A Central Toronto Front Garden Makeover with Pollinators in Mind
I find that the catalyst to renovate or "re-invent" a garden occasionally has nothing to do with plants. In this post, for example, the homeowner planned to have new stairs and a path leading to the house's front door installed and felt having a lackluster garden would detract from the beauty (and dollars) of the new hardscaping.
I first met the client way back in March this year on a cold morning as she wanted to get the process of putting in new perennials and shrubs going. She was open to the idea of pollinator-friendly perennials planted so I came up with a list of native and non-native hybrids.
I finally had time for her project recently so here are some "before' pictures of the front garden to give you an idea of what I mean by "lackluster".
Perhaps "underwhelming" is a better word.
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| Harbord Village Toronto pollinator garden makeover before |
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| Harbord Village Toronto pollinator garden renovation before |
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| Harbord Village Toronto pollinator-friendly garden makeover before |
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| Harbord Village Toronto pollinator-friendly garden renovation before |
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| Toronto Harbord Village pollinator garden makeover before |
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| Toronto Harbord Village pollinator garden renovation before |
I dug out all the old shrubs, weed tree saplings and perennials but, of course, left the healthy and thriving "Bloodgood" Japanese maple. With a new blank slate, I transplanted many pollinator-friendly perennials like Echinace, Liatris and Rudbeckia. The client wanted some new shrubs so she also bought a shrub rose and rhododendron.
A few hours later, here are the results of the new front garden, freshly transplanted and mulched!
The homeowner should see, for the first time in many years, signs of insect and bird activity in this front garden. We're both very hopeful!
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