. Be sure to check your Canadian hardiness zone to understand what may work best for your zone. Every tree has its own character and use in the landscape. You can explore the links attached for further detail on each selection. Check out the blog post on microclimates for more info on zoning and a closer look at the Canadian hardiness zone map.

Mountain Ash - Sorbus aucuparia (Canadian Native)

White Spruce - Picea glauca (Canadian Native)

Poplar - Populus deltoides (Canadian Native)

Japanese Ivory Silk Lilac - Syringa reticulata 'Japanese Ivory Silk'

Balsam Fir - Abies balsamea (Canadian Native)

Serviceberry - Amelanchier canadensis (Canadian Native)

White Pine - Pinus strobus (Canadian Native)

Red Pine - Pinus resinosa (Canadian Native)

Linden - Tilia cordata

Black Cedar - Thuja occidentallis 'nigra' (Canadian Native)

Bees and Technology Unite!

http://www.opensourcebeehives.net/

The Open Source Beehives project is as described:

"The Open Source Beehives project is a collaborative response to the threat faced by bee populations in industrialised nations around the world. The project proposes to design hives that can support bee colonies in a sustainable way, to monitor and track the health and behaviour of a colony as it develops. Each hive contains an open source sensory kit, The Smart Citizen Kit (SCK), which can transmit to an open data platform: Smartcitizen.me

These sensor enhanced hive designs are open and freely available online, the data collected from each hive is published together with geolocations allowing for a further comparison and analysis of the hives."

In Support of Native Plants

Benefits to Using Native Plant Species

• They do not require watering or chemical fertilizers and pesticides in order to thrive.
• They can thrive in poor soils.
• Local flora and fauna support them and in turn they provide food and habitat.
• Growing them improves biodiversity and creates a local seed source.
• Planting native species and connecting existing green spaces provides migration corridors for urban wildlife.

The above is from the following website:
http://www.evergreen.ca/en/resources/native-plants-and-invasive-species/


When planting, and re-greening a landscape, I think it is an excellent rule to focus on the native plant material first, before trying to introduce something "exotic"or unfamiliar to your landscape. Look to the mundane for your source of inspiration.

This current movement towards native plant material - which isn't so much of a movement as it is a natural response and desire to reclaim what has been lost -  goes against the history of the garden and garden design. In other words, to plant something that already grows in your own backyard will go against your own inclinations to plant something different. Where are the bragging rights in that? Isn't it more glamorous to show off something unique?  Historically, it showed one's status as an upper class gardener snob, showing off  your latest plant acquisition from overseas, as well as adding to a diverse plant collection.

As we now understand, integrating foreign plant material can in some cases be devastating to the natural environment, as these "strangers" invade and often have the ability to snuff out the existing plants, and overtake the landscape like some overbearing dictators.

Although strictly supporting native plant material asks a lot of the average gardener trying to beautify their yard, it is a good starting point. It is a guide. Balanced with some understanding that there are potential dangers in planting invasive species - it might just provoke a bit more research into what you plant in your garden before you find yourself trying to weed out unwanted plants that have multiplied and spread beyond control.

Check out this Native Plant Database for more info on native plant material in your area.
http://nativeplants.evergreen.ca/

Chiefswood Park's native garden features varying heights, textures and hues.

An Argument for Green Burial

Excerpt from an email to a City representative:

I heard a news bite on the CBC concerning Cemetery's in the City, and the proposal of a Pet Cemetery to bring in revenue for the City.
If you have not already, perhaps it would be prudent to further research the benefits of a Green Burial Site and the potential for a Green / Park land Cemetery in the City.

An Argument for Green burial in the City of Greater Sudbury
As far as the current system is concerned -  it is out dated and high cost. Within CGS - there are 9 cemeteries that are active, and 16 that are full.
Projecting ahead one can deduce that there will eventually be 25 full cemeteries all requiring money to maintain. It is apparent that this system must change.
CGS could be a leader of this movement in Canada with only a few other programs like it. http://greenburialvictoria.com/green-burial

Planning ahead we need to create well designed, sustainable multi-purpose spaces that cost less and provide more to the public than the current system.

The Green concept would support the City's Biodiversity Action plan http://www.greatersudbury.ca/living/environmental-initiatives/ and in my opinion presents a sustainable and forward thinking approach to the cemetery as we know it today. It costs half as much, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/sustainability/dust-to-dust-the-case-for-a-green-burial/article4181781/ yet fees could remain on par with traditional methods - with a surplus going towards park maintenance and services. In the CGS council presentation http://agendasonline.greatersudbury.ca/index.cfm?pg=feed&action=file&attachment=11233.pdf it specifies that "active cemeteries produce revenue", This Green approach would be a sustainable way to serve the citizens of Greater Sudbury, and avoid the further creation of a classic cemetery that takes up valuable real estate, and demands endless maintenance to the physical components that eventually weather and breakdown. It ultimately becomes "inactive", and in turn, no longer produces revenue.
With respect to a green burial site. The majority of maintenance would be associated with the Park land elements, benches, pathways, and most importantly trees and shrubs which are all encouraged to be native plant material - fertilizer and pesticide free.  As cremation increases in popularity, we should be asking why?  If Cremation has appealed to those looking for a more eco-friendly solution than burial, perhaps we should be looking further into green burial as an even better option.

Read more: Cremation: The New American Way of Death - LightBox http://lightbox.time.com/2013/06/13/cremation-the-new-american-way-of-death/#ixzz2mQbTH1GI

Green burial is "greener" than cremation. http://www.greenburialcouncil.org/faqs-fiction/

End Result
The cemetery would become a park, and offer dual purpose to a community open to embrace nature and re-greening, as well as provide beauty in an all inclusive and spiritual way.
From a logistics stand point, the city has an official plan in place that would necessitate an appropriate balance of parks and development, so perhaps the site could serve to provide some of the green space needed, while also acting as a final resting place. The space would be open and inviting and provide places to sit and enjoy nature. It would be an escape, not unlike a well designed park. Maps and GPS coordinates could be used to develop a system for people to find the location where someone is buried. Online GIS based software would work perfectly with this future green model. It could also exist as part of Sudbury's re-greening initiative.

Problems with the current systems proposal for improvements:
In the council presentation http://agendasonline.greatersudbury.ca/index.cfm?pg=feed&action=file&attachment=11233.pdf
under the heading "Beautification program" the proposal is to:
"Introduce flower beds" to the older cemeteries - Yes this is adding to the atmosphere - but it is stuck in the old paradigm. This will require a lot of cost to maintain vs. Native plant material.
It states that we require a "Monument restoration program" - Monuments / mausoleums require far too much cost to maintain.  This is a great example of why we need to look to newer ways of memorializing our loved ones.
Group monuments could be considered, small placards, integrated with sculpture, etc. Large individual monuments should not exist at all. A tree is  monument enough.
Do we want to leave behind a legacy of concrete and dilapidated mausoleums and weathered tombstones, or do we want to leave behind a spiritual place full of trees and wildlife.
These issues are solved using green burial grounds. Why create environments that work against nature rather than work with it?
I believe with proper education the majority of people in Greater Sudbury (including myself) would prefer this option.

The following is taken from: http://greenburialvictoria.com/green-burial 
What is Green Burial?
Green burial is the practice where the body is returned to the earth to decompose naturally and contribute to new life.
The body is prepared for burial without embalming and is buried in a biodegradable container or shroud that might be made from sustainable, locally harvested wood, wicker, recycled cardboard or natural fibre.
Once the burial has been completed and the grave allowed to settle, then the surface of the interment site is planted with wild flowers and grasses, ferns, small shrubs and in some cases a tree.
Only plant materials that are indigenous to the local ecology are used for these plantings.
Individual memorials are discouraged; in their place simple inscriptions are made onto a communal memorial boulder.
Ultimately, when the green burial section is fully utilized, the site will become a restored forest, merging with the local eco-system.
Philosophy
Green burial is a statement of personal values for those who seek to minimize their impact on the local and global environment.
For people who have lived an environmentally sensitive life and who are mindful of the cyclical nature of life, green burial is a spiritually fulfilling ‘final act of conscience’ as an alternative to conventional burial or cremation.

Thank you for your time,

Shawn Gingrich
Landscape Designer

Gardening with Moss

Is there a movement towards moss in the garden? Are designers and gardeners are looking for sustainable, shade loving options, either as a lawn replacement or as a sculptural backdrop or lush vegetative bed?
I think so. Designers are always looking for innovative ways of solving common problems. As a groundcover for shade or to simply just naturalize a space. Find lots of info at the following website http://www.mossandstonegardens.com

Artist Feature: Rune Guneriussen

A note from his website:

"Rune Guneriussen, born 1977, in Norway. Education from Surrey Institute of Art & Design in England. Live and work in eastern Norway. Is an artist working in the transition between installation and photography. As a conceptual artist he works site specific, primarily in nature.The work on objects started in 2005, and has been photographed on locations all over Norway.

It is not as much photography as it is about sculpture and installation. The long oneman work on an largescale installation is a process triggering the artistic genom. This process involves the object, story, space and most important the time it is made within. It is an approach to the balance between nature and human culture, and all the sublevels of our own excistence. The work is made solely on site, and the photographs represents the reality of the installation itself.
As an artist he believes strongly that art itself should be questioning and bewildering as opposed to patronising and restricting. As opposed to the current fashion he does not want to dictate a way to the understanding of his art, but rather indicate a path to understanding a story."

Find more info & imagery at http://www.runeguneriussen.no/

Bruce Munro: Field of Light

As stated on Bruce Munro's Website:

"Field of Light was originally conceived in Australia in 1992, an auspicious year for Munro and his family. The red desert had an incredible feeling of energy; ideas seemed to radiate from it along with the heat. The field of light installation was one idea that landed in Bruce’s sketch book and refused to dislodge from his mind.


Field of Light can be seen at the Eden Project in Cornwall from 1st November 2008 - 31st March 2009. Bruce Munro and five assistants worked over three days to install it on the grass roof of the visitor’s centre, between the Rainforest and Mediterranean Biomes. It is made of 6,000 acrylic stems, through which fibre optic cables run, each crowned with a clear glass sphere. There are 11 external projectors; the stems themselves hold no electric power at all. The installation covers an area of 60 x 20 meters, using 24, 000 meters of fibre optic cable. It’s best viewed after dark."

Bruce Munro's Website

Hobbiton: A Designer's Fairytale

Wouldn't that be a great opportunity: to design the setting for Hobbiton, or the Shire as it's known. To have the chance to bring something to life that exists in fairytales and literature and in the many minds of the J.R.R. Tolkien readership. It would be challenging in the sense of fulfilling the ideology of many Tolkien geeks and lovers of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hobbit. It would also be a fanstastic opportunity to create a whimsical fairytale land (for the purposes of Motion Picture & Tourism of course) but still very cool.



Drop Chandelier by Stuart Haygarth

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle

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Hidden Egg Treehouse by Joel Allen

Is this a trend? Some very cool tree houses are surfacing around the globe.

http://www.home-designing.com/2012/05/hidden-egg-treehouse-by-joel-allen

"IT worker-cum-carpenter, Joel Allen, harbored a dream of creating a house that organically meshed with the environment of his much loved woods around Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. His dream became a reality after finding friends in two fresh new architects who set him on his path of a uniquely egg shaped treehouse, now known as the HemLoft Weekend Cabin.

The ideal location was decided after a months-long quest to find the perfect tree on the perfect spot of land. Without the sum of money required to buy property, Allen took the risk of squatting in the public forest, he recalls “Finding that perfect spot on crown land wasn’t so easy, I had an informal checklist of requirements, the most important ones being that it within a reasonable distance to a road, yet out of sight and out of earshot of human traffic. The other requirement was hard to qualify, but was of prime importance: the shape of the egg would need to suit the environment and be proportionate to the tree. I couldn’t explain exactly what that was but I figured I would know it when I saw it.""

New Zealand Treehouse Restaurant

Source: pacificenvironments.co.nz via María on Pinterest

Villa D’Este in Tivoli Italy

Constructed between 1550 and 1572, Villa D’Este in Tivoli, Italy, was created as an oasis from the hot confines of the metropolis of Rome.


Wikipedia notes:

“Drawing inspiration (and many statues[2] and much of the marble used for construction) from the nearby Villa Adriana, the palatial retreat of Emperor Hadrian, and reviving Roman techniques of hydraulic engineering to supply water to a sequence of fountains, the cardinal created a fantasy garden. Its architectural elements and water features had an enormous influence on European landscape design.”

It is built on the side of a hill, where a river has been diverted to supply a giant cistern used to feed all of the stone fountains and waterworks. It is a true masterpiece.

It is a fantastic world that captures the imagination, and one can only believe that to visit the garden in the 1500’s would have transported the visitor to another world.

 

 

 

 

 

THE SEED: Now Featured on Pinterest!

Check out Pinterest for a fantastic array of garden imagery. It is certainly a random collection of landscape eye candy...