About the Fool

Hello there, I’m Michael.

I was born and raised in the Columbia Valley where my love of plants first began. What started with casual plant identification in the woods behind my house eventually lead me to a local market garden, where I spent a few seasons tending to assorted fruits and vegetables. After studying horticulture at Camosun College in 2023 and attaining my Skilled Trades BC level 2 certification in landscape horticulture, I spent a year in the Island Health Groundskeeping department and a subsequent summer with Esquimalt Parks & Recreation. Now, I’m excited to be on my own, utilizing my skills and knowledge to help maintain the beauty of residential gardens across the city of Victoria.

When I’m not digging in the dirt, I like to spend my time plucking on my guitar, clambering up the walls at CragX, or half-finishing yet another crochet project.

About the Name

With its endless list of tasks to be completed on a regular basis to meet unceasing demands of plant care and defeat the perpetual onslaught of weeds, gardening could be seen by some as a “fool’s errand” under the best of circumstances. Anyone who confronts this daunting prospect without the aid of modern technology would need to be a particularly stubborn fool indeed.

I believe that, with ongoing diligence and proactive maintenance practices, we can keep residential gardens clean, healthy, and beautiful without the need for power tools and pickup trucks. That’s why I’ve embraced the apparent foolishness of a “99% human-powered” model (the final 1% accounts for my bike’s pedal-assist!). You don’t need to accept grating noise, unpleasant exhaust fumes, and inconvenience as the necessary price for a well-tended garden.

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