This 1910 heritage home was recently given a new lease on life. The owners lovingly renovated the home and wished to create an urban farm to provide space for the family to play, grow food, entertain and relax. The parameters were, no hard surfaces, sustainable plantings, child and dog friendly play area, a small lawn that seldom needs mowing, and the toughest part... to satisfy two very different tastes in garden style, Japanese and Prarie farm!

This garden began it's transformation in 2007. We wanted to update the look of the home, make it more welcoming, and create a garden that was both beautiful, and produced food for both birds and the family. Since the garden is on a south slope we chose native and drought tolerant plants and added a thich mulch after planting.

This North Vancouver garden began its transformation in 2004 when we began clearing the existing soil of weeds and adding new topsoil to improve texture and fertility. After several mature trees were carefully lifted in with an excavator we planted the front with native shrubs and groundcover and drought tolerant grasses. The following year we extended the planted area to include the west boulevard and the private rear garden. This garden features native and drought tolerant plant additions, as well as a food garden with drip irrigation, fruit trees and a beautiful sculpture by a local artist. The pictures of the finished garden were taken in the spring of 2007 and the fall of 2006. This home was featured on the North Shore Natural Gardens Tour in 2007.

In honour of the home's 100th birthday the owner gave the garden a total makeover. Her strong community spirit led her to want to open up the front garden area to allow more interaction with her neighbors, and being car free, she wanted to utilize the space taken up with an old driveway to create a private outdoor living area. This north facing area of the home provided lovely shade for afternoon enjoyment, with the late day summer sun coming in around the dinner hour.