Eden's Refuge: Edible Landscaping & Community Orchards

09/03/2026

This homeowner was tired of mowing her back yard and wanted a space to relax with as many birds as possible after work.

She wanted:
-No grass
-Lots of birds
-A small pond for the birds
-A botanical garden feeling

This makeover removed grass, added a terraced garden, a small path, a water feature, and features plants that will produce lots of food for birds and people alike.

We will return to add plants and a bit more mulch in the Spring to finish this yard off.

09/02/2026

This small wildlife pond is serving its purpose perfectly. Just enough water is accessible for wildlife, but not enough water to pose a hazard. The large reservoir underground combined with the wetland filter will keep it clean (plants were added after these photos were taken).

A bigger pump will be installed to really enhance the effect of moving water in the landscape.

Moving water transforms a space and we're glad to have had the opportunity to install this for a client.

Our fall schedule is booked solid, but we're looking for a place to install a longer stream/waterfall next year and are willing to offer a discount in exchange for flexible timing and the ability to use photos in our marketing.

08/29/2026

A little more mulch will finish this project for now but I’ll return in the spring to install the rest of the plants.

For over a decade I have designed projects and let the clients install them themselves, but installing has been a new joy for me. Getting to see the reaction of the homeowner has been wonderful. Revisiting this space in the years to come will be another delight!

This project was particularly interesting with the space being so small, with it being a project I worked on before (installing the deck and pergola), and the fact that the homeowner gives so much to the community that people approached me to contribute a bit extra to take her back yard to the next level.

We have space for one more pondless waterfall (up to 20’ long) or small backyard makeover this season but are booked up for big projects.

-JD

Edited to add before photos!
From before we installed the deck to before the current project

08/28/2026

This bird oasis backyard makeover with a full grass delete is coming along well!

The deck we built (not a service we offer), looks over a garden terrace, then down to a garden trail with a small pondless waterfall.

We’ll be finishing this job up shortly but will be back in the spring when the rest of the plants are available.

Thanks The Ferguson Forest Centre for selling native plants in the fall. The wetland filter plants are especially appreciated!

08/14/2026

This is a harsh environment!

Between a Tim Hortons drive through and the parking lot is a line of 6’+ tall black currants that all produced happily. It looks like the only pruning the fat is a harsh cut back to keep them out of the drive through yet they survive and produce anyway!

This may not be the most beautiful example of edible landscaping but from a distance it looks like any other hedge in the area AND it produces many pounds of delicious berries!

I saw this while out with my family and thought I’d share an example where mediocre edible landscaping is better than mediocre regular landscaping 😅

-JD

08/11/2026

08/05/2026

A pondless waterfall will add some beauty, movement, and lovely sound to this back yard makeover.

This waterfall will barely be a waterfall and will be *almost* pondless… but that’s what’s right for this property!

A pondless waterfall involves installing an underground chamber to hold the water. The water gets pumped up from the chamber to the top of the waterfall, ending back in the chamber to begin again.

The goal of this yard makeover includes a strong emphasis on attracting birds so the waterfall is being tweaked a bit.

The water level will be just high enough over the river stone to allow birds to have a bath without a drowning risk.

The waterfall will be a slight trickle passing through a wetland filter. The water flows slowly through gravel, dropping any nutrients (p**p, leaves, etc) from the reservoir into the gravel which will be filled with the roots of plants that will purify the water.

The filtering plants will also be selected to enhance beauty while attracting birds.

Have you ever considered a pondless waterfall?

We’re hoping to do another one like this and possibly one more that’s about double this size, but still small enough to fit in most landscapes.

07/25/2026

Between kids soccer games we were enjoying some shade and we saw a green bottle fly on a flower.

Did you know that these flies are better pollinators for some flowers than bees are?

When we talk about supporting pollinators it goes well beyond honey bees (which aren’t native here).

07/16/2026

This timber frame used to be our trade show booth. After a few modifications it is now ready to be installed at a community orchard as a kiwi trellis for a grand entrance!

07/14/2026

When buying a weeping mulberry for your yard, most of the ones you see will be a fruitless variety, but the fruiting ones provide wonderful berries with the same visual impact in your landscape!

This tree is at the Swiss Chalet in Brockville, the birds will happily eat any berries that aren’t picked, but we enjoy picking a few containers from the one on the west side (it has the best flavour!).

Switching to the fruitful varieties is an easy way to add food to a landscape and usually costs the same as the fruitless varieties.

Bonus: it’s like a cool fort inside with walls of food!