In touch with the earth

Jacki Cammidge runs her business with environmental consciousness and morals

Jacki Cammidge has a strong ethical bond with nature. —

Photo courtesy Jacki Cammidge

Jacki Cammidge has been operating garden centres and nurseries throughout B.C. for years. In 2000, she moved to Grand Forks and Blue Fox Farms was formed. She runs a company called Drought Smart Plants, supplying other botanical enthusiasts with an impressive array of succulent and rare plants.

“Where I live now, about 20 kilometres north of Grand Forks, I have a large greenhouse that was built in 2002,” said Cammidge, “and my xeric demonstration gardens and organic vegetable garden has grown around it ever since.”

A fondness for her trade

Considering that her affinity for the plant world has been a lifelong one, it’s not surprising that Cammidge speaks passionately about her field. Her parents owned a pottery business, and encouraged her to start building her own planters when she was younger.

“Growing (plants) to use as organic, healthy ingredients in a lovely meal is very important,” she said. “I enjoy arranging them in containers for display. I first gardened as a child, so it’s second nature to me to love plants. I can remember being fascinated by nasturtium leaves with drops of rain in the centre of them like a fairy umbrella, and the flowers were like pixie hats.”

Cammidge’s focus gradually evolved to specialize in drought-tolerant and xeric plants. Some of her favourites are sedum, sempervivum, tender and rare hardy succulents and thyme.

“I take a great deal of pleasure in getting visitors turned on to the succulent plants,” she said. “Seeing their expressions of surprise and delight when they see how beautiful they are, both up close and in the larger picture, is very satisfying.”

Working with the earth

Cammidge uses sustainable methods and refuses to use any chemical pesticides. Beyond that, her business and ethical philosophy is admirable.

“I try to garden with nature, not against it,” she said. “I like the idea of being a steward of the land; it’s not here to be used and manipulated for our gain, but to provide for us if we take care of it and work with it instead of fighting for dominance. If I do anything, it’s to add more compost or water those plants infested by bugs or infected by disease with compost tea, as plants grown with good nutrition can fend off most pests.”

Through the company’s website, Canadian customers can order plants, including custom-grown varieties, and get more information about sustainable gardening and using plants to make interesting esthetic designs.

“I have lots of knowledge to share about many interesting topics,” she said. “I’m very proud of the fact that I have overcome the obstacles and built my own website using a set of extremely sophisticated yet easy-to-use tools. I’m also an artisan with twigs, and have many interesting pages on the website to inspire other craftspeople to build interesting barnboard crafts and other rustic items for display in their gardens.”