by Jo Barnes | photos by Kathryn Alvarez Photography –
A garden landscape should be eye-catching, aesthetically pleasing and add value to your home … and it doesn’t hurt if it is tasty too!
Traditionally, lawns and gardens have been developed with the priority of curb appeal, but there are now landscaping alternatives such as those offered through Edible Plant Source in Saanichton that are more ecologically appropriate and offer a way to grow your own food.
“We need landscapes that are ecologically diverse in what is grown and that encourage pollinators,” shares owner Meagan Gage. “I’m helping clients create their own regenerative ecosystem and to make the connection between eating food and landscape.”
Situated along Oldfield Road, surrounded by old growth forest, is Edible Plant Source. This organic nursery grows, propagates, sells and sources perennial plants including trees, shrubs, vines and canes, all of which are edible or have other useful purposes. A quarter of the acre is a beautiful plot garden with a wide variety of plants growing like goumi, wine cap mushrooms, echinacea, leeks, comfrey and chives, and berry plants like elderberry, thimbleberry, mulberry and gooseberry. The purpose of this garden is to display some of the possibilities available in an edible landscape.
“The plot garden, like a forest garden, is created with layers,” relates Meagan. “The highest level is trees, mid layer is shrubs, then the lowest layer is ground cover like clover or strawberry plants. In the garden, I incorporate plant guilds – plants that are beneficial to each other.”
As a trained landscaper, Meagan offers a variety of services. “I offer onsite consultation and will provide layout concept, plan designs, installation, maintenance and advice about building good soil and types of plants to grow. I grow and sell plants here on my acreage and will also source plants for clients.”
Appointments can be made year-round, and the nursery is open Saturdays from March through May. Updated public hours are shared on Google Maps.
Meagan’s interest in regenerative farming and designing agricultural systems that are self-sufficient and sustainable can be traced back to her high school days. “I was very environmentally-focused in high school,” she shares. “I lived in greater Toronto, and I was seeing land farmed in a monocrop system, with a heavy use of pesticides and herbicides. I thought to myself ‘there has got to be a better way to grow food’.”
Meagan has listened to that inner voice and dedicated time to her education. She completed a program in Environmental Studies and Ecological Restoration and Resource Management at the University of Waterloo. Subsequently, she attained the Permaculture Design Certificate and also completed courses in Organic Master Gardener and Ecological Design. By the end of this year, she hopes to complete the Horticulture Certificate through the University of Guelph.
Meagan is applying all this education in many practical ways. Initially, as a young adult, she participated in WOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) where she learned about seeding, planting and composting. Subsequently, she moved to the West Coast and continued to build on her knowledge and experience. “I came to B.C. and did an apprenticeship at an organic farm on Salt Spring Island where I learned about growing organic vegetables and berries, using permaculture techniques, market gardening, and also managing the land,” she says.
The arrival of Covid brought increased public awareness of food supply chains. Meagan had an interest in edible landscapes, and began to entertain the possibility of making this the focus of a new business. “It became apparent that our local food security is not the greatest. During Covid, the market shelves emptied,” she comments. “I wanted to support the edible landscaping movement and see people maximize landscapes and grow their own food.”
In 2022, a friend told Meagan about some land that might be available to her, and through the B.C. Land Matching Program, she was able to lease it and start up her business. Meagan does client consultation and also offers plant sales and sourcing and onsite workshops about design layout and plant varieties. Clients appreciate Meagan’s expert advice and the care she takes in finding particular plants they’re interested in or new ones they had never heard of before. For Meagan, the process is rewarding. “I’m here to help,” she relates. “I find what I’m doing is gratifying and it gives me purpose in life. There are so many problems globally, and this is something I can do to be a part of transforming landscapes and lives.”
It might be your backyard or some other underused space around your home, but Meagan is keen to help you enjoy that landscape as a green space that not only nourishes your soul but your body too.
For orders, requests for services and registration for workshops, visit www.edibleplantsource.com. Information is also available through www.facebook.com/edible.plant.source and on Instagram: @edible.plant.source
