FR
Horticulture Services
laPALMa
Lachine, Québec
ABOUT laPALMa

Julie Lapalme is a horticulturist based in Lachine who is a passionate advocate for biodiversity and urban greening, with a keen interest in ecological landscape design. Her creative background informs her approach to horticulture as she is deeply connected to Montreal's cultural and historical fabric. Julie believes in small actions for significant environmental impact.

"Live simply, so others can simply live."

Mahatma Gandhi

ACTIVITIES
  • Improving her identification skills and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) process with iNaturalist.
  • Ongoing research and training on ecological landscape design and regenerative agriculture practices.
  • Restoring backyard habitat by building soil and establishing native plant communities: Purple Coneflower, Hyssop, Common/Swamp Milkweed and Prairie Grass all grown indoors from seed.
  • Growing potager crops from seed: Pole Beans, Mesclun, Garden Roquette, Snap Peas, Coffee Chicory and Ground Cherries ...
Snowpea blooms on trellis
PAST SEASON
  • Completed an internship with GRAME at the City of Dorval's Royal Dixie Collective Garden.
  • Backyard garden won a prize in the 2024 edition of Défi Fleuri in Lachine, which promotes native biodiversity in gardens.
  • Volunteered at the Microfarm Les Bonnets Bleus at the site of the old hippodrome.
  • Gave a workshop for children at the Dorval Library: Young Explorers Series: Pollinator Gardens, 2023
Backyard garden July 2025
HORTICULTURE STUDIES

During her studies, Julie's research focused on habitat gardening, urban forests and urban greening. She also earned a certificate to further learn about urban agriculture, organic farming and food security.

Education Date
Diploma in Horticulture with Distinction, University of Guelph
Areas of Focus: Natural Landscapes Management, Landscape Design
2024
Sustainable Urban Horticulture Certificate with Distinction 2024
Landscape Design Certificate with Distinction 2022

Landscape Design II Course
Her Design Development Plan for a landscape design project for a fictional client featured native fruit trees to enhance biodiversity and provide food sources for wildlife. Green infrastructure (GI) functioned as a stormwater management tool. The bioswale, made up of native plants and shrubs, also provided food and shelter for pollinators.
View PDF > (23 MG)

Ecological Design Course
Her Ecological Design Proposal for the naturalization of a suburban yard was centered around four objectives: promoting biodiversity; attracting beneficial insects; restoring and enhancing habitat; and managing stormwater through Green Infrastructure (GI).
View PDF > (51 MG)

Urban Agriculture Internship
While volunteering for GRAME at the Royal Dixie Collective Garden in Dorval, Julie worked on a map of the site putting to use her newly learned skills like drawing a Landscape Plan and Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

Virgin's Bower Vine on trellis
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Proud Lufavore for over twelve years, with a keen interest in urban agriculture, green infrastructure (GI) and Nature-Based Solutions (NbS), Julie is committed to lifelong learning and staying up to date with the latest developments in her field. She keeps up her horticulture skills by attending a wide variety of workshops and events as a member of several organizations.

Training 2025 Date
Cities are the Place to Bee
North American Native Plant Society (NANPS)
Presenter: Anthony Ayers
October 2
Online
The CWF Great Canadian BioBlitz
Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF)
Sept 21–Sept 28
iNaturalist
Portes ouvertes mangeons local - La Centrale agricole
Laboratoire sur l'agriculture urbaine (AU/LAB)
Sept 7
Montreal
2025 Big Backyard BioBlitz
Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC)
July 28–August 4
iNaturalist
9th Edition of the International Monarch Monitoring Blitz
Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
July 25–August 3
iNaturalist
Mission monarque: Cartographier l'habitat du monarque pour mieux la protéger
Montreal Insectarium, Space for Life
Presenter: Charles-Étienne Ferland, M.Sc., Entomologist
June 4
Online
Shrinking the Lawn
Carolinian Canada
Presenter: Lorraine Johnson, author of numerous books on growing native plants, gardening for pollinators, restoring habitat, and producing food in cities
May 29
Online
18th Annual Conference: De la vision à la réalité : Une approche intégrative des phytotechnologies
Société québécoise de phytotechnologie (SQP)
Montreal Botanical Garden
May 8
Montreal
How Can I Help? Saving Nature with Your Yard
American Horticultural Society
Presenter: Dr. Douglas Tallamy, Author and Professor, University of Delaware
April 17
Online
Grand rendez-vous de l’agriculture urbaine 2025
AU/LAB
Esplanade Tranquille
March 20
Montreal
Le rôle des phytotechnologies dans la carboneutralité des villes
Société québécoise de phytotechnologie (SQP)
Presenter: Daniel Boudreau, Biologist & Specialist in Nature-based Solutions (NbS)
March 14
Online
Seed Stratification for Restoration
Canadian Wildlife Federation
Presenter: Kate Arthur, Biologist, Essex Region Conservation Authority
January 23
Online
Les serres communautaires urbaines : apprentissage de 4 projets et modèles financiers
Rendez-Vous Agriurbains - AU/LAB
Presenter: Jean-Philippe Vermette, Director of Intervention & Public Policy
January 22
Online
Training 2024 Date
Économie circulaire : une transition incontournable
Réseau de recherche en économie circulaire du Québec (RRECQ) in collaboration with the Centre d’études et de recherches intersectorielles en économie circulaire (CERIEC)
November 20
Online
Mini Forest Training
Green Communities Canada & Network of Nature
November 15
Online
Horticoles ou indigènes, un choix majeur pour la biodiversité et l’acceptabilité sociale des phytotechnologies
Société québécoise de phytotechnologie (SQP)
Presenter: Bruno Chabot, Technical advisor in horticulture at Gloco, instructor at the Centre de formation horticole de Laval
November 8
Online
Crop diversity and climate resilience
Field Day: McGill University's DART Research Project
MacDonald Campus, Emile A. Lods Agronomy Research Centre
Régéneration Canada
August 1
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
Pruning Workshop
Dorval Horticultural & Ecological Society
Presenter: Jesse Bouchard-Nestor, Expert arborist & teacher
March 23
Dorval
La gestion de l’eau par l’espace résilient
Société québécoise de phytotechnologie (SQP)
Presenter: Alexandre Lynch, eng. EXP | Project Manager, Urban Infrastructure
March 15
Online
Forgotten Vegetables & Lost Varieties
Dorval Horticultural & Ecological Society
Presenter: Lyne Bellemare, Terre Promise
February 26
Dorval
Forum sur la biodiversité 2024
Le végétal comme acteur de changement
Québec Vert
February 21
Drummondville
Biochar : le chaînon manquant des sols vivants
Société québécoise de phytotechnologie (SQP)
Presenter: Jean-François Lévêque, Seed producer & cofounder of the Jardins de l'écoumène
January 26
Online
Training 2023 Date
Biophilie et phytotechnologies
Société québécoise de phytotechnologie (SQP)
Presenter: Claude Vallée, Professor & expert in ornamental, environmental, nourishing & biophilic horticulture, ITAQ
November 24
FOnline
Naturalistic Planting Design
Ecological Landscape Alliance (ELA)
Presenter: Aaron Fox, Horticulturist & Landscape architect
October 12
Online
Tour of the green roof at the Laboratoire du Palais des Congrès de Montréal — AU/LAB
Friends of the Montreal Botanical Garden
Presenter: Eric Duchemin, Scientific & Training Director
August 31
Montreal
Phytoremédiation des sols contaminés : l'exemple de Montréal-Est
Société québécoise de phytotechnologie (SQP)
Presenter: Michel Labrecque, Curator & Head of the Research & Scientific Development Division, Montreal Botanical Garden
June 21
Montreal
Virtual Composting for Gardeners - Vermicomposting
The Arboretum – University of Guelph
Presenter: Robert Pavlis, Master Gardener & garden writer
March 8
Online
Virtual Composting for Gardeners - Composting Piles, Bins and Drums
The Arboretum – University of Guelph
Presenter: Robert Pavlis, Master Gardener & garden writer
March 1
Online
Virtual Wildlife Garden Design Course
The Arboretum – University of Guelph
Presenter: Cael Wishart, Horticulturist
February 28
Online
Virtual Composting for Gardeners - Introduction to Composting
The Arboretum – University of Guelph
Presenter: Robert Pavlis, Master Gardener & garden writer
February 22
Online
Pollinator Conservation in Working Landscapes
Ecological Landscape Alliance
Presenter: Nick Haddad, Professor of Integrative Biology at Michigan State University
January 18
Online
Starting Vegetables from Seed
The Arboretum – University of Guelph
Presenter: Robert Pavlis, Master Gardener & garden writer
January 18
Online
Training 2022 Date
Conseils d'Albert pour un potager à l'année
Friends of the Montreal Botanical Garden
Presenter: Albert Mondor, Horticulturist & garden designer
October 20 & 27
Online
15th Annual Conference: Les phytotechnologies dans l’espace
Société québécoise de phytotechnologie (SQP)
Montreal Botanical Garden
May 5
Montreal
Module I: Gestion des eaux pluviales – Les cellules de bioretention
Module II: Gestion des eaux pluviales – Les bassins de rétention végétalisés
Société québécoise de phytotechnologie (SQP)
Presenter: Mélanie Glorieux, Landscape architect, Rousseau Lefebvre (Laval)
April 20 & 26
Online
Les œuvres en phytotechnologie : l’approche client
Société québécoise de phytotechnologie (SQP)
Presenter: Christian Dufresne, Centre de formation horticole (Laval)
February 25
Online
Choix des végétaux pour les ouvrages de gestion des eaux pluviales
Société québécoise de phytotechnologie (SQP)
Presenter: Robin Dagais, Chargé de mission chez Plante & Cité (Angers, France)
December 10, 2021
Online

Milkweed in meadow garden
SERVICES
WHERE TO FIND laPALMa

Lachine, Québec.

Backyard garden July 2025 - Eastern Giant Swallowtail nectaring on Monarda

Set up a meeting with Julie to discuss your gardening or horticulture needs.

Contact laPALMa