Christopher Dardarian is a landscape designer and horticulture professional based in Etobicoke, Ontario. His career started in construction finance, where he spent 10+ years in project planning, budgeting, and construction. He later managed a restaurant in downtown Toronto and ultimately gravitated towards horticulture and landscaping. After studying at Niagara College, Christopher gained practical experience working on farms in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
In 2021, he founded Stema Gardens, where he combines his experience in construction, horticulture and design to create residential outdoor sanctuaries.
Q: How did your combined work experiences lead you to landscape design?
Christopher Dardarian: Looking back, the connection is quite obvious. I spent over 10 years working in construction finance, where I learned a lot about planning, budgets, risk, and project execution. I later owned a restaurant in Toronto, which taught me a lot about customer experience.
My interest in horticulture brought me to Costa Rica and Guatemala, where I worked on farms. That experience brought me much closer to plants, agriculture, and the environment. I returned to school to study horticulture in Niagara, and those parts of my background eventually came together when I founded Stema Gardens in 2021.
Q: How does your construction background impact your method for planning landscape projects?
Christopher Dardarian: I have a bigger appreciation for everything that happens behind the scenes. A project can look simple once it’s done, but a lot goes into getting there. Site conditions, drainage, materials, scheduling, budgets, and the order in which a project is completed all matter. My construction background helps me think about those details early rather than be an afterthought. I’m closely involved in the entire process, so I can keep those practical considerations in view throughout the project.
Q: You say your design style is garden-focused and contemporary. What does that mean when you’re working with a homeowner?
Christopher Dardarian: From my point of view, the garden should have an important role in the overall design. I like mass planting, natural materials such as limestone, and clean lines, but the finished space still needs to feel comfortable and suit the home.
Every property and homeowner is different. Some people want a space where they can host friends and family. Others want a quiet hangout spot for drinking coffee and gardening. Some families want pools, sports areas or spaces where their kids can spend more time outside. Those priorities must be included in the design.
Q: What are some of the practical details homeowners may ignore when planning an outdoor space?
Christopher Dardarian: Drainage is a big one, for sure. A lot of people don’t think about it when they are looking at pictures of beautiful gardens, but it has a huge impact on a property’s long-term performance.
Material selection and maintenance are also important. I want a yard to look good when it is finished, but I’m also considering how it will age and how much work is needed to maintain. Using appropriate plants, including drought-tolerant varieties where they make sense, and planting grasses and perennials in larger groupings can help create a lush garden without making maintenance too complicated.
Q: Your projects often combine gardens with pools, patios, cabanas and lighting. How do you make it all work together?
Christopher Dardarian: I think about property as a whole rather than treating each feature as a separate project. A pool, patio or cabana needs to make sense within the garden and alongside the architecture of the house.
How people move through the property matters, too. Where you enter the garden, where you sit, how you get to the pool and what you see from inside the house all impact the design. When you consider those relationships early, the different elements can feel much more connected.
Q: What makes a completed outdoor space successful?
Christopher Dardarian: A successful project should become part of everyday life. Maybe that means having dinner outside, swimming with the family, gardening on a weekend or watching the sunset after a long day. I want the finished property to feel like a natural extension of the home and give people more reasons to spend time outdoors.
Q: After working in so many different industries, what part of landscape design are you currently focusing on?
Christopher Dardarian: There’s always something new to solve. Every property has its own conditions. Every homeowner has different priorities. I enjoy bringing all of those pieces together and seeing a project develop from an initial idea into something people can actually experience.
I also enjoy working with plants and natural materials. Creating something that will develop after construction is finished makes me feel good. The garden changes with the seasons, and that gives the work a quality that feels very different than many other types of projects.
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