“Planting natives is more than a green thumb move—it's the eco superhero cape your garden needs. Dent the armour of climate change, throw an uncivilized party for local wildlife that is bound to return, while basking in the warm fuzzies of knowing you're part of a conscious collective of burgeoning amateur landscape artists saving the day. Cue the Hollywood sunset – nature's epic comeback, co-starring you!”
Ben Porchuk, Course Creator, Bringing Forests Home
Ben & Diana Beresford-Kroeger, cohosting a video for Telus, on the importance of native plants in the garden.
Online Training;
7 Weeks, 7 Modules
Lead by Ben Porchuk Ecologist,
Forest Therapy
Trailblazer,
$300
Course Summary Below:
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Your Land's Past Stewards
Who lived here before you? Before the subdivision, before the farm. Learning about Indigenous and settler stewardship of your specific land is where meaningful ecological work begins. This module grounds everything that follows. -
Sense of Place & Your Bioregion
Your yard is part of a watershed, a soil type, a climate zone. We learn to read what nature is already telling us about what belongs here, so your design works with the land instead of against it. -
The 3 Rs: Rejuvenation, Restoration, Recovery
The heart of the course. If your garden doesn't restore you, it's not worth building. We use these three principles, drawn from forest therapy and ecological science, to shape every design decision. -
Major Native Garden Types
Woodland, prairie, wetland, savanna. We break down the major habitat types of Eastern North America and which native plants belong in each. More colourful and interesting than you think. -
Design, Sourcing & Installation
From sketch to shovel. How to design your space, where to actually find native plants, and how to get them in the ground right. Includes how to get help when you need it. -
Becoming an Ecosystem Guide
Maintenance, yes, but more than that. You become a spokesperson for what you've built, sharing plants, knowledge, and enthusiasm with neighbours, friends, and community. -
When You Build It, They Will Come
Birds. Butterflies. Frogs. Insects you've never seen. This module is about the joy of watching your creation come alive, and understanding who shows up and why.
Course Instructor - Ben Porchuk: Looking all so serious and maybe even studious (don’t be fooled), Ben shown speaking about native plants to a sold out (mostly - there are about 6 seats open) crowd in the Forest City (London), Ontario. Talking from personal stories resulting from the 250 species of native plants he invited back ‘home,’ his observations of the returning wildlife makes for an epic journey of the imagination, almost as though one had experienced it themselves.
"Ben's your guy for this course …a legit pro with credentials that read like a nature superhero's resume: wildlife researcher, restoration ecologist, ex-Head of Conservation at Royal Botanical Gardens, native plant encyclopedia (from my view, anyway), designer and builder of Nature Sense Grounds, certified forest therapy guide, trainer, and the brawn (maybe brains?…no) behind the Global Institute of Forest Therapy. Let us take a big breath. What truly matters is the connection and trust you'll build when you join this course. No jail time, no identity crises, just an honest, authentic guide in the sometimes wild world of online courses. Ben stands out as a purely authentic individual. You could do a whole lot worse."
— Written by Ben's pal, Clay D. (knower of Ben for 56 years)
This is a prairie landscape with a surrounding forest. Photo provided by Ben’s old pal and former colleague Graham Buck. We find the right plants.
Michigan Day Lilies. How very inviting. We hope you agree, and plant some at your place too (should your place be found within - or very close to - the natural range of Michigan Lilies). Plants like this defy what many think of natives; ‘They’re boring, not very colourful, and hard to find.” Mostly (very mostly) not true.
““Personable...enjoyable...so informative... this guy is so much fun to work with...and the gardening creations within which we thrive and feel the impacts, both inside of us and out, is something you have to experience.””
I am so very grateful. Thanks so much, Mr. Eastman.
About the Course
This course teaches you about: your land’s past stewards, its sense of place, the 3 ‘Rs’ of Bringing Forests Home, major native garden types of E. North America, design and sourcing of native plants, installation of gardens, getting help, becoming an ecosystem guide, and a lot about what (and who) will come when you build all of this! Beyond the how…this course is about reconnecting for us, for the nature around us.
A woodland front yard…creating captivating beauty and functional significance for local wildlife and climate change mitigation.
Why Now?
Can you think of a better time to fashion a wonderful creation of ‘nearby nature,’ right out your front or back door? I teach a creating a sense of ‘poetry in action,’ combining technical and thought approaches to help settle you and your landscape into a beautiful form for (re)connection. Looking and sensing around the world at this moment…it is needed…now, maybe yesterday, but certainly not tomorrow.
Hanging out in a garden that is now teaming with native flowers, grasses, shrubs and young trees.