Contact

About

Cottonwood Holistic is a human-powered landscaping business serving Victoria BC and surrounding areas on the traditional and unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. As the owner -operator, Jen Kovach has a deep love and passion for plants and always prioritizes creating healthy gardens for people and wildlife alike! With over 25 years of experience, we design, renovate, and maintain gardens through an ecological lens. Our quiet, low-impact approach—using high-quality hand tools—makes us ideal for therapeutic, spa, and retreat gardens. We specialize in fruit tree and ornamental pruning, therapeutic gardens, and custom ecological designs. Fully insured and WorkSafeBC certified, we welcome new residential and commercial clients for maintenance, installations, and renovations. Check out our Services page to see what we offer.

Eye candy! Just look at this pink Pieris japnonica. This variety is incredibly fragrant ! It’s aroma is sweet and almost honey like . It was a delight to see all these luscious bell flowers after I pruned this shrub last year to give it a more natural form. Allowing light to reach the inner part of the shrub and thinning for better air flow improve the health of this very early spring bloomer! Pieris attracts bees, butterflies and birds so it’s a great evergreen shrub for early season interest and wildlife value ! #pierisjaponica #pollinatorgarden #earlyspringflowers #ecologicallandscaping #yyjgarden Dogwood or Cornus both yellow twig and red twig. These deciduous shrubs are gorgeous anytime of the year. They have brilliant winter interest with this pop of color that will brighten up any landscape. During the spring, summer and fall , they leaf out, produce flowers and after, produce ornamental fruit . They attract birds and other pollinators ! If you prune in early spring, you’ll have beautiful branches to make indoor arrangements with! Farewell to winter and greetings to spring! This past winter was exceptionally sleepy and low key, I am waking from this slumber and so are the plants, animals and insects! The birds and frogs are active and days are growing longer. It's time to get back into the garden, let me know if you need support in your Victoria garden. Check out my site (link in bio) to see what services I offer. These photos are all ones I've taken from pervious design/ installs. Enjoy🌞#victoriabcbusiness #victorialandscaping #yyjgardeners #lekwungenterritory #ecologicalgardening Bubble 🐝 appreciation post! Oh my! This Heather was a hot spot for a few different types of bees and other pollinators. Some were sleeping on the flowers, recharging in the sun while others buzzed around at great speed! Signs of SPRING 🌸are everywhere! Take the time to connect with nature. Be curious about plants that grow where you live, take it all in and leave no trace. Some of my absolute early blooming faves, Ribes( flowering currant), Salix( willow), Oemleria ( Osoberry) + Rubus, ( salmonberry). Thunderous seasonal waterfalls that empty into the ocean and thriving gigantic muscles and barnacles 🌊 on the coast of the Salish sea! My heart 💙💚💗#springisalmosthere #salishsea #nativeplants #earlyspringflowers More winter blooms! Mahonia or Oregon Grape is a glossy green evergreen shrub that blooms in the winter here in the Pacific Northwest. Once these flowers fully open, they will attract bees and other pollinators. After these cute yellow flowers fade, small purple “ grapes” or fruit develope. They are edible and used in jams/ jellies but a bit mealy if eaten raw off the plant. If you’ve ever cut a root, you’ve seen the brilliant yellow color which indicates berberine. This compound is anti- oxidant and highly anti-microbial. The root can be tinctured and used for infections. It’s incredibly bitter and strong so long term use is not recommended but it is natures antibiotic 💛Great for native plant gardens, elcological landscaping, edible and medicinal gardens and for attracting pollinators 🐝#winterinterest #nativeplant #mahonia #oregongrape #medicinalplants February is Poplar( Populus balsamifera ) bud harvesting time! These gorgeous Cottonwood leaf buds are oozing with a sticky honey scented resin. They can be infused into oil, alcohol or honey for a deliciously fragrant plant medicine. The buds are anti- inflammatory, anti- septic, anti- microbial and anelgesic. I use the salve in my herbal first aid kit and use it almost daily for scratches, cuts, burns, sore muscles , moisturizer, lip balm and as a natural perfume. Another STUNNING Corylus ! This is Corylus avallana ‘contorts’ as it has corkscrew coily branches! This is a gorgeous tree for winter interest, as it’s deciduous, it shows off its unique branching in the winter and these flowers! We are over the the winter hump! We are closer to spring equinox than winter solstice! Look at these absolutely gorgeous colors! 💛💛💛reminding us , spring will arrive shortly, don’t despair.