Hummingbird Landscapes
Chippawa Niagara Falls, ON, Canada

We let our man-cub go absolutely WILD when we’re in the woods. No rules, just fun. Want to scream? Do it louder. Want to run? Run faster! Jump off everything. Chase ALL the bunnies The books back up this method Direct association with nature has both mental and physical benefits. It has been proven to improve mood, reduce depression, and also reduce mental fatigue. Kids who are involved in regular outdoor play also benefit from increased flexibility and gross motor skills.

Dancing under the stars with my love Stay young, go dancing. #internationaljazzfestivalmontreal #danielcaesar #hubbahubby #dancemore

Dancing under the stars with my love Stay young, go dancing. #internationaljazzfestivalmontreal

#hubbahubby #blissislife

We let our man-cub go absolutely WILD when were in the woods. No rules, just fun. Want to scream? Do it louder. Want to run? Run faster! Jump off everything. Chase ALL the bunnies The books back up this method Direct association with nature has both mental and physical benefits. It has been proven to improve mood, reduce depression, and also reduce mental fatigue. Kids who are involved in regular outdoor play also benefit from increased flexibility and gross motor skills.

Daisies are everywhere This little Casanova got taught how to pick flowers for mom... Which is bittersweet for me because I most definitely prefer living flowers over dead ones Also toddlers have no limits. . . So imagine Edward scissor hands in front of a bunch of flowers . #thanksbutnothanks Whats blooming around you? comment below!

3 things I love 1. Seeing families like mine showcased in media. Because even emoji families dont have diverse options - 2. Seeing my friends succeed, and on the cover of magazines @mikehealth youre signing my copy (pretty please) 3. Getting messages like this: Because leading by example is a goal of mine. Because its nice to see that the real love is visible from a distance. And mostly because when your friend is properly famous and this humble, it needs to be celebrated. Best compliment ever. Thanks again Mike. Ill have to lay off the ear jokes for a while in appreciation for the love

Its official, we have a 2-year old strawberry-picking, public-singing, French-talking little Man-cub Hes impressing us with his adult-sized portion-intake capabilities and his philosophies about the sun and stars Runs like mom, gardens like dad and dances like a wild animal Happy Birthday Sunshine of my life

Happy Fathers Day to you my love This brilliant little man-cub learns so much from you, and already worships the ground you walk on. Thank you for realizing this and taking advantage, thank you for leading by example, and thank you for noticing when mama needs a moment without me ever asking you. You are an awesome partner in life and your dad bod is unfair to others... common man! Love you more every-time you sing with him, read him stories in many character voices and help him discover yet another new thing. Its beautiful to witness you two bonding and we are very fortunate to have you Papa #boomfamjam #fathersday #loveofmylife #doyouknowyourockmyworld #youbeboyin

Happy #JeudiJardinage dear Earthlings We often talk about planting Native Plants in your gardens. What we mean by this is simply thinking of plants that belong to you areas specific ecosystem. Plants like these have important relationships with local birds and bees... We cannot stress this enough: Plant more Native wild flowers In your gardens! Phlox Subulata or Creeping Phlox is the Native plant of the week It comes in many colours, that are all gorgeous so, wha...t the Phlox are you waiting for? This puntastically proliferous plant is proof that not all beautiful plants are high-maintenance ones. Get the Phlox into your gardens! Its a fine-textured-perennial-evergreen-ground-cover-plant that grows low enough to be planted at the very front edge of your garden beds. Its also tough as Phlox, because its very drought tolerant, like most native plants, making it wonderfully low-maintenance. Pollinators also enjoy the Phlox out of its early and abundant blooms, as do the gardeners that plant them. Please consider gardening like you give a Phlox about the environment, the bees will thank you kindly! See more

Happy #JeudiJardinage dear earthlings The trees are blooming and theyre outstandingly beautiful we hope youre taking full advantage of the free colourful backdrops for your pictures and selfies! One of our favorites this time of year is the Service Berry! Scientifically known as Amelanchier, this gorgeous plant goes by many common names including: Juneberry, Wild plum, and sugarplum- all of these names ring true because the delicious sweet and juicy dark purple berries ...are ready to be picked sometime in June or August. This Free wild edible can be found in many parks and city gardens in North America #omnomnom The fruit are ridiculously high in antioxidants too making them ideal for preventing cardiovascular disease, strokes, and cancer . As if thats not enough, theyre also used for building the blood and nourishing vital energy; which is especially good for mothers after giving birth . Many compare their colour and texture to blueberries. However unlike blueberries, these grow VERY well even in alkaline soil (common in our area) blueberries wish they were that hearty! This superfood with attitude is bound to become one of your favorite fruits, try one! Better yet, grow your own and improve your overall health, the only wealth that truly matters in life #Takecareofyourself #Betetlatethannever #learnmore #readmore See more

Happy #JeudiJardinage dear Earthlings If for some strange reason grocery stores were no more what would you do!? How are your wilderness survival skills? Our society is so accustomed to running to the grocery store for food, and foraging for wild edibles has become a novelty instead of a necessity. But most of our ancestors not only knew how to identify wild plants that were edible, but they also wisely used this free bounty of nature. This weeks feature is none other than... the badass Stinging nettle plant. It definitely lives up to its name it will sting like crazy if you brush up against it or handle the plants without wearing gloves. Despite that however, this plant is highly nutritious and readily available in most areas, making it one of the perfect wild plants to consume. The healing properties of this plant will blow you away! Stinging Nettle can: * Promote lactation * Stimulate hair growth * Help control blood sugar in patients with diabetes * Reduce bleeding connected to gingivitis * Treat disorders of the kidneys and urinary tract * Provide relief from water retention * Prevent or treat diarrhea * Decrease menstrual flow * Provide asthma relief * Heal wounds * Treat hemorrhoids * Stimulate contractions in pregnant women * Treat insect bites * Treat tendonitis * Treat anemia Among so many more things! Youll basically live forever if you introduce this Nettle to your diet. How, you ask? First of all, note that When cooked or dried, nettles completely lose their stinging properties, making them perfectly safe for consumption. You can steam, sauté, or boil them and enjoy with a meal or in soups. You can also make a wonderful tea with the leaves, sweetening with honey and lemon. Use them in any dish you would normally use spinach. They have an earthy, wholesome flavor that youre sure to enjoy if you enjoy other greens. Early spring is the perfect time to harvest this deliciousness. Stinging Nettle is definitely Superfood with Attitude . See more

Happy #JeudiJardinage Lets talk about snakes! Though theyve been demonized by mainstream-culture, namely Indiana Jones and Samuel L Jackson The common eastern gartersnake is practically harmless! They can be identified by their distinctive olive, brown or black stripes running down their bodies and their yellow bellies. Garder snakes can also be found all over Canada and the U.S. abundantly in all sorts of habitats, including forests, shrublands, wetlands, fields and... rocky areas. These slithering beautys have also demonstrated the ability to persist and even thrive in many human-modified landscapes like our own backyard garden . Why does this make us happy you ask? Because like most wildlife, their presence is a sign of a very healthy landscape. Garter Snakes commonly called garden snakes play a significant role in pest control when it comes to food production gardens. They eat mice, worms and toads in abundance and even keep bunnies at bay, leaving your precious fruits and veggies alone #MoreFoodMoreLife . Give them their space though! They defend themselves similarity to skunks and release a foul odour when they feel threatened . You can pick them up but hold them by the head and keep their tails away from your body unless youre into interesting perfumes . Lastly, when shes ready, female harder snakes release a pheromone that brings all the snakes to the yard . This often frightens homeowners and results in a lot of snake death . But it really doesnt have to! Say it with me : Snakes are friends, not foe at least Garder snakes are. #ChangeyourmindChangeyourlife #Snakes #learnsomethingnew #Discoveryourworld See more

http://cassandra-sonrisa.blogspot.ca//learnaboutyourplanet

Brussel sprouts are arguably the worlds healthiest vegetable. They can provide you with some special cholesterol-lowering benefits, detox, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory support among SO MANY OTHER THINGS! This superfood is the definition of an overachiever when it comes to our health. Thats not all, the plant also has unique health benefits in the area of DNA protection. A recent study has shown improved stability of DNA inside of our white blood cells after daily consumption of Brussels sprouts in the amount of 1.25 cups. Lets just say, more Brussel Sprouts=More life So versatile in the kitchen as well, we like them steamed or roasted with almonds, garlic, balsamic vinegar and the list goes on and on

Happy Jeudi Jardinage dear Earthlings You may have noticed, that as our days grow shorter, the skies at sunset glow with the most spectacular hues, blooming with pinks, reds and oranges. I used to think that was only because shortened days helped with sunset timing, and though that may be a factor, it's not the whole story. Turns out Autumn sunsets are much more vivid than any other time of the year. First, a lesson in the colors of the rainbow: Blue light has a short wa...velength, so it gets scattered easiest by air molecules, such as nitrogen and oxygen. The sunny, cool & cloudy weather creates longer wavelength lights -- reds & oranges -- are not scattered as much by air molecules. We see more reds & oranges because more colors of the spectrum make it through to our eyes without getting scattered by particles in the air, producing brilliant sunsets and sunrises that can look red, orange, yellow or even pink. This is straight out of the Magic School Bus guysHere are a few sunset photos we've captured in the last few weeks. See more

Happy Jeudi Jardinage! In light of Halloween approaching this week our garden topic are critters that are Also known as creepy crawlers or my personal favorite, 8-legged freaks. Garden spiders, like most spiders have a very bad reputation. But they're honestly on your side if you can stomach them and let them be. Spiders can lend a helping hand (or 8 )when it comes to your gardening endeavors. They are voracious eaters, and they aren't picky about what kind of insects th...ey eat. Each insect a garden spider eats is one less to pester you or to munch on the fruit of your hard work in your yard. Spiders can help control flies, mosquitoes, moths, beetles, wasps and other insects, keeping their populations down. This helps protect you from being bitten or stung while you're working in your garden, and it can help your plants by reducing the number of hungry insects in the area. So more spiders = more food for you, less bug bites & less squishing grossness for everybody. They do similar things for the home too ... but people seem to prefer flies over spiders #youmustchoose #therecanonlybeone #TeamSpider See more

Happy Jeudi Jardinage dear Earthlings Today's topic is one that is very well hidden underground, fungi! Though mushrooms are what we see, where there are mushrooms there's mycelium, which is a far reaching thread-like underground phenomena that connects all of the plants to each other. Plants use mycelia kind of like we use the internet to communicate and share information by linking plants by the roots when widely separated. Plants use this network so they can help each ...other out. This sounds like something out of Avatar, but it's real guys! That tree in your garden is probably hooked up to a bush several metres away, thanks to mycelia. The more we learn about these underground networks, the more our ideas about plants have to change. They aren't just sitting there quietly growing. By linking to the fungal network they can help out their neighboring plants by sharing nutrients and information or sabotage unwelcome plants by spreading toxic chemicals through the network. This "wood wide web" is incredibly vast, and efficient! Just like you can't go a day without connecting, around 90% of land plants are in mutually-beneficial relationships with fungi and depend on the information to survive. Fall and spring are ideal seasons to admire beautiful mushrooms in the woods and in your garden, but unless you are with an expert, never eat a mushroom you find because chances are it's poisonous Protection mechanism so they're left in peace! Want to learn more? I recommend the book Mycelium Running and the BBC documentary on fungi . See more

Happy Jeudi Jardinage dear Earthlings this weeks' feature is a beautiful tree, especially this time of year, the Ginkgo biloba. This pre-historic wonder does something amazing this time a year: In the fall, its fan-shaped leaves turn into a gorgeous bright gold. As if that's not enough the tree proceeds to hold onto all of its leaves for as long as it can, until it finally drops them all at once. So pull up a chair! You can watch this happening, a constant flow of raining... butterfly-like fluttering golden leaves, you have to look away from your phone though because it takes a few hours . Nature teaches us to slow down to enjoy its beauty. Most beautiful things do come with a price however, the female trees has horrendous smelling seeds (or fruits) many have described it as rotting vomit. There are also lots of theories to why they smell so badbecause of how long the Ginko has been on this planet, (there are pre historic Ginko fossils) some say the rot-loving animal it used to attract may no longer exist others say it's to keep animals from disturbing them before their golden leaf shower... whatever the case is, your best bet is to put a net under the female trees to catch the seeds for your compost. Hope you learned something new today Remember to show down and enjoy the show its limited edition See more

Happy Jeudi Jardinage Dear Earthlings This weeks topic is food, glorious, food! Among many many more, these are a few of our garden-fresh go-to recipes: 1. First & foremost the potluck winner- cucumber, tomato salad with fresh basil, balsamic seasoning and (optional) bocconcini cheese. Easy delicious crowd pleasing recipe. If you're feeling fancy this is also a great appetizer on toothpicks 2. Second on the list is my lazy fresh tomato sauce. Just quarter chosen veggi...es (9-13 tomatoes, 2 onions, 5 whole garlic cloves, 2 jalepeño peppers, fresh herbs, and whatever else you like on a sauce (sweet peppers, fresh mushrooms etc) drizzle with olive oil and roast for 30 minutes at 400- then blend until desired consistency and serve over pasta or slow cook with desired protein for meat sauces I often roast the veggies in advance and freeze in ziplock bags for the future. Waste not want not! It's a good way to keep up with the endless food pouring out of our garden. 3. Eat them fresh! Our baby harvests & feasts on the gardens' bounty every chance he gets! I never show up to a friends home empty handed either. Plenty of fresh food to share! 4. Last but definitely not least, green smoothies! This staple has been a game changer for my entire family. Nobody eats enough greens, so it's a life-hacks to get more superfoods in you in a delicious way! Most of mine are kale based but I do enjoy beets, carrots & other greens as bases too like sorel, arugula and Dandelion greens. Two cups of "greens" mixed with two cups of fruits of your choice. The fruit flavor always prevails I also add fresh herbs like mint, spices like cinnamon, turmeric and nutmeg & natural proteins like hemp hearts and chia seeds Growing your own food is true Freedom! What's in your garden? See more

Happy Jeudi Jardinage dear Earthlings Today's topic, like many others will be inspired by Nature (encore). Nature can teach us what plants & wildlife belong in our local ecosystems. It can also teach us how to garden. Fall is upon us, & if you've ever hiked during this season you'll notice that unlike many households, when leaves fall off the trees in the forest, they are left there. Everything has a purpose! Butterfly lives begin under the leaves as chrysalids, & we've alr...eady covered how crucial their presence is for food production . But many people love their lawns, we get it (kind of) so instead of raking the leaves, you can mow them. Mowed leaves act as a natural pesticide & add important nutrients that will actually make your grass greener than your neighbors (for once). Leaves are also natures free mulch! Its better than purchased mulch (which is often loaded with dyes). Mulch covers exposed soil & helps protect your garden from unwanted weeds planting themselves. It also helps protect the soil from evaporating its water content too quickly after a rain or water, making your plants have more of an all-you-can-eat buffet instead of just a short lived snack situation. Now, if THATS still not enough reasons to convince you to think of fallen leaves differently, get this: You can donate your leaves to make Medicine! Researchers found that different colored leaves can be used for different vitamins for cardiac medicationSave a life, keep your leaves . . . . . . #discoverYourPlanet #NeverStopLearning #septemberpicturechallenge #fall #fallcolor #gardeners See more

Happy belated Jeudi JardinageTo celebrate the last day of summer today's feature is the beautiful sun flower over 71 different species in North America, these tall, bright statuesque beauties. Sunflowers lure beneficial insects into your vegetable garden, improving the pollination of your fruits and vegetables. They provide a healthy source of nectar and pollen for the bees, and delicious edible seeds for you... you'll have to beat the birds to them though sunflowers last in flower pots too, and do a great job in brightening up a room indoors. If you struggle to produce produce in your yard, try planting some sunflowers among your veggies! They have your back

Happy Jeudi Jardinage dear Earthlings nature does the most! Instead of a plant feature, I'd like to highlight some not-so-well-known facts about gardening in general. Today there's good evidence that showcases the positive correlation between gardening and your physical and mental health. Our modern, sterilized life in sealed-off office buildings and homes are likely not. Researchers have found that childhood exposure to outdoor microbes is linked to a more robust immune ...system; Gardening is also psychologically beneficial for adults. Getting your hands dirty, and being in nature acts as a natural antidepressant and anti anxiety remedy. Don't take my word for it though, do your own research! As Human beings, we have to understand that our complete separation from nature is unnatural, and it's making us sick. Get happy and get gardening is a redundant sentence. Book recommendation: The Last child in the woods.

Jeudi Jardinage is finally here This weeks garden feature is the exquisite Jewelweed. You can identify this plant by its orange or yellow flowers dotted with reddish-brown spots. Something you should try to remember because Jewelweed is best known for its skin healing properties. Most commonly used to heal & instantly relieve poison oak outbreaks, Jewelweed works by counter-reacting with the chemicals in plants that cause irritation. This plant can literally be your hero! ...Ironically enough, It is found most often in the wild in near proximity to the plants that cause skin irritation like poison ivy or stinging nettle. #NatureKnows Last but not least, as if it's super healing powers aren't enough coolness, their seed capsules are literally the bomb. They burst open at the slightest touch and fling seeds in every direction. This method of distributing seeds is the reason Jewelweed is also known by the name of touch-me-not. . . . . . . . . . . . See more

Happy jeudi JardinageToday's garden feature is about food, glorious food. Nothing like free produce from your own garden! We are growing many tomato varieties, cucumbers, peppers, apples & pears (that look like apples) we also have a ton of greens, herbs, butternut & spaghetti squashes, potatoes, onions, garlic, eggplant and so much more! Growing your own organic food is true freedom. It encourages a healthy diet, a sense of community (sharing is caring) & ...of course saves you money on groceries. Our ultimate goal is to become fully sustainable & no longer need to go to the grocery store! We have two huge ephemeral ponds (rain collecting ponds) that have stayed fairly full with all the rain we've had this year! We've had zero flooding in our yard (compared to our neighbors & our plants have never needed watering We're also exploring different options as well such as aquaponics & laying hens for our urban homestead Having native plants & wildflowers in our garden makes all of this food possible! What deliciousness are you growing? . .

Happy #JeudiJardinage dear earthlings Today's feature is the Queen Bee...BALM that is! This prolific beauty tells a story of the birds & the bees. No, not THAT story! But close. These firework-like burst of colour are magnets for hummingbirds, butterflies, & bees, key pollinators for fruit & veggie production in the garden. We highly recommend planting Bee Balm among your veggie & herb gardens, because just look at them, they're gorgeous! A delicious bonus is that they're edible too! The flowers can be eaten fresh as a garnish for green salads, fruit salads, cakes, or preservatives. Dont throw away the leaves either! The aromatic leaves serve as a substitute for mint and can be dried for tea. DIY artists can also use the dried leaves and flowers in sachets and potpourri.

Happy Jeudi Jardinage This weeks plant is an O.G. In the butterfly garden world. It's gorgeous bright orange flowers makes it easy to associate with Monarch Butterflies a gorgeous species that participates in the most epic migration that often begins right in your backyard. These butterflies travel thousands of miles past the Great Lakes, through the Appalachian forests, & past the Texas coasts all the way to a few acres of Oyamel fir cloud forest in Mexico! Monarchs are i...ncredibly beautiful & resilient little creatures however they are very picky, they will ONLY lay their eggs on native milkweed species such as this one.... so plant yourself some Monarch "nests" & enjoy the beauty while you can Without important pollinators like bees & butterflies ... we wouldn't have fruits & veggies so yes, they matter... they're basically the beautiful hands that feeds us. #ThankYou . . . . . . . See more

Jeudi Jardinage is finally hereEchinacea pallida is a butterfly garden must-have This tall gorgeous beauty is an icon for prairies as its known for boldly standing out with its statuesque frame. Not all beautiful plants are high maintenance either, you'll be surprised how resilient a plant can be when it belongs to the area in which you plant it. The best part about this plant for me lies within it's medicinal properties. This plant can double as a herbal tea that strength...ens the immune system and helps us fight colds. If that's not badassery, I'm not sure what is. What's your superpower? . . . . #picoftheday #photooftheday #ThursdayGardeningFeature See more

We are proud of Dylan Muileboom as he embarks on this new adventure ahead He's taking a step down from his own business, Hummingbird Landscapes, after receiving a new offer he couldn't refuse. Your hard work has paid off ten-fold & We couldn't be happier for you Worry not: Hummingbird landscapes will live on as a Design and a consulting business And Jeudi Jardinage is still a thing - - -... - - - See more

Jeudi Jardinage is finally here Today's garden feature of the day is the unique and alluring Michigan Lily. When I was first taught this plant I asked "What's wrong with it? Why are the flowers facing the floor? Are they too heavy or something?" My plant guru said "Young grasshopper, most beautiful things make you work to appreciate it". . . Okay so I made up the story doesn't mean it wasn't true! This gorgeous perennial plant has flowers that bloom from late June-August and that attracts swallowtail butterflies & hummingbirds to the garden Its petals curve strongly backward,distinguishing it from other native Lilies. It's basically a rebel Lily... Rock On Wildflower! - - #PollinatorGarden #NativePlants #DiscoverYourPlanet #LearnEveryday

Jeudi jardinage is finally here Summer Solstice brought in the summer yesterday with the longest day of the year. #cheers Our garden was visited by this beautiful turtle who let me get a proper closeup when I told him it was to celebrate wildlife in the garden. He was actually crazy chill guys! - What visitors have your gardens attracted? - - Comment below -... - - - See more

Jeudi Jardinage is here(Thursday Gardening en Français) I saw a hummingbird in the garden yesterday over 5x, and we don't have a feeder! What we DO have however, are Hairy Beard Tongue plants! This beautiful wildflower brings all the hummingbirds to the yard! Blooms from May-July and kind of looks like purple candy corn #amiright? Rockon wildflower, thanks for attracting the best of them #LearnEveryday #IfYouPlantThemTheyWillCome #WildFlowers #NativePlant #saveTheBees #Sustainability #ForestGardening #WoodlandPlants

Today's garden feature is a client favorite, Prairie Smoke These beauties were one of the first to bloom in early spring & will continue blooming until early summer If you plant what's supposed to be here, the butterflies & bees will thank you. #savethebees #attractbutterflies #nobeesnofood #learningisfun #picoftheday #photooftheday #gorgeous #natureprovides

Hummingbird Landscapes in the community at One of our favorite events of the year, the biggest Native Plant sale event in North America. As usual, NANPS has a great turnout today. We are providing advice and supporting native plant gardeners. Cheers ... #BringTheBeesBack #PlantNativePlans #ButterflyGardens

The Last few weeks have been Great! So happy Spring is here. So grateful that I can make a living in gardens and nature. Thank you to all who support me. We made a willow tunnel for a local grade school last week, and followed it up with a lunchtime walk in Firemans Park.