‘Like a book, a garden belongs to everyone who sees it’ — Marc Hamer, 2021
GARDEN RESTORATIONS
The gardens at Potter’s Creek celebrate the native beauty of Norfolk County, one of the most ecologically rich regions in Canada. With over 150 species of native plants and mature trees, the heritage property offers a peaceful space to wander, reflect, and reconnect.
The yard transformation began with my mother. With the expertise and hard work of Kevin Kavanagh and his team at South Coast Gardens, more than 10,000 square feet of lawn was removed and replaced with native and near-native plantings.
The gardens here today are a restored habitat that now offers food and shelter to a wide and diverse range of plants, insects, birds and other species.
KEVINKAVANAGH
Kevin Kavanagh is the owner of South Coast Gardens and Consulting, a small nursery and landscape design business located just up the street from Potter’s Creek Studios in Ontario’s Carolinian zone.
With a strong background in nature conservation, Kevin has worked with organizations including the Nature Conservancy of Canada and World Wildlife Fund Canada. His passion for North American native plants was sparked during field studies in the richly diverse eastern forests of Carolinian Canada, the Appalachian Mountains, and the southeastern United States. He holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) from McGill University, an M.Sc. from York University, and pursued post-graduate research in Botany at the University of Toronto.
Kevin is a member of the Grand Erie Master Gardeners and the Niagara Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society. He has also authored several publications celebrating Canada’s wild places and the vibrant plant life of Ontario’s Carolinian zone.
