The Wild Garden

06/09/2026

I am looking forward to this Sunday's event!

06/08/2026

The first week of June.

05/30/2026

So delighted to be part of this lovely collaboration.

Summer plant walks are back!

Join us on an educational adventure to discover the many plants thriving alongside our beloved dead; the life among the stones.

Burial sites are home to rich biodiversity. Local herbalist and botanical expert Amber Westfall of The Wild Garden is our guide to the hidden ecology of these sacred spaces. Slow down, look closely, and discover the natural beauty growing among the gravestones. These walks are a gentle, meaningful way to connect with the land, the past, and the present as we remember our beloved dead.

We'll be joined by members of En Terre Outaouais - Enterrement Naturel / Natural Burial for this first educational adventure of 2026. Our kindred natural burial advocacy group, they are working to bring this option to residents of Quebec.

Free to attend and all are welcome. There is a moderate amount of walking. Please RSVP at [email protected] for meet-up location and further details (and to donate!) Donations for Amber are gratefully accepted. Please note there is no rain date. With the exception of extreme weather (lightning!) this event is rain-or-shine.

Join our summer field trips and meet the rich plant life found in local cemeteries.

05/29/2026

And just like that, with a little rain and a little warmth, the canopy closed in. The spring ephemerals faded away and everything else surged to life (including the blackflies, mosquitoes and ticks). So much growth in just a couple of short weeks. So many tasks in the gardens and sanctuary to attend to. I am working on getting plants in the ground a handful at a time, while tackling the rest of the to do list. I like to have most of the spring chores done by the end of May. This year I'm a little behind schedule. I don't even have my kitchen garden planted yet. But I expect to be caught up on most things in the next few weeks, just in time for river swimming season. That's a wrap on May!

05/22/2026

Connecting to Indigenous Plants & Traditional Food Systems

Where: Just Food Community Farm (2391 Pepin Ct)
When: June 7, 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Presented by Harmony Eshkawkogan
Cost: Pay-what-you-can, even if that’s $0!

Through storytelling, plant identification, and discussion, learn how urban Indigenous youth are reconnecting to land and practicing Indigenous Food Sovereignty through community gardening.

Explore Indigenous plants and their Anishinaabemowin names and uses, including sweetgrass, sage, to***co, berries, milkweed, herbs, and more.

Together we’ll reflect on how colonialism disrupted Indigenous food systems, discuss ways to support Indigenous Food Sovereignty, and learn how restoring traditional food systems contributes to truth and reconciliation.

Register here: www.justfood.ca/workshops

05/22/2026

05/19/2026

May so far.

05/18/2026

A good reminder as gardening season gets underway!

It’s that time of year again where well-meaning neighbours try to share their “extras” with neighbours.

This year don’t be fooled and don’t be that neighbour!

There are certain “gifts” that shouldn’t be given. If you have too much of one plant.. double check to make sure it’s not invasive before gifting.

Our graphic show a few of the common plants “gifted”!

Trust us, friends don’t give friends invasive plants..

IF you do have extra plants that are native or non-invasive, please remember to share them as “bare bottoms” 😳 (aka wash the roots) :-) so you don’t mistakenly share insects or weeds. (No one will thank you for creeping charlie, creeping jenny or creeping bellflower!)

Did you know that none of these invasive species in our graphic should be planted on city boulevards? Check out Schedule A of the cityofottawa’s bylaw for other species not to plant! https://tinyurl.com/BylawSchedule

Learn more at invasivespeciescentre!
A more comprehensive “do not plant” list can be found here:https://ero.ontario.ca/public/public_uploads/2024-01/cvc-appendix-landowners-guide-to-invasives.pdf

05/11/2026

I am looking forward to collaborating with Community Deathcare Ottawa again this summer. The first walk of the season is on June 14th.

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/plant-walks-2026-life-among-the-stones-tickets-1989117746726?aff=oddtdtcreator

Join us on an educational adventure to discover the many plants thriving alongside our beloved dead; the life among the stones.

Burial sites are home to rich biodiversity. Local herbalist and botanical expert Amber Westfall of The Wild Garden is our guide to the hidden ecology of these sacred spaces. Slow down, look closely, and discover the natural beauty growing among the gravestones. These walks are a gentle, meaningful way to connect with the land, the past, and the present as we remember our beloved dead.

We'll be joined by members of En Terre Outaouais for this first educational adventure of 2026. Our kindred natural burial advocacy group, they are working to bring this option to residents of Quebec.

Free to attend and all are welcome. There is a moderate amount of walking. Please RSVP at [email protected] for meet-up location and further details (and to donate!) Donations for Amber are gratefully accepted. Please note there is no rain date. With the exception of extreme weather (lightning!) this event is rain-or-shine.

Join our summer field trips and meet the rich plant life found in local cemeteries.

02/07/2026

You know I don't think I've ever done an intro post here. I almost always have the camera pointed away from me and towards the more-than-human world. But I had a milestone birthday this week (50), and I figured that's as good as time as any to say 'hello world!'

I'm Amber. Introverted book dragon, plant lover and dog mom.

My main interest and passion for the last 18 years has been studying, practicing and teaching about herbalism.

Three years ago I moved to a small house with a little bit of land in the middle of the woods to work on my dream of creating a sanctuary for at-risk, native, medicinal plants.

I am very aware that this work unfolds in the face of climate catastrophes, political and economic turmoil, and the rise of authoritarianism and right-wing populism. I am very aware that this work unfolds on land that is the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People. If you've followed me and my stories/posts for some time you have a pretty good idea of my thoughts and actions on these issues.

You will continue to see that reflected in the stories I share. On the grid I will keep pointing my camera towards the other-than-human world that I love so much. Sometimes I will advertise about plant walks, workshops and other offerings.

I'm not very savvy when it comes to social media. I don't really know how to take the best quality picture, get more followers and increase engagement, and to be honest, I'm not sure that I care to. I am increasingly ambivalent about using these platforms and have an ongoing internal debate about getting off them altogether. The fact that anyone is here looking at yet another picture of trees, flowers and rocks is amazing to me! Thank you so much for visiting my little corner of the world. I am grateful that you are here.