Hi friend,

I’m sorry if you haven’t heard from me in a while. Life’s been rough and hectic (what else is new?)

If you follow me on Instagram and/or Facebook, you might’ve seen that I lost my mother in October after her three-year battle with glioblastoma brain cancer. (That sentence is still so hard to write 😢)

I initially had to step away from my work because I was caregiving for her in home hospice. And then I needed some bereavement time while my whole being had to reset and adjust to becoming an adult orphan in my early 30s.

But I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things, and I hope to bring you lots of new and exciting things in 2026.

The whole reason I made a career pivot from art to ecology and went back to school in 2019 to get my Master of Science degree was because of my life being turned upside down by my dad’s brain aneurysm.

I felt like I needed to do something that gave me a higher purpose and could directly help the world.

I started Native Yardening in 2022 as a way to help:

• Undo damage to the land caused by colonialism
• Mitigate human-caused climate change
• Empower other people during ecologically and socially uncertain times
• Re-establish the intrinsic connection between humans and nature
• Allow other-than-human life to thrive despite society’s best efforts

Unfortunately, less than a year after Native Yardening was born, came my mom’s brain cancer diagnosis. On top of the anticipatory grief of her terminal diagnosis, I was her medical advocate and caregiver.

This took up so much of my energy, and Native Yardening had to take the back burner just when it was gaining momentum.

Now that that chapter is over, I’m slowly getting back in the swing of things.

Along with some other huge personal life changes coming my way this year, I plan to bring you new and exciting content, to ramp up my native nursery, and continue expanding Native Yardening.

So here’s to new beginnings 🥂

I hope you’re doing well.

Tory is an ecologist and landscape consultant. He helps North American gardeners transition from using outdated and harmful but status-quo techniques to using their yards to improve the health of our planet. Along with being a gardener for over 10 years, Tory has a Master of Science degree in Sustainable Design and is certified in Regenerative Soil Science.​

​