nesting

This Holiday Season...

wooly sweaters and cold cheeks.

snow flakes and silence.

growing new traditions.

white gardens that shine.

warm fires and good books.

kindness to strangers.

the comfort of being home.

unwrap the moments.

peace on earth.

a new year to come...

Curb Appeal

Like many of you, I am sure, the front door can often act as a holding area, a passage to and from where you need to jet. Piled up with recycling boxes, milk bottles, wet shoes, and the likes. This season create some curb appeal, that will provides an all-important first impression. Not to mention the pleasure to arrive home after a long days work, to a warm welcoming, makes that step inside the start of something good.

Here are 5 creative ways to think outside of the box…without looking too Martha Stewart along the way; even though part of this photo shoot was taken direct from the source!)

1.0    Wreath It: If there is one thing that is fun to make for the holidays it is the wreath. My friends and I have a tradition that every season we get together with a big bag of green goods and crafty supplies, sprawl out on some ones carpet with the fire and christmas tunes in the background, and get to town making wreaths. It is always fun to see what others come up with. Some of our favourite past wreaths include: bay & magnolia leaves, white inspired with feathers and balls or the simple greenery (minus the tacky bow in the middle).

2.0    Contain This: When designing a front door planter arrangement; think bold impact, proportionate scale and odd numbers. The matchy match of the classical world tends to look a bit contrived. Instead for our clients, we aim for simplicity with mass plantings and feature colors. Consider texture, structure and abundance. Some great plant choices: euphorbia, corokia, golden grass, heuchera, ornamental kale, moss and twigs.

3.0    Twigs And Branches And Wood, Oh My: Some of my favourite front door displays are done with simple pieces found in nature. Winter is a great time to scavenge on a walk in the forest, beach, neighborhood, or even your backyard.  Using a vessel with ornamental twigs and branches can make a bold impression and act as a great resting spot for goodies. Uplit these can also make a statement. Another favourite, is a simple stack of wood (birch) in an old fruit box. This can stand on its own or be strung with little white lights.

4.0    The Good Old Days: Old finds from your parents garage or hunting down some goodies from antique fairs are always a fun way to generate a conversation piece as you come to a party. Think wooden red sleighs, old school skis, abandoned antlers, or vintage rainboots.

5.0    Light The Way: Consider that light is one of the most welcoming features when you come to the doorstep. Control what people see and what gets shown. But be kind on the hydro bills. We prefer minimal usage of led christmas lights in small inconspicuous tiny white bulbs. Or the simple use of candlelight on special nights when you have guests. Light the pathways with frosted vessels, ice lanterns or simple white kraft bags. You’ll be sure to warm those passing by. 

Bag It

Of all the worthy eco habits: eating organic, driving less, buying local the over abundant miss-use of disposable bags seems to be a no brainer. The problem: plastic takes up to 1000 years to decompose in a landfill. And we all know this has devastating impacts on wildlife, landfills and oil resources. The solution: byob!

Thanks to some forward thinking municipalities, more and more cities are jumping on the “ban plastic bags” bandwagon, making it more worldly expectable to bring your own bag. I even use some of my stylish carryalls as a purse.  The trick- keep your bags in a handy spot, so you remember them when heading out to the stores (in the trunk of your car, or tucked into a nook by your front door). And if you forget, some of the stores are pulling out all the stops to brand their gear in great totes, often free with purchase. Here’s to making your shopping adventures easy and stylish this season.

FEED Bag

Cool and versatile and ever so clever. This reversible carryall gives half its proceeds to the UM World Food Program to feed hungry children in Africa and elsewhere. One bag sold, one kid fed. The purchase of one bag is enough to feed a child a school meal every day of the year. And right now these bad boys are on special at Whole Foods- a perfect gift for that hard to shop for in-law at the holidays.

BYOB Bag

These cute totes are fashionable, durable, and 100% Canadian made. Loved by celebs, scenesters, soccer moms and fashion mavens alike. Designed locally with special commissioned artist series and made with high quality organic fibers, built to last a lifetime.

Envirosax Bag

This pocket pouch is lightweight  and foldable, making it fit inside any purse, so you never leave home without one. These bags are printed with vegetable based inks and come in an assortment of graphics. I especially like the green grocer series in a crayola selection of colors.

Alchemy Goods

This company collects old advertisement banners from around Seattle to create hip and durable totes. The handles are even made from old seat belts that have a no slip grip, courtesy of old bike inner tubes.

Some crazy facts:

• In some parts of the ocean there are 6 ponds of plastic for every pound fish.

• The petroleum to make 14 plastic bags could drive a car 1 mile.

• Paper bags do not biodegrade in landfills.

• An estimated 100,000 marine animals are killed annually by plastic bags.

• Cities spend 17 cents per bag in disposal costs each year- wasting millions in tax payer dollars.

• Americans use 380 billion plastic bags every year.

• World wide people use a million plastic bags every minute.

Together we can cure our collective bag addiction one shopping trip at a time!

Its All About The Dirt

We had the good fortune to end our summer off with some amazing weather a few weekends ago in the Okanagan. We mentally bottled up the warm sunshine on our drive home as the weather slowly began to officially turn to fall. It was a glorious long weekend with good friends, fireside chats, smores roastings, early evening lake dipping and some very yummy wine tastings. 

 

This has been the year of two highlight campsites, and this one, may have well topped the cake. If you are at all in doubt of being assured good weather, pack up your tent and head to Haynes Point Provincial Campsite. Surrounded by warm water and sandy beaches, Haynes Point sits on a pencil of land jutting into Osoyoos lake. Falling asleep to the sounds of water with the stars and mountains in full sight is more than peacefull. For those who know me well, know I am very much a "hotel-boutique-type" traveler. But this has been the year for a whole new appreciation for "the great outdoors". Thank you Nikki and Ben Lovie... and my man Owen for the ever so handy cub scout skills!

 

 

For those who cant commit to camping and want a little luxury in our version of Napa, we highly recommend the following:

Verdana Beach- for the family looking for some retro fun. 

Spirit Ridge Spa- for the one stop shop. Great view, great food, great spa, great pool and great winery all at your doorstep.

Burrowing Owl- for the romantically inclined. An exclusive guest house at boutique quality.

 

 

 

We toured some amazing wineries that are all dotted around the mountains and enjoyed some serious locally grown harvest. Our top ten list (in no particular order) in and around the Okanagan:

1. Road 13
2. Blasted Church
3. Hester Creek
4. Burrowing Owl
5. Therapy
6. Nk’mip
7. Red Rooster
8. Dirty Laundry
9. Quails Gate
10. Mission Hill

Soak it up and drink this years harvest... and enjoy!

Green Garden Tips

With all the buzz about sustainable landscaping we thought we would end the summer season with a post that pays homage to our little green initiatives. While it’s great to get outside and dig your hands into the earth and get reconnect with the land, there are many ways the average home owner can actually be doing harmful things in their own backyard. Thanks to some great city programs, educated journalist and even those big box stores (like Home Depot) we are getting better educated on eco friendly options.

What we are not a fan of: dirty ol gas powered machinery, synthetic fertilizers, mismanaged water usage, poor planting placement, annuals galore, the list goes on and on. A green garden is simply one that touches the land lightly. Keep this in mind when you are looking to change your ways- you don’t have to start over to create your own “greens-cape”, just work at it step by step. The biggest reward for all that hard work, a green garden takes care of itself, working in unison with the natural surroundings, so sit back and enjoy.

Here are some of our favourite green garden gadgets and design ideas:

1) Worm Bins- A compact self-contained unit for your kitchen scraps which gets turned into soil and the best batch of natural fertilizer your garden has ever seen. Think preschool and the good old days digging for these wiggly little guys. Worms are easiest pet to take care of. Visit them 1ce a week with your compost bucket and they will bring you great rich soil and juice for months to come.

2) Push Mowers- Gone are the days that gas powered machinery is cool. Peruse the neighbourhoods of the east side and you will find lots of cute man daddies trolling behind push mowers on a sunny weekend afternoon. You can find old funky versions of these at garage sales and second hand stores. Your lawn will love it as will the air. Statistics show that gas mowers emit as much pollution in 60 minutes as 8 new cars traveling for the same amount of time. Now that’s something to talk about. 

3) Rainbarrels- Rain “use it where it falls”. I read this somewhere and just love the term especially in our lovely grey/ wet climate that is Vancouver. We are pretty lucky that we don’t have to pay for water usage like our friends down south, but it doesn’t hurt to get in the habit of being water conscious. Waterbarrels are a cinch to hook up. Simply connect these to a downspout gutter off your house, garage or shed and collect the water as it falls. Hook up at the base to a hose, a sink, or an outdoor shower. Home made, store bought, skies the limit.

4) Salvaged Goods- Some of our favourite design projects at the Aloe Test Garden have been hitting up salvaged yards, used building supply stores and auctions for rare useable goods. A trellis from restaurant kitchen shelving, a bbq pit made of an old baseball stadium lamp, a place to grow potatoes in old coffee sacks, starting seedlings in old tomatoe tins the list goes on. Be creative, think outside the box and you will get that custom look for a fraction of the cost.

5) Veggie Beds- Grow your own food. Plain and simple. If you have land use it. Whether it is raised beds, in-place of a front lawn or mixed in a perennial border, sneak food in your design plan, as the rewards are endless. If you only have containers pack them with herbs. If you have no backyard, join a community garden, this is a great way to get to know your community and be a part of something bigger. The biggest gardening myth is that veggie gardens are a ton of work. But a good soil base, a little TLC and regular watering and voila, you have the best tasting produce right at your doorstep. Easy Peasy 1-2-3.

6) Timeless Furniture- Buy cheap get cheap. Sure we can’t all afford the ever so cool scandinavian modern piece from Design within Reach, but we can take the time to choose our outdoor furniture, just as we would our interior. We all know a home depot special when we see one, and these generally scream, well, Home Depot! Enter Craig’s List. Finding some timeless designs at second hand stores or garage sales and retro fitting them as ‘new’ is a great place to start. And when you get that bonus at work, treat yourself to that beautifully designed ergonomically correct, lounge of all lounge chairs… and sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor, with a mojito in hand of course.

We are always curious about other people’s green gardening tips. Drop us a line and tell us your secrets. Together we can build a healthier landscape one garden at a time!

Ahhhhh Summer...

Hang It

A fresh cut lawn.
The music from ice cream trucks.
Kids playing in the streets.
Lemon-aid stands.
Beach sand between your toes.
And breezy sweet smelling linens...

The joys of summers' freshness and long sunny days. What is it about summer that makes us so youthful and happy. One of my favourite summer treats after a long day is crawling into a bed of crisp, fresh sheets hung from the line. Drying clothes by hanging them in the breeze has so many benefits. It keeps your hydro bills down, brings in the outside with fresh sunny smells, keeps your clothes in good shape and is infinitely better on the environment. And who cares if your neighbours get a glimpse at your skimpies, isn't that what the freedom of summer is all about.

We still like hanging old school but there are lots of new apparatuses available. We have a pulley reel system in our yard that retracts when not in use. There is even a new Vancouver company- Sun Dogs,  that shows us how to modernize that granny style into something hip and cool for the urban hanger.  If you have a yard, patio or any outdoor space, hang it, dry it and soak it up. I promise you will be hooked.

Fact 1: After the refrigerator the dryer is the biggest draw on energy in our households.

Fact 2: 50% reduction in our dryer use will help to drastically reduce our household carbon emissions.

Fact 3: Putting clothes in a dryer will break the fabric down and fade them more quickly than sunlight. 

Fact 4: Sunlight is a natural bleach, clothes look brighter and smell fresher after drying outside than they    do when dried in a clothes dryer.

*For more fun facts on this and more check out BC Hydro.

Show and Tell

After many, many, many, weeks of long days and nights of hard at work in the back garden, we are finally complete. The Aloe Test Garden saw over 300+ visitors last weekend for the Vandusen Garden Tour, with many smiles and many compliments. Thanks to all of those positive peops, volunteers, family (O- you hard working dude you!), friends, colleagues, clients  and new friends who came to celebrate the growing season with us. For those of you who couldn't make it, here are some juicy before & after shots.

Happy Summer Everyone!

June 2006- The first day we moved into our new home! Wowa Wisteria...

Summer 2006- Bare bones backyard, first thing on the list- building raised veggie beds.

Summer 2006- Construction zone.

Summer 2006- Empty perennial beds & dilapitated patio.

After 3 years and many, many design changes... Summer 2009!

The Patio:

The Perennial Bed:

The BBQ Pit:

The Herb Garden:

The Shed:

The Veg Patch:

DIY Landscaping Part 2: Edibles & Wormbins

Summer has officially arrived here in Van city and it couldn't feel better. Hot days coupled with some seriously long hours at work and a madly frantic rush to get our Aloe Test Garden ready for an upcoming show, has meant nesting blog has had take a back seat. We wanted to do one last post before the upcoming show to give the DIY landscapers out there some tips on ways to get diggin! For part 2 of our DIY Landscaping edition we will be focusing on 2 important elements to any garden: edible gardens and compost systems. 

The summer we moved into our first home we had built a raised bed, installed new soil and planted edible seedlings long before we even had a couch! By the onset of fall our fridge couldn't keep up with fresh harvest, but we had no where to cozy up. Perhaps this was a sign that the garden was above all- priority. Through the 4 years that we have been here, we have tried many different seeds, sampled the good the bad and the sweetest greens, we have suffered continual years of tomato blight and have always found a fond happiness in the veg patch. 

Given the fact that our space is quite small we focused our food growing to 5 designated areas: A southern berry patch, a medicinal garden, an herb garden surrounding a fire/bbq pit, a back alley raised bed system for root veggies and the original 3 raised beds that got us here from the beginning. We also have been known to sneak colorful cabbages and kales into the boarder of our perennial bed, as the lawn seems to shrink in size yearly! We take pride in using every square inch of our space as best we can, to harvest as much food as possible. And when there is too much, our neighbors get a fun harvest basket at their doorstep. 

One of my biggest pet peeves in the gardening world is a garden space the size of ours, planted with a heavy dose of annuals. In short, annuals are short lived, expensive on the pocket book, fake in the natural color spectrum, disproportionate in amongst a bed of perennials and extremely hard on the environmental impact. There you have it. 

So, our answer to this for clients and friends is looking to edibles as a seasonal annual. I am always so surprised how much color is brought forth through edibles. As long as you have the right exposure, fairly nutritious soil, and water access, it is pretty easy piezy. When you can harvest your own food a crazy cool feeling comes over you. Something about living in such a highly urbanized environment, concrete jungle, blah blah blah, but bottom line it just feels pretty damn good. 

Some ways to incorporate edibles into your landscape: 

• Use them on their own in a raised bed application for mass food production.

• Sneak them into the front of a perennial border for a hit of color and mixed varietals interest.

• Sprinkle lettuce seeds in between stone pavers and flagstone cracks. 

• Pot edibles up in containers for a conversation dining piece among your patio set and bbq. 

• Or simply grow berries for a burst of freshness for your morning fruit bowl. 

So how do you get your greens growing healthy and well? Enter Composting.

A great way to add good ingredients to your beds is by making your own home compost blend. Composting can be daunting. Lets be honest, it gets associated with way too much work, bad smells, loose eggshells and rats! But the truth of the matter is, it is the best natural ingredient to amend your soil with throughout the year. If you have room for a larger scale system, consider the many forms, shapes and sizes that these come in. The ideal combination, if there is room, would be to have a custom rotation 2-bin system. 

But, if you have a small living space, or a strata that thinks composting=mess (like us) a smaller scale system, like a wormbin, is a great solution. These green gadgets can either be bought online, or purchased with a course included at your local city farmer. I hear the course now has a serious line up, but from experience it is a sure great way to get familiarized. At the Aloe Test Garden we have 2 types of systems. A basic box (which we received from the city farmer course) and a stacker box (which we bought at the Seattle Garden Show). Both are great, but investing in the stacker has definitely made the whole process a whole lot easier. 

The advantage of the worm bin systems is that they are compact, require less maintenance and are virtually odorless. These bins won’t produce a massive amount of soil, but will provide enough to sprinkle around your seedlings or for container toppings. They also produce a great natural fertilizer in the form of liquid (aka worm pee, worm poo, worm tea). Worm bins are also a great way to get kids involved in the garden, as it teaches the importance of the growing cycle and all things green. And really, what kid doesn’t like hunting for worms? 

If you have good soil and water regularly, fertilizing is an optional step. Certain perennials and veggies require more feed then others, so you will have some areas of the garden that will need this attention. Generally a well-designed garden, with a diverse natural ecosystem, requires little more then water, compost and tender loving care. 

For those who are looking for some local garden design inspiration, this weekend Vandusen is hosting it's annual Garden Tour. Along with the Aloe Test Garden and My Mom's Garden, there are some goodies in store. I highly recommend this if you are looking for some ideas for your space. To order tickets head Vandusen Gardens or call 604-257-8666. Look out next week for some shiny after pictures of our garden all spruced up, decked out and ready for some summer time fun.

Home Tours- California Style

People often wonder where designers get their inspiration and creative juice. Magazines and Blogs are great, but for us it is in actual settings. We think home & garden tours are the next best thing, to sliced bread. Why you ask? Well, first off you get to peak through people's secret daily worlds, you get to see real designs in real settings, and lets just face it, who doesn't like seeing a stranger's private home. Our new favourite version of museum hoping abroad, is checking out if local organized home and garden tours are available while en route. So, when we decided to take a mini break down south to visit our friends and family in Santa Monica, CA we stumbled upon a Green Home Tour going on.  Terms like: Gypsum Wall Board, Fly Ash Concrete Slabs, Sun Tunnels and Fresh Air Recycling System mean anything? Our three fav's were: 

20th Street Offices

This space serves as a multi faceted design room for 3 firms. With the open ends oriented to the east and west, the natural flow of air coming off the Pacific Ocean circulates through the linear tube, maximizing fresh air and minimizing the need for overworked mechanical systems. Some cool lookin' designers that are as about artistically minded as they are surfer ready, making hanging on the roof for some after work drinks with the view of the ocean and the infinite solar panels very, very appealing.

17th Street Residence

Dream home. No qualms about it. And this ones for sale... for a mere $3,695,000.00 (read $%^&*?!!!). Well a girl can dream. I sware the minute we stepped on site the air felt purified. The builder was extremely generous with his time, taking us around the site to chat about the irrigation system and the water controversy/ crisis here in California. Our favourite feature was the yoga studio situated high above the courtyard in its own little room, accessed by a simple elevated walkway. Ommm.

Venice Walk Street Residence

When we get our business established enough that it supports our indulgence to winter in California, this is the nieghbourhood we would choose. Main street meets Kitsilano Beach. A few blocks from Venice and the famed Abbot Kinney boutiques, young families and the likes, share in the joys of small space living and neighbourly charm. We recognized this home from our Dwell subscription. Beautifully designed with cutting-edge materials intended to appeal to those who appreciate quality and careful design. The house reflects this consideration realizing true architectural integrity.

And when home & garden tours are not available we just hop on our bikes and cruise the local communities. You wouldn’t believe what treasure we find even in the most random alleyways. Get out and tour. I promise you wont be disappointed.

California Mini Break

We thought is would be a good idea to head south before the season gets in full tilt... and well, a trip to California is always a good idea, anytime of year. Here's a little peak at some of the fun we had down south. Next post will feature some of the work-related-research fun that we had. Now if only our sun would shine warm and bright!

Signs:

Just Chillin:

 

DIY Landscaping Part 1: Patio & Fence Installation

The busy folks at our Aloe Test Garden are getting geared up for spring, and even more so summer, as we have been asked to take part in the VanDusen Garden Tour this June. Being the garden designers that we are, the plans are never quite finished, the landscape is always changing, and nothing is ever quite complete. We are addressing specific areas in our test garden that have either been a past challenge for growing, or living, or simply just for aesthetic purposes. Of course we have the usual battles- what garden doesn’t. Too many pesky alley cats that like to use the beds for a bathroom, friendly neighbors that are always surrounding the property lines, the ever so fun compliance's of strata, too much direct sun, dank shady spots where the earth never fully dries, and a space to store it all. Pfewf, that is a mouthful! But we are always up to a good challenge- so hello long nights and busy weekends.

This week we will be featuring 2 installations: Patio Surfacing, Fence Re-Facing.

The first area we needed to address was the sinking patio space. 2 years ago we resurfaced a dilapidated aggregate patio with a direct layer of drainage materials and new pavers. We wanted to use prefab 2'x2' pavers, for a clean modern look and also it was a bit lighter on the bank. We also wanted to consider a more permeable surface. The solution- pillaging O’s dad’s beach for black rocks (this seemed smart at first!) and then coming to terms with buying the majority of the rest to fill the space at our local stone supplier. This is a great way to give a face-lift to an existing patio space that doesn’t need to be jacked up and disposed. Lighter on the landfill and very cost effective.

The second area of hardscaping was to reface the existing fence that was dated, and very much an eyesore. Backdrops, walls, fences, etc are a real important part of your landscape. They are the living walls to your garden. They make your plants retreat in space, or pop. Because we are a part of a strata unit, we couldn’t change the entire fence, so we simply faced the inside. Using 1x6 tongue and groove cedar you can easily apply to the existing posts. We selected a mix of tight knot and clear grade. If we had a bigger budget using all clear grade cedar would have been the way to go as it really gives the space a clean simple feel. But, our handy O strategically placed the knotty boards in hidden areas. On an overcast day we stained these bad boys- a long and tedious job, that required many trips to the beer fridge. There are many stain choices available- even enviro products that are water based and nice to work with.I love love love the look and feel of raw cedar but knowing how quickly it grays in our climate, I knew this fresh look wouldn’t last long.

There’s no question- this is a weekend project that is ideal on a sunny day, tunes, cold drinks and getting your handy friends on board. Luckily our Aussie pal and his widgety little girl came by to help. Kids love gardening, in fact so much that sometimes they even forget to visit the bathroom. This made for some fun photo opts and I guess that’s what old undies are for. And after a long day, sit back and enjoy the season ahead. 

More to come this month on diy landscaping part 2- worm bins & edible planting. Next week follow Aloe as they head for some warmer sunshine down south in Southern California for some r&r and a little fun work research. 

Bike The Blossoms

The 2nd annual Bike The Blossoms festival was held this year on a very sunny spring saturday with more bikers about town then I have seen in quite some time. My dad and I love biking together and it is always so fun to cruise around town and see what is popping up in our own city. The event saw over 1000 bikers following the trails designated along bike routes and cherry blossom lined streets. We started at Kitsilano Community Center where an urban farm demonstration was set up- cows, roosters and all! We then followed the signs, stopping along the way for some: photo ops, a little historical city history (thanks to my dad!), peaking at community gardens, listening to some musical vendors over a cup of joe and ending up over on the east side for some r&r. It was so nice to see everyone out enjoying the wonders of our city and those fresh signs of spring.

Breaking Ground

On the first day of Spring what better way to celebrate than breaking ground for a white house vegetable garden. First Lady Michelle Obama led the challenge, along with White House chefs and two dozen fifth graders from DC Bancroft Elementary School.

A little bit of White House Garden History:

Fact 1: John Adams planted the first vegetable garden in 1800 to help offset the cost of entertaining guests.

 

Fact 2: During WWI, Woodrow Wilson brought in sheep to graze the lawn.

Fact 3: Eleanor Roosevelt famously planted a vegetable garden on the grounds that further inspired a victory garden movement that led to the creation of 20 million gardens growing some 40 percent of America's fresh produce during the war.

 

 

Fact 4: Jimmy Carter had cooking herbs mixed in with perennials.

Fact 5: The Clinton's had a kitchen garden on the roof of the White House.

Michelle Obama has said she wants to make the White House vegetable garden an opportunity to talk about America's diet.  Statistics show that this year, about 43 million U.S. households intend to grow their own fruits, vegetables, berries, and herbs -- up 19 percent from just last year -- according to data from the National Gardening Association. Saving money on bills was the No. 2 reason they gave for digging in.

The total cost of seeds, mulch and so forth is $200. Now That's worth breaking ground for. 

The plot will be roughly 1000 square feet,  located on the White House's South Lawn, and will be visible from the street. Eventually, there will be 55 varieties of veggies planted for the Spring. The beds will be raised, no chemical fertilizers will be used, and compost will be from the White House kitchens, as well as made of crab meal from the Chesapeake Bay, lime and green sand. To control pests, ladybugs and praying mantises will be advantageously released, and nasturtiums, zinnias, and marigolds will be planted along the main walkways that dissect the beds (these plants naturally repel insects, and are beloved by gardeners). 

"For children, food is all about taste, and fresh and local food tastes better. A real delicious heirloom tomato is one of the sweetest things that you’ll ever eat, and my children know the difference, and that’s how I’ve been able to get them to try different things." says Michelle Obama.

Way to go Obamas, next stop solar panels and underground cisterns for the white house!

 

The Birds Have Spoken!

On Monday I received an email from a client who is very keen on working a chicken coupe into her garden design plan. She wrote to me with a pledge to get more people on board to write to the mayor of Vancouver about this very thing. This week city council was debating whether to allow chickens in residential lots. So I wrote:

 "To the powers that be,

Please allow chickens in our own backyards- plain and simple! My husband and I run a residential landscape design and installation company based here in Vancouver. We provide consultation, design and installation services to many first time homeowners here in the city. Through the entire process we are committed to sourcing organic and sustainable resources in providing our clients with the best possible solutions for their outdoor space. We receive an overwhelming amount of interest from clients who wish to carve out a space in their backyard landscape for homing chickens.

We feel that this is a vital source of all things local and would be the first step in the right direction towards maintaining our sustainable food sourcing.

Sincerely,

Caitlin Black"

After yesterdays headlines it looks as though our client and many of us, will in fact be able to have some new chirpy pets in our own backyards soon enough! Urban agriculture is at its peak and we are a part of it. Going green in your own backyard and the 30-step diet is upon us. Last week our colleagues at the Richmond Fruit Tree Project put on a backyard chicken workshop at the red barn. It was a packed house with many enthusiastic urban farmers. The most important things to consider: Do you have enough space? Did you do your research? Do you have the time? And are you 100% committed?

There are some great resources out there. For some basic info check out Poultry One. Another way is to make friends with your local feed store, as they are the ones dealing directly with the farmers.

For the designer savvy gardener, our favourite coops on the market are from a far- of course! The Eglu from the Uk based company Omlet is a great option for those with a small space, that also want to incorporate natural lawn fertilization in the process! These modern coops don’t come at a cheap price and neither will your free-range eggs, but your birds will be oh- so stylish and cool. Check out these fun coops:

For the more traditional gardener, with a lot more space, we love the Wine Country Coops from California. They are a great addition to your landscape and give you that farm fresh feel at your doorstep.

Start the new urban trend. Make friends with your neighbours by sharing your eggs. Eat Local protein from your own backyard and get crakin!