Landscaping with Stone

Elizabeth Otonicar was the guest speaker at the June meeting of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society Elizabeth, a former French pastry chef, is now the owner of Creative Gardens, a landscape and design company located in Westport, Ontario. Her company specializes in natural stone walkways, patios, fire pits and retaining walls. According to Elizabeth, Westport is the “stone mecca” of Eastern Ontario.


This is Elizabeth’s seventh year of business and she now employs a staff of 5. Her beautifully designed gardens can be found in Westport, Perth, Portland and Smith Falls. This year for the first time, she has 2 staff members who solely “clean-up and redesign” gardens that have become over- grown. It is definitely a challenge to take apart an overgrown garden and redesign it to be an oasis of beauty with little maintenance…something her customers usually want.

Word of mouth has been the best advertising for her new business and many of her customers are repeat customers.

Elizabeth’s power point presentation highlighted the elements of design that are essential in the designing of a garden or outdoor space.

It is important to look at the “whole picture” when designing…not just the garden space….look at the house, street, existing landscape. Texture, colour, variety, sequence and balance all play an integral part in landscape designing. She uses the natural lay of the land to build gardens, walkways and patios that enhance the area, the house and most important her customers’ gardening abilities. The numerous garden photos that Elizabeth shared during her presentation certainly illustrated these qualities.

Throughout the presentation, little tips were offered to the group. Watering shrubs, trees and perennials in the fall is an excellent practice as the water freezes around the roots and less winter kill results. Never plant a rose bush in the same hole…they just won’t grow! Red plastic under your tomato plants will produce tomato plants like you have never seen before! And fire pits are “hot” landscape items!



FLOWERAMA…Sunday July 1st (Canada Day) at Tweed Memorial Park

Members are asked to bring planters, cut flowers arranged in vases, house plants, hypertufa containers or any other garden related project to the park by 8:30 am. All items will be displayed “under the tent” for the public to enjoy.



New this year is a Photo Exhibit. Members are invited to submit 4 x 6 photos mounted on 5 x 7 cardstock to be displayed under the marquee.

Suggested themes for the display are

•flowers and planters

•four seasons

•children and pets in the garden

•bugs, butterflies and birds in the garden

NOTE: Submissions for the Photo Exhibit must be made by June 17, 2012 to Sheila Frost or to Cathy Anderson. Name must be on the back of each exhibit.



POTLUCK SUPPER...Tuesday August 7th @ 6pm. Remember to bring your “Pot Luck” item, plates, silverware, mugs and of course your lawn chair to sit back end enjoy the garden. Hope to see everyone there!