Fusion® Gardening

* Effective September 23rd, 2025, all in-person presentations will be held at St. Mark's church, 1606 Fisher Avenue, Ottawa. Free parking available behind the church.
* OHS online presentations will be streamed live via Zoom (link provided to members in the Grapevine newsletter), and later posted on the OHS YouTube channel for those unable to attend.
* Presentations begin at 7:30 PM, following the OHS announcements and refreshment period from 7:00-7:30 PM.
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In-person meeting with online presentation: Sean James, Horticulturist, Master Gardener, and owner of Sean James Consulting and Design.  

Fusion® Gardening:
Encouraged by many municipalities and regions, Fusion Gardening®  blends LID (rainwater handling) with xeriscaping (drought-tolerant gardening) and enfolds plantings to enhance biodiversity. One of the main foci of this style is to engage the public with beauty. Since it so important that property owners take up this gauntlet, Sean James will address the backbone of each of these disciplines, and discuss how to do each artfully. With climate change, storms are becoming stronger and less predictable. Droughts are getting longer. Many of us seek to use our gardens to do ‘Good’ for biodiversity. Fusion Gardening® does all these things by minimizing water use, keeping the water that falls on our property ON our property, and, through the favoring of native and wildlife-supporting plant choices, this method of gardening supports the life that visits our yards.

Bio:
Sean owns ‘Sean James Consulting & Design’. Named by Landscape Ontario as 2020 and 2021’s Garden Communicator of the Year, gardening has been Sean James’ passion and profession for over 40 years.  A graduate of Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, a Master Gardener, writer, and teacher, Sean focuses on eco-gardening techniques. He has spoken at events from the Maritimes to Seattle and landscaped from Switzerland to California. He had the honor of being part of creating many important reference tools for landscapers, gardeners and educational institutions. He has chaired the Environmental Stewardship Committee for Landscape Ontario and the Environmental Committee for the Perennial Plant Association and has been featured on radio and television, including filling in for Paul Zammit occasionally on CBC’s ‘The Gardening Show’.” ~