Love Your Yard! 2026

Devon Communities in Bloom is pleased to recognize Stuart Bennett of 81 River Drive for his rain barrel set-up through its Eco-Friendly Love Your Yard! program. 

Rain barrels are one of the simplest ways homeowners can conserve water while helping protect the environment. They capture rainwater (that would otherwise rush off roofs), reducing stormwater runoff, minimizing erosion, and lessening the amount of runoff flowing into the river and local creeks. The stored rainwater can be used to nourish gardens, trees, and flower beds during dry spells, reducing the need for treated municipal water. Naturally soft and free of water treatment chemicals such as chlorine and fluoride, rainwater is an excellent choice for watering plants.

Stuart has installed three 170-litre rain barrels, providing a total storage capacity of 510 litres of free rainwater. By capturing and storing rainwater from summer showers, he has a dependable supply for watering plants during dry periods while reducing the use of treated municipal water. It's a simple, practical way to conserve water and make every rainfall count.

Stuart describes his rain barrel setup below.

• I chose the FCMP (Forest City Models and Patterns Ltd.) rectangular rain barrel for several reasons. They are Canadian made, fit close to the wall, occupy less space than round barrels, have a screen at the top to keep debris out, and multiple barrels can easily be connected in a series. Each barrel comes with a debris screen, a connector hose for multiple assemblies, and a hose with a shut-off valve for filling watering cans or draining the barrel.

• Each barrel costs $120, holds 170 litres (37.4 imperial gallons), and weighs 170 kilograms (375 pounds) when full.

• A solid, level base is imperative, and the barrels should be elevated high enough to allow filling of watering cans. To create a solid foundation, I started by removing the grass and topsoil and then added clay and compacted it. I then placed treated 4” x 6” lumber at the bottom, a layer of cinder blocks, another layer of 4” x 6” lumber, and then another layer of cinder blocks with a ¾” plywood platform on the top. These materials may be a little overkill, but I had them on hand and they provided the height I wanted. 

• The installation instructions provided by the manufacturer suggest joining multiple barrels by connecting the overflow spigots at the top. This location requires a barrel to be full before any water flows to the adjacent barrel. This causes the weight to be unevenly distributed and could result in tipping. I believe the better option is to connect the barrels using the spigot location at the bottom as this maintains equal water level in all the barrels when filling and draining, disturbing weight evenly across the base. I used the extra hoses and some inexpensive nylon pipe fittings from the local hardware store to connect the barrels and the drain hose. I then used one of the upper spigots as an overflow and diverted it to the downspout discharge using an inexpensive flex hose. This arrangement has worked well and eliminates worry about the barrels overflowing in the event of heavy rainfall like we’ve experienced this summer.    

• A manual diverter on the downspout allows you to fill the barrels or direct water straight down the downspout when you don’t want water directed to the barrels. The diverter should be moved to the downspout position to prevent water from entering the barrels during periods of freezing temperatures. 

• The barrels and hoses should be completely drained to prevent freezing damage before cold temperatures arrive.

Devon Communities in Bloom and the Love Your Yard! program thank Stuart for sharing information about his water barrel set-up and for his efforts to follow the eco-friendly practice of rainwater collection.

Devon Communities in Bloom is pleased to recognize Sherry Barody of 15 Jasper Court East through its Love Your Yard! Eco-Friendly recognition program for her outstanding commitment to building healthy soil through composting and sustainable gardening practices.

Anyone who has admired the colourful gardens surrounding Sherry and Bill’s home—particularly the vibrant flower beds in the front yard and along the outside fence line kitty-corner from the historic 1949 Building—knows that her yard is something special.  A remarkable diversity of flowers, thoughtfully arranged and meticulously maintained, creates a display that attracts the attention of neighbours and visitors alike.

Behind those beautiful blooms lies a passion that extends far beneath the surface.

Over the past year, Sherry has become fascinated with creating the healthiest soil possible.  Her journey began with outdoor compost bins filled with leaves, twigs, weeds, grass clippings and kitchen food scraps.  She also began composting indoors using red wriggler worms, producing nutrient-rich worm castings that naturally enrich her garden beds.

Not content to stop there, Sherry spent the winter immersing herself in online videos and educational resources about advanced composting techniques.  Inspired by what she learned, she transformed much of her basement into somewhat of a compost research laboratory.

"It took up almost the entire basement," she laughs.

Large bins held thoughtfully selected ingredients as she experimented with an "ultimate compost" formula.  Along with traditional compost materials such as grass clippings, moist leaves, food scraps, shredded paper and cardboard, she incorporates coconut husk, coffee grounds collected from a local coffee shop, liquids left over from cooking pasta, rice and potatoes, alfalfa pellets, azomite—a natural mineral source—basalt rock dust and limestone to help balance the soil's pH.  Even garden weeds find a second life after being soaked in water until they break down into a nutrient-rich liquid that is added back into the compost along with rainwater.

The finished compost is exactly what experienced gardeners hope to see.  It is a deep, rich chocolate-brown colour with a soft, crumbly texture that easily falls apart in the hand.  Rather than smelling unpleasant, it has the fresh, earthy aroma of a healthy forest floor after a spring rain—a sure sign of active microbial life and well-decomposed organic matter.

That living compost has made a noticeable difference.

Sherry says her gardens and raised beds have flourished since she began mixing the finished compost into her soil.  The healthier soil provides plants with a steady supply of nutrients, improves moisture retention and encourages beneficial organisms that support vigorous plant growth.

Creating compost of this quality requires patience and dedication, but for Sherry, it is truly a labour of love.  During the growing season she spends several hours each day tending her gardens, continually learning and refining her techniques.

Her commitment demonstrates that eco-friendly gardening is about much more than producing beautiful flowers.  By recycling organic materials that might otherwise end up in a landfill and transforming them into nutrient-rich compost, she is improving soil health naturally while reducing waste.

Sherry is already looking ahead to next year.  She plans to continue using her outdoor compost bins, composting indoors with red wriggler worms and working with her elaborate compost recipe in pursuit of healthier soil and spectacular gardens.

Devon Communities in Bloom is pleased to recognize Sherry Brody through the Love Your Yard! Eco-Friendly program.  Her enthusiasm for learning, willingness to experiment and commitment to sustainable gardening serve as an inspiration to others who want to create beautiful landscapes while caring for the environment.

Devon Communities in Bloom is pleased to recognize Doug Macaulay and Melanie Brochu-Macaulay of 141 Athabasca Drive through its Love Your Yard! Eco-Friendly program, which celebrates residents who demonstrate environmentally responsible approaches to gardening and yard care.

Stepping into Doug and Melanie's yard is like entering a thriving natural ecosystem.  Their naturalized landscape is filled primarily with native Alberta plant species, creating an inviting habitat for pollinators, beneficial insects and birds.

Over the years, Doug has developed an impressive collection of native plants, often discovering species during his travels throughout Alberta and carefully introducing them into the garden.  The result is a lush landscape that provides food and habitat for an extraordinary diversity of wildlife, including many different kinds of pollinators.  While bees are the most familiar pollinators, the garden also supports butterflies, moths, hoverflies, beetles, wasps and hummingbirds, along with countless other beneficial insects.  A water garden in the front yard further enriches the habitat, attracting birds and insects throughout the growing season.  

Rather than striving for a perfectly manicured landscape, Doug and Melanie embrace nature's rhythms.  Rocks and rotting logs are used in the yard to provide shelter for bees and other beneficial insects.  While a few non-native plants can be found throughout the yard, native species dominate the landscape.

One of the couple's gardening priorities is ensuring that pollinators have a continuous source of nectar and pollen throughout the season.  From May through September, different flowers bloom in succession so bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects always have food available.

The garden is constantly evolving.  Native plants thrive so successfully that Doug's primary maintenance task is simply thinning species that become too abundant.  Each year brings surprises. 

"You never know what the dominant plant will be," Doug says.  "This year the ferns have really taken over.  Last year there were only a few."

Environmental stewardship extends beyond plant selection.  The gardens are watered exclusively with rainwater collected in rain barrels, eliminating the need for treated water.  No chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides are used, allowing insects and soil organisms to flourish naturally.

The property also produces an abundance of fresh food.  Fruit trees and shrubs produce plums, apples, two varieties of cherries, Saskatoon berries and haskap berries. There is also an extensive vegetable garden that provides fresh produce throughout the season. 

Doug's fascination with the natural world extends far beyond gardening.  Since moving to the property in 2010, he has carefully documented the wildlife that visits his yard using eBird, FeederWatch and iNaturalist, where many of his observations are verified by experts through photographs.  His records reveal an extraordinary level of biodiversity for a residential property.  To date, he has documented 16 species of bees—including mining bees, wood-digger bees, leafcutter bees, digger-cuckoo bees, the European honeybee and 10 species of bumble bees—along with 15 species of hoverflies, 17 species of butterflies, an astonishing 192 species of moths, 103 species of birds, numerous other insects and several mammals.

Last year, Doug made a remarkable discovery when he found a species of mint moth that had never been recorded in Alberta, demonstrating how even a backyard can contribute to scientific knowledge.

The ecological value of the property has also been formally recognized. Doug and Melanie's yard is certified as a Garden Habitat by the Canadian Wildlife Federation, recognizing the habitat they have created for wildlife through the use of native plants, natural shelter, food sources and environmentally responsible gardening practices.

Residents interested in creating more environmentally friendly landscapes can take inspiration from Doug and Melanie's garden by planting native species, providing habitat for pollinators and other wildlife, conserving rainwater, composting, and avoiding the use of chemicals.  Together, these actions can make a meaningful difference for Devon's environment.

Devon Communities in Bloom is pleased to announce that the yard of Jenise Bidulock and Don Kenyon on Thompson Crescent is the second of six yards to be featured this summer in celebration of environmentally friendly practices.

Upon entering Don and Jenise's backyard, visitors are greeted by a space that proclaims, “We love plants!” This biodiverse and peaceful oasis is filled with food-producing plants, including trees, shrubs, vegetables, and herbs.

More than 20 large tomato plants thrive throughout the yard, some growing in containers and others planted directly in the ground. As the tomatoes mature, Jenise and Don look forward to using them to create pasta sauce, ketchup, and salsa. They also make jams, jellies, and juices from a variety of fruits, including apples, raspberries, gooseberries, and currants. Their culinary and medicinal herbs are grown in the garden and greenhouse in the summer and under grow lights in the basement throughout the winter months. They dry many of these herbs for culinary and medicinal use, such as preparing cough and cold medicine. 

Their vegetable garden is planted in stages. At the time of our visit, garlic, peppers, broccoli, cabbage, squash, zucchini, lettuce, and potatoes were already growing. Bush and pole beans, as well as cucumbers, had yet to be planted. They live in the greenhouse until the ground warms. Once planting is complete, the focus will shift to weeding, thinning and harvesting early crops. 

Don and Jenise take an inquiry approach to gardening. They spend considerable time observing the plants and animals in their yard and have developed an appreciation for all forms of life. They also know that weeds have their place. One example is the common dandelion. Don explained that the dandelion's deep taproot draws minerals from lower soil layers and makes them available to other plants when added to their compost. He also appreciates nuisance bugs such as gooseberry worms and mosquitoes for their role as an important food source for birds such as wrens and swallows.

In support of garden-friendly insects, Don and Jenise pile fallen leaves along fences and in sheltered areas to provide winter habitat for them. Helpful insects such as ladybird beetles and lacewings emerge in masse in the spring. Jenise and Don have even learned to live peacefully with wasps as they eat white flies and aphids. When they emerge hungry from their nests in the fall, the trick is to be quiet and still so as not to irritate them. 

Additional eco-friendly practices include composting, collecting large volumes of rainwater, and providing food and shelter for birds. The diversity of plants for pollinators in their yard is important as is a diversity of tree species as different species attract different types of bugs. Don shared that ornamental trees host a few species of insects, while an oak tree can host up to 72 different species of bugs.  Jenise and Don do not use pesticides and herbicides, choosing more natural controls. Instead, they pick slugs by hand and use insecticidal soap on other insects when necessary. They also leave brush piles, stalks of plants, and even dead trees standing whenever it is safe to do so. This creates valuable habitat for many bird, animal and insect species.

Thank you, Don and Jenise, for helping Devon bloom in an eco-friendly way! 

For more information about growing fruit, vegetables and herbs, start with a Lois Hole vegetable gardening book and supplement it with the Edmonton Horticultural Society's workshops and online resources. That combination will give you the timeless fundamentals and the latest local advice.

Devon Communities in Bloom is pleased to recognize Don and Debbie Spearman of 444 Ravine Court through its Love Your Yard! Eco-Friendly program, which celebrates residents who demonstrate environmentally responsible approaches to gardening and yard care.

The Spearmans have embraced a variety of sustainable practices throughout their property, creating a yard that is attractive, productive and environmentally conscious.

One of the Spearmans' eco-friendly initiatives is the introduction of micro clover into their front lawn. Micro clover is a dwarf variety of Dutch white clover and grows 4 to 6 inches tall.  By lightly scratching the soil and spreading clover seed, they have been gradually establishing a low-maintenance ground cover that has spread over more than two-thirds of the front yard. Don estimates that, with adequate moisture, the clover could fill in the entire lawn within three to four years.

As a legume, clover naturally fixes nitrogen in the soil, helping to keep the lawn healthy and green without the need for nitrogen fertilizer. This has allowed the Spearmans to significantly reduce their reliance on lawn fertilizers while maintaining an attractive appearance. Clover also requires less water than traditional turf grass, stays green during dry periods, and is less susceptible to yellowing from pet urine. Another benefit of clover is that it chokes out dandelions. Once fully established, the Spearmans expect the clover lawn will require little or no mowing, further reducing maintenance and environmental impacts.

In the backyard, the Spearmans have incorporated a technique known as hugelkultur into their raised garden beds. Logs and scrap wood buried beneath the soil occupy approximately one-third of the bed depth, reducing the amount of soil required while gradually decomposing to provide nutrients for the plants growing above.

Composting is another important part of their gardening philosophy. Kitchen scraps and yard waste are transformed into nutrient-rich compost, a process that typically takes about a year depending on moisture levels and the balance of green materials. The resulting compost helps nourish their gardens and reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill. Additional nutrients come from decomposing wood within garden beds, occasional applications of Town-supplied compost, and supplemental fertilizer when needed.

To further improve soil health and conserve resources, mulch is applied throughout their garden beds. Mulch helps retain moisture in the soil, reduces weed growth, and lessens the need for frequent watering.

The Spearmans also enjoy the rewards of their mature apple tree. Last year alone, it produced 99 apples, although most years yield even more. To preserve the harvest, they dehydrate many of the apples and later rehydrate them for baking, including homemade apple pies. This approach allows them to enjoy homegrown fruit year-round while reducing dependence on freezer storage.

Water Conservation Through Rainwater Harvesting

Water conservation is another important component of the Spearmans' eco-friendly gardening approach. They have installed five rain barrels around their property, with a combined storage capacity of 265 gallons. The system includes three 45-gallon barrels and two 65-gallon barrels, allowing them to capture and store rainwater from their roof during the growing season.

Much of the collected water is distributed by hand using watering cans to nourish their vegetable and flower gardens. This simple but effective approach helps reduce their reliance and spending on treated municipal water while ensuring plants receive the moisture they need.

The Spearmans have also incorporated passive irrigation into part of their landscape. A flower bed located in front of their deck is watered through a perforated pipe connected to the eavestrough system. Rainwater collected from the roof flows directly through the pipe and into the garden, providing efficient irrigation while making full use of a natural resource that would otherwise run off the property.

Combined with their use of mulch and drought-tolerant clover, the rainwater harvesting system helps the Spearmans conserve water while maintaining healthy and attractive gardens throughout the season.

Through their thoughtful and practical approach to gardening, Don and Debbie Spearman demonstrate how small, sustainable choices can contribute to a healthier environment while creating a beautiful and productive yard. Their efforts serve as an excellent example for residents looking to make their own gardens more eco-friendly.

Devon Communities in Bloom is pleased to announce that Allan Macaulay’s yard at 448 Ravine Court is the first of six yards to be profiled this summer for their eco-friendly practices.

The featured practice at Allan’s residence is the native plants displayed in the front yard. The champion of this garden was his wife, Karen Macaulay. She planned it, sourced the native plants to go in it, nurtured them, and installed labels to share plant names with curious visitors and passersby. Examples of the native plants found in the Macaulay front yard are prairie crocuses, blue violets, junipers, wild blue flax, and larkspurs. 

The benefits of native plants are many. They require less water once established, they possess a natural resistance to regional pests and diseases, they require less fertilizer than non-native plants, and they provide the pollen, seeds, and other foods that regional pollinators, birds and mammals need. Native plants have co-evolved with insects to provide better shelter to wildlife than non-native species, including a wide variety of insects that feed birds. In addition, many native grasses and flowers have deep root systems that prevent erosion and have an increased capacity to absorb rainwater reducing stormwater runoff.

Allan worked alongside Karen to create the native plant garden in their front yard, and it remains the environmental practice he values most. The inviting garden showcases a variety of native species, complete with plant identification signs. The Macaulays have always been happy to share their environmental knowledge to inspire and support others interested in adding native plants to their own landscapes.

Allan follows other environmental practices. Those who walk on the trail behind the Macaulay yard often pause to admire the sights and sounds coming from the bird feeders that Allan has placed along the edge of the bush. When asked how to have a bird-friendly yard, Allan suggests the following ways:

• Be consistent with feeding and keep the containers topped up

• Provide good quality food, e.g. mixed nuts, black sunflower seeds, sterilized thistle seed, beef suet

• Consider birds’ current needs, e.g. when black-capped chickadees are nesting and require more fat, Allan adds nuts to their feed

• Disinfect the feeders every six months by placing them in water with a disinfectant such as isopropyl alcohol or vinegar

Allan has a wooden bin in the backyard from which he takes about six wheelbarrow loads of compost every two years. Also found in his backyard are many containers filled with trees that Allan generously propagates for family, friends and Devon’s green spaces.

Thank you, Allan, for helping Devon bloom in an eco-friendly way! 

As the Macaulay yard is an example of many good environmental practices, Allan has offered to do four tours with small groups between 10 am and 12 pm on Saturday, June 6. If you’re interested in signing up for a tour, look for the details on the Devon Communities in Bloom Facebook page.

For more information about native plants, visit the Edmonton Native Plant Society at https://www.enps.ca/.