I began my career as an academic - a geographer, to be exact. I earned my P.h.D. in Geography from York University, studying the politics of conservation in Canada and Thailand. One focus of my research was on the exclusion of Indigenous peoples from protected areas and the consequences of removing their presence from the land.

Following my P.h.D., I worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow as part of the Reconciliation Through Conservation Partnership. This Partnership, hosted by the University of Guelph, was led by Indigenous Elders, leaders, and youth and brought together academics, Indigenous communities, conservation practitioners, Crown governments, and legal professionals to support Indigenous-led conservation across Canada.

While I adored this work and felt passionately about it, I had been experiencing health issues (which led to frequent migraines) that made screen time difficult. With everything moving more and more online, I realized that I could not pursue a position as a full time professor and maintain my health (or, relatedly, my mental health). While I continued to lecture and research part time (and still do), I knew I needed to explore other avenues.

Feeling that working outdoors would do my body and soul good, and wanting to continue in an environmental field, I decided to move into gardening and landscaping!

After spending a summer gardening for acquaintances with my husband, I was hired as a gardener/landscaper in Toronto. I was very lucky to work with my former boss, an exceptionally knowledgeable gardener with decades of experience. She had also transitioned from an academic career to one in gardening and appreciated my enthusiasm and desire to learn. I learned all aspects of the trade, including stonework which I quickly came to love.

During the years we worked together, we both became more and more interested in native plants. After reading Doug Tallamy's books (which I highly recommend!), I began making note of how many species were native versus non-native on the properties we serviced. I was alarmed by what I found.

Although my boss increasingly encouraged homeowners to plant native species, many simply weren't familiar with native plants (since they are not commonly carried in commercial nurseries), and they wanted their gardens to resemble their neighbours'. The native species that were planted were often cultivars, whose ecological value are unknown.

Learning the colonial history of lawns and the non-native plant trade also dovetailed with my research and work on decolonizing conservation. So, knowing the importance of native plants, I decided that I would study and train in native garden design with the goal of eventually starting my own native gardening business.

In true academic fashion, I began devouring all the information I could find about native plants and native garden design. Books, articles, online courses, workshops - you name it, I was all over it.

I had initially planned on working in Toronto longer as I honed my skills, but after moving to Innisfil in late 2022 I realized that a) commuting to Toronto wasn't sustainable in the long term (especially since I gave birth to my first child in early 2023), and b) that there was so much interest in native plant gardening in Simcoe County but few people offering exclusively native gardening services. Joining the amazing Pollinate Barrie group connected me with like-minded people who I knew I could help sooner than later.

I began offering my services with invasive plant removal, sourcing well-priced native plants from a wholesaler, providing garden plans and plant suggestions, offering the labour to install native gardens, and designing and installing flagstone pathways. The amount of interest was staggering, and thus Birds & Bees Native Plant Gardening was born in 2024!

I feel extremely lucky to be able to do something I love that I know is having a tangible ecological impact. What's more - my health issues have nearly completely healed since moving into this line of work! The land is healing me as much as I am helping to heal and restore the land. I truly feel as though this life path found me, and just at the right time.

If you want help bringing a beautiful ecological landscape to life, I'm excited to work with you!