My first venture into landscape design was at the age of twelve, in 1992, when I started to carve out my first garden. I began with a forested slope on the back corner of the family property in a small rural Alberta community. Even at this young age, I had a vision. With little more than a wheel barrel and shovel, I actually hauled yards of soil, tons of rock and gravel to create winding pathways, planting beds, and a pond that featured a stepping stone path.

A couple years later, my garden earned first place in the T&T Seeds Garden Contest and an honorable mention in the Canadian Garden Magazine Garden of the Year Contest.

Little did I know at that time that gardening would shape the direction of my entire life.