Testimonials

Jessie is always knowledgeable, patient, cheerful and very respectful. She and her staff work hard and they always seem to be cheerful. They come on time and clean-up after themselves. Jessie… provides excellent advice. She is extremely patient and her attention to detail is great. He follow up is also impressive – email and visits to make sure our garden is growing the way we like. Good sense of humour too. We find her grounded and calm – and always helpful. She does her work cheerfully and thoroughly. She works very hard. Her staff are always very enthusiastic and helpful as well – I think that speaks to her abilities as a leader and team-worker. She made us a lovely water colour map of our garden identifying where different plants are – and we framed it! An unexpected bonus and very creative! She even provided French/English translations for a family visiting across the road! We think the world of Jessie and are pleased to recommend her. And her baby is extremely cute too!
Dinah

Jessica is a rare person of high integrity. When she says she will do something, she does it. If something comes in her way of fulfilling her commitment she is in communication right away to make arrangements to complete the task at a time that works for both parties. She is deep down devoted to nurturing community through her vision for local food security. She is constantly improving her knowledge of permaculture and her network of colleagues who are aligned with her vision.
Lois

Jessica is a very good listener. She distils a ton of feedback to create a plan, and then executes it while providing clear direction and motivating others to give their all as well. We worked along side Jessie and her team for a week stripping out old landscape, digging new beds, learning the philosophy behind the plant choices and ways of planting… it was the best week of vacation that we had! Jessie is professorial – she is incredibly bright and shares her wisdom enthusiastically & passionately – a hip young professor not a stodgy older one – one who has a great sense of humour.
Piper

 

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 UDI Lead Designer

 EFAO member

permaculture [pur-muk-kuhl-cher]: noun.
A system of design that seeks to mimic
the structure of ecosystems to create
resilient and regenerative gardens,
homes, farms, and communities.

Details

Sample Projects

 

LUSH

Wild Craft has been collaborating with Jane Hayes from Garden Jane and Ethan Roland from Terra Genesis International since the spring of 2014 to implement permaculture at the LUSH factory in Toronto Ontario. While Ethan and his team work on building regenerative supply chains, Jane and Jessie have been facilitating workshops for LUSH employees and working with them to design a regenerative and productive landscape for their 4-acre site. We are expecting to continue guiding this multi-year project into 2017.

50-Acre Rural Property

This is another multi-year project that Wild Craft is fortunate to be involved in. We were contacted by a family in Winnipeg who wanted help finding and acquiring land, developing a permaculture homestead on it, and executing the development of the property. A 50-acre parcel of wooded land an hour outside of Winnipeg was purchased in 2014. Design is being finalized and the first contractors will be on site in the spring of 2015. Elements that will be incorporated include a large pond for fishing and skating, a toboggan hill built from the fill, the siting of the house, garden, road, shed and natural swimming pool, and the development of a moderate to large food forest over several years. The property has some wonderful natural guilds on it and an exciting base of edible and medicinal plants to draw from until the food forest and gardens become productive.

Large Suburban Yard (Piper and Robb)

This ¼ acre site included front and back yard design. The impetus for the garden remodeling was to modernize the feel of the space, reduce the amount of grass, attract pollinators and birds, and provide a source of various cut flowers. The defining element of the design is a dry river bed that cuts across the yard acting as a swale to distribute water from the rainchain to the rest of the property. This is lined with keyhole beds full of cut flowers and edible/medicinal plants. A moongarden near the screened in deck will delight the eye on moonlit nights when the plants within it reflect the pale light. An herb spiral just down from the kitchen stairs provides easy access to fresh culinary herbs, and fresh berries are there for picking only steps away. Several different trees were added for shade, aesthetics and food production.

Small Front Yard (Janine and Mike)

The goal of the design was to eliminate the grass in the front yard and replace dated bushes with colourful native and non-native plants and a more modern style. Wide ribbons of plants and colours flow across the front yard with different sections blooming throughout the year. A flagstone path divides the space and creates a short-cut for walking north from the front door. The bed between the house and driveway features native rose bushes, a climbing passion flower vine, ornamental grass to conceal the meter and a ground cover of euonymus. The north side of the house was refurbished with new shade loving plants that add some colour and diversity. The shady backyard was enhanced with edible ostriche ferns and solomon’s seal as well as pink anemone for colour and tall grasses to conceal the back fence.

Condominium (Toronto)

Wild Craft worked with a medium sized condo board in Toronto to create a design plan for their shared backyard that could be implemented by themselves over several years. The aim of the design is to create a multi-functional shared space that is not too dominated by one group or use and can be used as play space for children and adults alike. The space should also accommodate the main interests of residents which were listed as: food production, sitting space, easy access to garbage/recycling, and of course, inviting beauty into the yard.

Carolinian Food Forest

This public project was started in 2012 on a 1-acre section of City Of London parkland along the Thames River. The design incorporates all native plants with the goal of long term food production for the community. This demonstration site will also be used to educate the public about the Carolinian Forest, food forests, and permaculture. Funding from the City, TD Friends of the Environment, and SPARKS! Neighbourhood Matching Funds allowed 4 community plantings over 2 years and 8 workshops to be provided free of charge to the public.

Permablitz

London's first permablitz was facilitated by Wild Craft Permaculture on May 12, 2012! After a morning workshop more community members joined us to transform Rebecca Croden and Jessica Conlon's front yard into an edible landscape. Everybody had lots of fun, learned a lot, and got lots of curious looks from the neighbours - some of whom stopped by to chat and learn about what we were doing. If you would like to host a permablitz at your house and get a team of volunteers to convert your lawn to an edible eden let us know and we can arrange one with you. Please note you are expected to keep the cycle of community giving going by participating in 2 to 3 other permablitz if you will be hosting one yourself. The second set of photos is from a 2013 blitz at Lois and Greg’s house where small swale systems were implemented, a large hugelkultur (http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/) bed was built along the front of the property, and guilds were added around existing hazelnut trees.

Jessica and Rebecca 2012

Lois and Greg 2013

Rain Chains

Rain chains are a beautiful way to interact with a crucial element in all of our gardens. They are affixed directly to the eaves trough or can be used at the end of a channel to get the water away from the foundations. A rain chain allowa you to see, hear and feel the life giving water flowing from the sky instead of sending it straight into the sewer or ground. They also aerate the water as it falls down the chain or cups, thus enhancing the oxygen content and the life it supports.