He arrived at Clef des Champs three years ago, a young man in the prime of life, with unwavering confidence about the earth’s bright future, a sparkle in his eye, his head filled with grandiose dreams. He brought us boundless energy, infectious enthusiasm, a disarming smile and a wealth of experience in ecology, sustainable development and community projects. A landscape artist working on the Jardin des Capteurs, an ambitious Land Art project carried out in the former landfill behind the Miron quarry in Montréal, Patrick was on the lookout for large-scale projects and seemingly insurmountable challenges. Thrilled to be moving to the country with his lovely family, he left Montreal behind, but not before organizing a fantastic horticultural-based social reintegration project for young people called Les Pousses Urbaines.

At Clef des Champs, he took on a huge project, a garden in the making, a lofty dream yearning to become reality. Manon Desgagnés and her team worked tirelessly on this project for the first three years to create this vision of utopia, building terraces on the mountain and creating a suitable environment that would allow the plants and their gardeners to flourish. The structures were in place, rough and bare, the herbs were planted, fragile and hesitant, the water ran down the mountain, the roads got bogged down in the spring, the heat was crushing in the summer, the chalet had no water, the pumps would break, the irrigation system was temperamental, the access road was bumpy, the troops were demoralized, the harvest team did not know which saint to pray to and the animals and microbes struggled to find their place in this new ecosystem.

When Patrick arrived, he brought a brand new outlook. We needed to channel the runoff? No problem, Pat went out in the pouring rain to film the streams that were ruining the plant beds. The roads were being washed away? Pat hopped on the little mechanical shovel, fiddled with the tractor, pushed rocks around and studied the new grade, curves and natural roads. It was impossible to stop him, discourage him or doubt his methods. He is a true Mr. Fix-It, incredibly resourceful, a born motivator, attentive to everything around him with unlimited ideas when a problem needed solving.

Three years later, harmony is slowly returning to the garden and all of the natural elements have made their peace with us, succumbing to the charms and talents of this great artist. The plant beds have settled into their natural position, the roads now stay in place, the runoff follows a path that suits us (toward the catch basins), the green roof is a sight to behold, the plants are growing well, pests are more rare, the vegetation is increasingly lush, the vehicles are becoming more environmentally-friendly, the horticulturalists feel supported, the guys are motivated, art is taking back its rightful place, the compost is doing its job, the manure is being shovelled with enthusiasm, the agronomist is pleased and the visitors are blown away by the beauty of this unique garden.

Many challenges still remain, but this first cycle is ending on a very high note, both a horticultural and human success. We cannot help but love Patrick, appreciate his work, pay tribute to his fantastic team and hope to spend many more years in his delightful presence…