Calgary’s Chief Garden Maintenance Extraordinare
Everything is connected.
How you feel, how you live, and the space around you — it all feeds into each other.
No matter where life has taken me, I’ve always come back to one thing: gardening.
What started as a quiet escape became something more: a way to slow down, reconnect, and build a life that actually feels good.
There’s a lot on your plate.
And somehow, you’re still expected to keep it all running.
In this day and age, it’s so damn hard to stay on top of everything. It doesn’t matter what role you play — at work, at home, or somewhere in between. Aging parents, growing kids, responsibilities, self-care… it all adds up.
I know how important it is to stay grounded, to feel good, to have spaces that support us, and gardening can be one of those things. But then comes the reality… you have to maintain that too.
And suddenly it’s just another thing on your list.
How are you supposed to create more hours in a day? And even when you do look for help, it’s hard to find someone who gets it, someone who will do it the way you actually need it done.
That’s where I come in. I’ve been there. And boy, do I get it.
It’s Not my first rodeo
Years of getting my hands dirty, and actually knowing what I’m doing.
Worked on a farm producing 14,000 hanging baskets annually
It was high volume, high standards, and no room for guesswork.
Greenhouse manager + radio show cohost
Hands-on experience, plus a voice in the conversation.
Still working seasonally at a boutique garden centre
Staying in the know, always learning, always refining.
Permaculture + herbalism Certified
I’ve learnt how to work with nature to ensure everything is blooming and working as one unit
Master Gardener Trained
A solid foundation backed by real education.
This wasn’t always the plan.
But it’s exactly where I’m meant to be.
My life has been anything but quiet. Moving every few years as a military kid, carrying that into young adulthood, raising four kids, starting over in divorce, beating cancer, and somehow ending up walking 260 pounds of rescue dogs at once.
Through all of it, I kept coming back to one thing: gardening.
Every. Single. Time.
I didn’t understand it then, but it was my safe space. A place where I could move at my own pace. Where things were quiet, colourful, alive and expected nothing from me.
Now I see it differently. Gardening is how I connect to nature, to people, and to a way of living that feels more aligned with how we’re actually meant to exist.
Being The Garden Hoe is how I came home to myself. And this business is just the beginning of everything I’ve always been.
I applied for a job at a greenhouse and never looked back.
It gave me the perspective I needed, the knowledge I craved and opened up a deep desire to help people.
I’ve always been a good listener. People open up to me, whether it’s about their lives, what they’re carrying, what they’re craving more of. And over time, I started to see just how connected it all is.
Aging, and the pandemic, made one thing very clear: there is no time like the present. It’s not too late and I’m not too old (and you aren’t either). I’ve never been one to let anything hold me back from what I want. Fear? Sure. But I’m like a dog on a bone.
The Garden Hoe was born out of a need to live life on my terms. I knew that I was a ‘plant person’ and had a lot of knowledge about gardening in here Calgary, Alberta. But what really lights me up is the connection.
Getting to know my clients one on one. Seeing what floats their boats and how I can help them move through their gardens, and their lives, a little more easily.
The freedom to choose how we spend our time is a gift. And if I can give you one less thing to think about so you can actually live your life the way you want to, then I’m doing exactly what I’m meant to be doing.
Besides being a garden hoe i…
I lived in Inuvik, NWT as a kid and played under the utiladors (do you know what those are?) The second language we were learning was Inuit not French.
I have willingly jumped out of a functional plane 4 times. I’m slightly obsessed with the psychology and the physiology of extreme sports. Mindset is everything in health, in sport and in business!
Not only did I have my hands full raising 4 kids but I adopted 3 large rescue dogs as well. That was 260 pounds wrapped around my waist when I walked them! The dogs, not the kids though, could have been the same! I GET time constraints and full plates!
I was training for a half ironman when I found out I had cervical cancer. My coach and I decided to train for the major surgery I was headed into instead as a triathlon was off the table. It was the best strategy. I was strong headed into the hospital for that surgery. Recovery took a long time but I imagine it would have been so much worse without my training.
I’m definitely a hybrid human! Love a good MMA fight and can swear like a sailor but also love pretty things softness and the sound of birds in the morning.
You will rarely catch me working early mornings. That time is for me. I fill my cup first and always encourage others to do the same. Mornings are my time to enjoy my coffee, meditate, workout, plan the day/week, cook and eat breakfast. When my cup is full, I have more to give to my clients.
How we can work together
Let ME get MY hands dirty
Signature Garden Care
A weekly detailed visit to keep your garden looking fabulous. Includes removal of dead plant debris, weeding, edging, deadheading, pruning as needed. Weekly monitoring for pests and diseases.
Standard Garden Care
For more casual maintenance. A visit to your garden every second week will keep your garden tidy and groomed. Includes weeding, deadheading and pruning as needed.
Basic Upkeep
For the gardener who simply needs a little assist from time to time. Monthly maintenance focuses primarily on weeding, deadheading and pruning.
It’s an energy thing.
The way I work isn’t just about the garden — it’s about how it feels to have me there.
Connection matters. It’s important to me that I genuinely connect with my clients and that they feel that in return. It’s how I get a real sense of how they care for their space, what matters to them, and how they want their garden to feel.
When I understand your values and your needs, I bring that into the work. I care for your garden with the same intention and attention you would, just with the experience and consistency to actually keep it that way.
I also do things differently on a practical level. No chemicals, for the sake of your health, your space, and the environment. I use quiet tools, leave a small footprint, and have a thoughtful approach that keeps disruption to a minimum.
It’s so much more than maintenance. It’s care: for your garden, and for the life happening around it.