In a recent article regarding a renowed art dealer named W. Graham Arader's passion for rare trees provided the basis for investing "no less, if not more important, [...] close to $2 million into landscaping".

His passion for rare trees and the fact that his first job was as tree surgeon, provided the inspiration for magnifying the estate planting non-indigenous plants and trees.

Sprawling the 1.5 acre estate, 40 minutes from Manhattan, NY, are redwoods, sequoias, spruces, hemlocks and dozens of other species non-native to the Northeastern climate. However, using intelligent irrigation, that is watering the (select) trees only twice a week - 30 minutes at a time, saturates the ground, allowing the roots to grow down, not out.

While $2 million may not be in everyone's budget for landscaping, what we have in common is to achieve with landscaping that which puts us in touch with our dreams.

From growing non-native trees with intelligent irrigation; to entertaining in your outdoor kitchen; to selecting plants according to the Toronto Native Plants List; or re-grading a sloping backyard so the kids can play soccer, they not only re-connect you with your dreams of that outdoor oasis, but adds value and enhances the quality of time spent outdoors.

So, if you're in the market for balancing the hardscaping with softscaping, here are a few resources found to be the best source for species already screened for local adaptability.

Toronto Native Plants List

Halton Region Plant Selection and Design

Credit Valley Conservation Native Plant List