Travel Gardens: A Professional Gardener Explains How to Maintain a Beautiful Garden for When You Travel a Lot
Always wanted a beautiful garden but you’re out of the city you’re based in a lot? Do you crave luscious plants that are healthy and cared for but don’t have a lot of time to care for them yourself? TravelBachlorette has spoken with Angelina Singson, horticulturist and owner of “Gardening by Angelina”, a professional gardening service based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. In our interview, Angelina shares her gardening secrets to a healthy, thriving garden that can help homeowners who are on the go keep a beautiful garden.
Q: What are the most important items to buy for your garden if you’re going to be away?
A: Drip irrigation for your garden. Either professionally installed or controlled via your phone and a home safety camera. It can monitor the yard, but also for your home. There are some forms of self-watering pots for indoor plants. Get a moisture meter to know the moisture in the indoor plants and check the outdoor plants.
Q: What types of plants should you choose if you want to be both a traveler and a gardener?
A: Planting self-reliant plants that are native to your area.
Q: When should you hire a professional to care for your garden and home?
A: If you’re a busy professional, are traveling, when a loved one who is the garden care provider passes away or a temporary illness that sends you to hospital. (hint: weeds will keep growing despite you being ill or when you lack plant knowledge and don’t want to kill the plants) or when buying a new home with a garden already and to give yourself summer break and enjoy the gardens
Q: What should you look for when hiring a professional home and/or garden service provider?
A: Make sure they have insurance commercial liability. At least 2MM, WSIB clearance as well as some credentials - such as college or apprentice with Landscape Ontario. Having a website, they are local to Ottawa and they have the optional service to take out garden debris from your home. Those paper yard bags can get wet in the rain and homeowners are stuck to take care of the mess because it was especially rainy this year.
Q: What does a typical day’s work look like for your business?
A: I wake up 5 am and head to the gym. I usually drive to get supplies, and be on the worksite for 7am. We maintain gardens and remove weeds that stress out our clients. My team can handle 2-3 houses every day. I am usually one of the drivers. I am a master in pruning and trimming the garden sites. We pack up by 4pm. We take away the garden debris, and I bring them to the farm to process for composting. This compost is used for my berry gardens.
Angelina’s Path into Gardening
Angelina Singson shows me her garden. September 2024.
I was born in a small farming town in Badian, Cebu, Philippines. I was raised on a farm with small gardens with fruits, berries and flowers. My grandmama always had small nurseries where she collected plants from her travels. She was a social worker serving women in rural communities. Her gifts are always plants and my weekend job was to take care of these plant babies. I studied horticulture in high school. While classmates were into dress-making, and makeup, I grew cabbage and got really good at it. I composted many of our cow manure and goat manure and brought it to school to feed my baby cabbages. While I studied IT in university, as soon as I migrated to Canada, I couldn't wait to get my hands dirty. I rented community garden plots, studied horticulture at Algonquin College and Studied Science at Carleton University then continued advanced master gardening at the University of Guelph. I opened my garden and home services in 2015, snow plowing for other companies in winter. My whole life has been always planting and caring about plants as my profession to help the community. Currently I am co-founder of Sweet William Farms: an eco farm that grows local vegetables for the food bank and it's sold at the farm gate. We produce garlic and herbs. Also winter crops such as beets, squash and pumpkins. As long as I can remember, my mission has always been growing, planting and producing plants for the betterment of society. I learned from my grandmama that empowered women, raised empowered children who grow to be future leaders of the society. She always believed that her profession was raising the future leaders of tomorrow. I also believe that I am creating a service that keeps our society healthy mentally and also eating healthy produce to create a better future and healthy society.
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