Martin Ford
2022 Annual Downtown Tree Walk
Sept 17, 2022 at 2pm What: Short tree walk in downtown Guelph with focus on how to plant city trees for optimal health, success, and...
Martin Ford
- Sep 18, 2021
- 1 min
Tree Walk in Downtown Guelph
Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 2pm to 3:30pm Learn how to read the health of a tree, its history, and anticipated lifespan. Find out how we...
Martin Ford
- Sep 7, 2021
- 2 min
‘Tidy’ versus ‘natural design’ in your landscape
When our home gardens and naturalized public spaces are subject to the formal expectation of being tidied easily and designed to look...
Martin Ford
- Apr 15, 2021
- 1 min
Five Garden Features Children Love Other Than A Lawn
Shade and shadow provided by trees and tall shrubs are places children enjoy playing under and near - it excites their imagination and...
Martin Ford
- Apr 12, 2021
- 1 min
Five important factors which will influence your decision on where to plant trees in your garden:
Framing views you prefer and at the same time placing groups of trees and tall shrubs to mask less desirable angles Groups of trees...
Martin Ford
- Dec 30, 2020
- 1 min
SERIES: TOP TREES for Urban Home Landscapes
Our ‘Top Trees’ series highlights Martin’s favourite trees *under 10 metres* to use in urban home landscape designs - except for Top...
Martin Ford
- Nov 16, 2020
- 2 min
Fallen leaves are solid gold
Darwin studied earthworms for decades before he wrote his final paper concluding that earthworms are responsible for creating our soils –...
Martin Ford
- Nov 16, 2020
- 3 min
The 'danger' of guaranteeing newly planted trees
A nursery grown tree has had its root system minimized to make it lighter to transport and to reduce transplant shock. To still enable...
Martin Ford
- Oct 15, 2020
- 3 min
Selective leaf colour change in trees
The changes of colour in sugar maples at autumn time give us a vivid picture of this species’ internal process of readying itself for the...
Martin Ford
- Oct 15, 2020
- 8 min
Top "Classic Canadian" Trees for Urban Home Landscapes (Zone 5)
Our ‘Top Trees’ series typically highlights Martin’s favourite trees 'under 10 metres' for use in urban home landscapes – not so this...
Martin Ford
- Sep 29, 2020
- 1 min
Tree Walk in Downtown Guelph
Saturday, October 10, 2020 at 2pm Learn to read trees - what makes our city trees happy and healthy? Find out how we can each do our part...
Martin Ford
- Sep 15, 2020
- 2 min
Colour, Flower & Fruit ~ Top 20 Benefits of Trees
We're continuing our countdown of favourite ways that trees benefit our health and our communities. #7. Colour, Flower & Fruit We expect...
Martin Ford
- Sep 15, 2020
- 2 min
Trees are the solar panels that cities need
Trees save energy in many ways; solar panels only produce electricity. Their shade provides the obvious savings, but trees also slow...
Martin Ford
- Aug 18, 2020
- 2 min
Trees Connect Us All ~ Top 20 Benefits of Trees
We're continuing our countdown of favourite ways that trees benefit our health and our communities. #6. Trees Connect Us All As children...
Martin Ford
- Aug 18, 2020
- 2 min
Why tree growth slows and stops in August
It seems odd that a tree would stop growing so far ahead of the cold winter months, but there are other factors at play which are not...
Martin Ford
- Jul 24, 2020
- 2 min
Children's Love of Trees ~ Top 20 Benefits of Trees
We're continuing our countdown of favourite ways that trees benefit our health and our communities. #5. Children's Love of Trees To a...
Martin Ford
- Jul 15, 2020
- 6 min
Top Trees of Striking Form Under 10 Metres for Urban Home Landscapes (Zone 5)
Our ‘Top Trees’ series highlights Martin’s favourite trees under 10 metres for use in urban home landscapes. This month, we showcase some...
Martin Ford
- Jul 14, 2020
- 2 min
Watering trees is essential in summer's heat
The trees we plant in our gardens and streets have been grown in nurseries where their roots have been pruned and controlled to create a...
Martin Ford
- Jun 15, 2020
- 2 min
Why creating veggie gardens near trees in cities is a problem
The recent popularity of creating vegetable gardens is a welcomed and noble notion, but gardeners should take heed of the potentially...
Martin Ford
- May 26, 2020
- 2 min
How Lawns Kill Trees
A lawn mower physically prevents any tree seedling from growing by cutting it short and removing its leaves, which eventually kills the...