Garden Design and Planning

<p>In an age of urban sprawl, failing infrastructure, polluted water and greenhouse gasses, we are hearing the word &ldquo;sustainability&rdquo; more and more frequently. In fact, it seems that everywhere we look there is a new green or sustainable product on the market. Companies are responding to consumers&rsquo; needs and wants because we are starting to see the effect that products and human activity are having on our planet. For instance, in 1997 Charles J. Moore, a competitive sailor on his journey home from competing in the Transpac sailing race, discovered a vast expanse of floating plastic garbage in the northern Pacific Ocean. His discovery prompted research into the phenomenon. Researchers found that garbage generated worldwide was accumulating in a concentrated area due to the currents of the ocean. It was dubbed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Gyre. It is suspected that thousands of tons of plastic garbage are washed into the Pacific Ocean each year, carried by urban coastal storm water run-off. It has been speculated that the hidden area of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is greater in size than the state of Texas.<br />At our current rate of consumption, human beings are using up the earth's resources one and a half times faster than our planet's capacity for renewal. In order for our children to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle such as the one we have come to appreciate, we need to adopt a sustainable approach in the way we live. Sustainable living simply means preserving our ability to maintain, indefinitely, a way of living.</p>

The two zone maps we offer here can be valuable aids for plant selection and garden planning. The plant hardiness zone map is the one most people associate with gardening, but the Canadian ecozones map can also be helpful for determining the native vegetation and wildlife associated with your geographic area.