Little Schoolhouse Garden Design

Jeff Green | Mar 22, 2023

Danielle Stefanis and Andrew Rodmell had been planning their move from the Durham Region to Frontenac County for years.

“Andrew grew up in Kingston, and since I went to school for forestry and had worked in the nursery industry with two large landscaping companies for years, we were drawn to this region,” said Danielle in a phone interview last week

They bought a cottage together, off the Bell Line Road near Sharbot Lake, and moved up there for a few months before buying the renovated schoolhouse at Spafford’s Corners near Sydenham, which is where they have based their business.

Little Schoolhouse Garden Design is the dream business for Danielle. Most of her clientele when the business first started were based in Kingston, where they have a network of friends and clients, but steadily they have been picking up clientele in Frontenac County.

Little Schoolhouse provides a range of services, including consultation and design, planting and pruning, ongoing garden maintenance, and spring and fall cleanup.

“I have maintained a relationship with the tree nursery I was working with in Toronto, and I can order high quality trees and plants through them, and we always amend the garden beds really well to start with.

“A lot of the time when I meet with a customer, the style of their house is going to be the number one thing. If it is a brand new modern build, we work with that and do something a little more structured. For a country farmhouse, we might go with something more whimsical, more of an English style of garden. I ask a lot of questions, they ask a lot of questions, its a process I love,” she said.

Last year, Andrew left his employment and joined the business, as they couple went all in and built up their cleintele, and this year they have hired two further employees in order to take on even more.

“When I came on board and started meeting people, every single customer was happy, every single person was so happy. This is the kind of business I love, it is rejuvenated,” Andrew said about how his full-time integration into the business.”

While the do not do extensive stone work of construction, the couple do have a small excavator, from Hartington Equipment, so they can do a fair bit themselves, and have developed contacts with other companies that they refer their customers to.

The influx of new people moving in to South Frontenac in recent years, and the bump that came from the pandemic, are part of the reason the Danielle and Andrew have seen only an upside to their move to Spafford's Corners and quick growth to their business over the last two years and into the next phase this year.

“We don't plan to move too fast, or get too big, but we feel we can keep ourselves and our new employees busy doing what we love, and provide a good service for our clients, both in Kingston and in Frontenac County,” Danielle said. “I love gardens, I love gardening, that's what I do at home on the weekends.”

For further information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., call 613-561-9800 or go to www.littleschoolhouse.ca