New Pollinator Gardens in Etobicoke

Creating Oases in a Desert of Landscaping Imagination

I suppose it's an occupational hazard to notice plants and overall landscaping when I travel across Toronto from one client to another. There's no physical danger involved, of course, when I take a quick peek at the good, bad and unusual.

What I mean by "unusual" is anything that doesn't involve planting the Unholy Trinity of Foundation plants: "Emerald" white cedars, boxwoods and hydrangeas. You could add half of dozen other overused shrubs, trees and perennials in this "contractor's must-have" list and see the pattern repeated over and over again in any part of the city. Very boring, unimaginative and lazy.

When I'm asked to create a new garden from a blank slate or simply tinker with an established one, it's an excellent opportunity to "think outside the box-wood" and put in place, hopefully, a functional, ecologically-resilient and attractive piece of the overall property puzzle for the homeowner.

Not everyone gets this: Whether it's due to a small budget, a limited knowledge of plants in general or a myriad of other possible excuses reasons,  some prefer not to commit in removing prized shrubs which haven't been pruned in a decade (or, alternatively, clipped constantly into badly executed topiaries). Other truly like (love?)  their lily of the valley groundcover. 

Neighbourhood peer pressure also can play a factor. Heaven help you if you think of growing vegetables in the front yard in certain tonier areas. You may even receive a letter (anonymous of course) expressing a concern that your little patch is lowering the neighbourhood's property value.

But for those special clients, like these homeowners in the western section of Toronto of Etobicoke, who are tired of the the same old, same old and want to change the look and feel of their gardens, I think I can add value.

This couple "Dave and Sheila" (pseudonyms, although I actually know a couple named so who are very good friends!) reached out to me in 2021 and it took some time to work out the process of developing the two front garden sections. Prior to the new installation, the beds had typical perennials and traditional shrubs like, ahem, a bigleaf hydrangea, a large Euonymus beachball, some bulbs, "Autumn Joy" stonecrop and Shasta Daisies taking over some of the beds:

Etobicoke garden makeover before 

New Toronto garden makeover before

Etobicoke garden makeover before 

New Toronto pollinator garden installation before

New Toronto pollinator garden installation before 

New Toronto pollinator garden makeover before 

Etobicoke pollinator garden makeover before 

Now, I know how some homeowners can be attached to a certain prized Eounymus  so I inquired gently if said plant could be removed. I was greatly relieved to hear the answer "Yes!" Dave and Sheila were also wonderful enough to dig out the old curmudgeon (Euonymus, not me). My back feels sore just thinking about this endeavour.

My vision (sounds pretentious, doesn't it?) was to create small pollinator-friendly oases in a desert of surrounding boxwoods, yews, hydrangeas, etc. Imagine if you're a bee or butterfly flitting around the neighbourhood, desperately looking for pollen and nectar. Not to worry, I have you, my winged friend, in mind!

I'm not hung up about designing with only native plants. Gardens are for people along with our wild friends. Why limit yourself for the sake of achieving the Holy Grail of 100 percent native plants in a design? Being dogmatic seems silly to me. And Dave and Sheila didn't care one bit.

I'm sure they just wanted to get rid of the Euonymus ball without a guilty conscience so I gave them my complete permission and blessing.

Afterwards...

It's a bad habit but I can't help it: whenever I choose new plants for a site, I invariably decide on those plants I would like to see, touch and experience if these were my gardens. Of course, I ask the homeowners what flower colours they like (or, more importantly, what colours they don't like), what plants evoke a good memory (or, again, bad memory) and other probing horticultural questions bordering on armchair psychiatry. It makes my job choosing plants, of course, infinitely easier if I get the usual reply: "it doesn't matter, you choose."

Which was Dave and Sheila's gracious answer.

So I chose a mixture of natives and non-natives perennials, some very ornamental, others more functional (a pollinator favourite), some which bloom early, others later in the season. 

Here are some pictures of the beds after transplanting:

Etobicoke garden makeover after 

Etobicoke pollinator garden makeover after 

New Toronto pollinator garden installation after 

New Toronto pollinator garden installation after

New Toronto garden makeover after 

New Toronto pollinator garden makeover after

Pollinator-friendly perennials I planted include the usual suspects:

Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Black Eye Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida "Goldsturm")

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium purp. maculatum ‘Atropurpureum’)

With adequate watering, both humans and other animals should appreciate this collaboration. 

I doubt the Euonymus will be missed either.

Bye Bye Spireas! A Moore Park, Toronto Front Garden Partial Renovation

Creating a Pollinator-Friendly Patch in the Front: It's a Start

I loathe to call myself as a garden designer since the term can mean anything, at least here in Toronto. (But for those reading who are licensed and accredited as such, kudos.) I rarely create a new garden from scaled blueprints with details for hardscaping, lighting, etc. as this is much too complex for me and I'm busy as it is with more mundane tasks like weeding.

I prefer the term "plant editor" as I'm often hired to tweak an existing (small) garden, suggest plants to add and remove and move things around for better visual impact. Thus, I edited this established Moore Park, Toronto front garden and limited the scope of work to a relatively small but visually prominent area.

The client approached me and asked what could be done with this space right at the street (there is no sidewalk):

Moore Park Toronto Pollinator Friendly Garden Makeover Before

We have an older P.G. hydrangea standard to the upper left, emerging ornamental grasses in the lower right and several Spirea (a.k.a. Spiraea) shrubs. The tangled mess at ground level is made up of periwinkle (Vinca minor), which, on a positive note, is suppressing weeds from germinating.

The client asked me what we should do in this area. I thought about it, briefly, and suggested we dig out all the spirea shrubs and the periwinkle up to the hydrangea. In this cleared out space, I would plant many native species of perennials to encourage more insect and bird activity. And, yes, we may even have flowers this summer!

I didn't know if she was receptive to this idea (some homeowners can be sentimental about shrubs, even spireas) but luckily she was. Here are more "before" pictures of this small area being edited:

Moore Park Pollinator Friendly Garden Makeover Before 

Moore Park Pollinator Friendly Toronto Garden Makeover Before

Moore Park Toronto Pollinator Friendly Garden Makeover Before

Toronto Pollinator Friendly Moore Park Garden Makeover Before

And afterwards....

Moore Park Pollinator Friendly Garden Makeover After

Moore Park Pollinator Friendly Toronto Garden Makeover After

Moore Park Toronto Pollinator Friendly Garden Makeover After

Toronto Pollinator Friendly Moore Park Garden Makeover After 

Toronto Pollinator Friendly Moore Park Garden Makeover After

I doubt the client misses the spireas one bit!

 

A New Harbord Village, Toronto Pollinator-Friendly Garden

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.

Harbord Village Toronto pollinator garden makeover before

Harbord Village Toronto pollinator garden renovation before 

Harbord Village Toronto pollinator-friendly garden makeover before 

Harbord Village Toronto pollinator-friendly garden renovation before 

Toronto Harbord Village pollinator garden makeover before

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!

Harbord Village Toronto pollinator garden makeover after

Harbord Village Toronto pollinator garden renovation after 

Harbord Village Toronto pollinator-friendly garden makeover after

Harbord Village Toronto pollinator-friendly garden renovation after 

Toronto Harbord Village pollinator garden makeover after

Toronto Harbord Village pollinator garden renovation after 

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!

A Toronto Pollinator Garden Creation in Lambton-Baby Point

Renovating an Abandoned Raised Bed to Attract Pollinators

I think the word "renovating" doesn't reflect the work I put into implementing a new pollinator-friendly garden profiled in this post. "Resurrection" is more accurate, as the raised bed was not used as a garden for many years. It was full of wild daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva) and Lamiastrum with a Bridal Wreath spirea that needed pruning about five years ago.

The client wanted a new garden space to admire as she sat nearby and, not surprisingly, didn't want to see this all summer:

Toronto Lambton Baby Point New Pollinator Garden Before 

I came up with a plant list with mainly native species to blend in the naturalistic style in the backyard. The property has many mature trees around but the canopies were so high that some direct sunlight fell to the ground level.

But first, I had to deal with digging out all the "ditch" daylilies and Lamiastrum groundcover and prune back the spirea.

Here are some more before and after pictures of the transformation:

Lambton Baby Point Toronto New Pollinator Garden After 

Toronto Lambton Baby Point New Pollinator Garden Before 

Toronto Lambton Baby Point New Pollinator Garden After 

Toronto Lambton Baby Point New Pollinator Garden Before 

Toronto Lambton Baby Point New Pollinator Garden After 

It feels like I've been saving one garden after another all spring!

A Toronto Pollinator Garden: A Leslieville Front Garden Makeover

If I Build It, They Should Come

Who or what are "they"?  In some gardens, these would be insects, birds and other animals while in other gardens, such wildlife isn't encouraged or even actively discouraged to drop by. I prefer to build and work in gardens that are alive with activity and are visually interesting so row upon row of boxwood hedges don't do it for me.

I help create "oases" for bees, butterflies and other species which are always foraging for their daily meal among a desert of either non- or poorly-productive landscapes. ("Oases" is a grandiose word so perhaps "buffets"?)

I've received many requests this spring to plant pollinator gardens. The message seems to be getting out to more Toronto homeowners: by planting native species, both our animal friends benefit with food and habitat and garden owners don't have to continually worry about spraying for the usual ornamental plant pests and diseases.

Another enlightened client has realized these benefits by hiring me to convert their small (tiny but typical) Leslieville front garden into a functional, resilient and attractive space. The garden faces west and receives full sun all day as there are no nearby trees or west-facing buildings to cast shade.

Here's a "before" picture showing the space:

Toronto Pollinator Friendly Leslieville Front Garden Before 

The enclosed part is obviously small but, unfortunately for me, completely filled with Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica) that has travelled here and, for lack of a better word, infested the exposed soil areas from the hedge to the fence. So in order to prepare the bed for the new pollinator-friendly perennials, I had to hand dig it all out or as much as I could since some of the bulbs are tiny.

I added some composted cow manure as the soil texture was mediocre, transplanted and applied a thin layer of mulch to reduce weeding and watering needs.

Here's a similar view from the front landing looking down a few hours afterwards:

Toronto Pollinator Friendly Leslieville Front Garden After

Pollinator-attracting perennials include the usual suspects: Echinacea, Liatris, Agastache and others. Since they are getting full sun, it now is up to the homeowner to water regularly to help get these small one gallon-sized at least through the first summer.

More "before" and "after" pictures from various angles:

Leslieville Toronto Pollinator Friendly Front Garden with Native Plants Before

Leslieville Toronto Pollinator Friendly Front Garden with Native Plants After

Leslieville Toronto Pollinator Friendly Front Garden Before

Leslieville Toronto Pollinator Friendly Front Garden After 

Toronto Leslieville Pollinator Front Garden After 

Toronto Leslieville Pollinator Front Garden After

I've built it so we'll see if they come....

 

A New Toronto Native Pollinator-Friendly Garden in Rosedale (!)

An Oasis in a Desert of Euonymus, Cedars and Boxwoods

Look around your neighbourhood and you may notice many of the same perennials, shrubs and trees repeated in one front yard after another. I've always wondered why this is the case. Is it due to peer pressure, lack of horticultural knowledge, keeping up (or down) with the Joneses? 

From my experience in working around central Toronto neighbourhoods, there is often little diversity in front-facing public plantings. We get very similar plant groupings (or what I call "templates") regardless of where you are in the city. Not too often (or not often enough) do I see a garden that's a little different from its neighbours. 

And heaven forbid you try to grow vegetables in the front yard! 

I met this client who lives in a "nicer" area of Toronto called Rosedale ("nicer" just meaning the houses are a little more expensive than in other areas although these days a million Canadian dollars doesn't necessarily buy much in the real estate bubble we're experiencing) who was open to the idea of attracting pollinators to his front garden bed. 

A breakthrough in his area, to be honest, and this encouraged us to complete this garden makeover.

The small raised front bed as shown below isn't large in area but did have one large tree in the past (the stump still remains which I used as a "stepping stone") and, more significantly to me, contained a very old and mature red twig dogwood (Cornus sericea) shrub. 

Toronto Pollinator Garden in Rosedale Before 

Eventually, I managed to excavate the shrub stump (barely) and opened up the bed for the new pollinator-friendly perennials. The area faces east and gets full sun until mid-afternoon so the new purple coneflowers, black eye Susans and other bee and other butterfly-attracting perennials should have no issues getting established (as long as the client waters regularly for the first year or so).

Here are more "before" pictures of the garden makeover from various angles:

Rosedale Toronto Native Pollinator Garden Before 

Rosedale Toronto Native Pollinator Garden Before

Rosedale Toronto Pollinator Garden Before 

Rosedale Toronto Pollinator Garden Before 

Toronto Pollinator Garden in Rosedale Before 

And the "after" pictures:

Rosedale Toronto Native Pollinator Garden After 

Rosedale Toronto Native Pollinator Garden After

Rosedale Toronto Pollinator Garden After 

Rosedale Toronto Pollinator Garden After 

Toronto Pollinator Garden in Rosedale After 

Toronto Pollinator Garden in Rosedale After 

Odds are high that insects and perhaps birds will visit this oasis this summer and future years. (You just have to give them reasons to actually do so.)

The neighbours may not be ready for such a change!