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The Land Between

The Land Between

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Shoreland, Bird-Friendly & Pollinator Gardens

Your property and shoreland can be natural but also beautiful, while helping wildlife,  supporting lake health, maintaining access and great views too!

Attend a workshop and take home custom garden designs. Book a group workshop. Book an onsite consultation. Browse our resources and guides.

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Features and Functions of Shores Expand

Shores are naturally the most biodiverse parts of a lake ecosystem.  They support 90% of the functions necessary for healthy lakes.

Learn more...

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Elements to Support Birds and Pollinators Expand
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Resources and Guides Expand

We offer planting guides, and recorded videos to help you design your own projects. See them here

 

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Our Services Expand
  • We provide online consultations for shoreland gardens:
  • And we provide in-person site visits and designs for your property:
  • We offer group classes/workshops
  • We can also plant your sites

Take the price of one off the other!

Learn more

Site Visits, Designs and Plans for Shores and Vibrant Gardens

Custom designs, full plans and reports, and planting services. We deliver the Natural Edge program, providing expert consultation and plantings too!

Learn more about our Natural Edge Program

Resources For Natural Shoreland Gardens

Learn how to improve the habitat and ecosystem services that you can provide on for your property and lake.

Check out our plant lists to support your renaturalization journey.

Check out our Shoreland Guidebook and Plant List

Design Your Own Shoreland Garden Workshops

ShorelandGardens white outline

Join seasoned experts with over 20 years’ experience in naturalizing, restoring, and designing shoreland gardens across Ontario.  Learn about plants, design aspects, lighting effects. Choose colours, heights, areas and more. Landowners can also take part in case studies here, to learn from other examples.

Topics covered in the workshops include:

  • Permits
  • Native plants
  • Increasing biodiversity and functions (pollinators, birds, fish habitat improvement etc.)
  • Invasive species
  • Erosion control*
  • Nuisance goose control
  • Limiting nutrient runoff
  • Erosion considerations
  • Plant species preferences
  • Design aesthetics
  • Step-by-step design
Book a Shoreland Garden Workshop

These workshops may be in person within a venue and classroom setting, or provided on Zoom. Have pictures of your shore ready with a focus on the riparian edge/shoreline.

*Please note that erosion control may be discussed at sessions, but erosion control designs will not be developed in these workshops. Instead they will require onsite site visits

Our Shoreland Workshops Make News!

Read about them in the Muskoka and Haliburton Life Magazine: Shoreland Garden Editorial

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Before
After
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Even local groups come to us for advice!

Abbey Gardens restoration ecology staff have attended our workshop in Haliburton and took away lessons in deterring geese, soil science and design expertise for public and private sites. Our staff/contractors have designed keystone shoreland gardens and goose deterrent projects for: Halls/Hawk Lake park in Algonquin Highlands; Rivera Park in Lindsay; Big Bald Lake Association; for Mr. Paul McIinnis' property, president of the Coalition of Haliburton Property Owners Associations (pictures below)  frequently showcased publicly as a demonstration site; at Head Lake in Dysart et al to deter geese- with success!- and for Haliburton Lake Association's Public Beach; and many private contractors too...

"I was expecting a dry presentation, cold hard facts, but you added such colour, your enthusiasm was evident, your energy palpable. I thoroughly enjoyed myself! And I learned stuff!!!!"   ~ Sharon Petrini, Haliburton County

"Thank you Leora for Saturday's workshop. My husband and I both found it informative. We came away with some great ideas on how we can both beautify and naturalize our shoreland property." 

"If you have not heard enough praise for the Friday Workshop I will add it was amazing, & I think I learned a lot.  It seems my long held convictions of 58 years are being challenged everywhere.  The more I learn the more I know I do not know very much!" ~Terry Goodwin, Haliburton

More about shorelands, birds, and pollinators in our blogs!

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The Essential Link Between Lake Health, Calcium, Forests and Forest Floor Ecology

March 1, 2023

The amount of calcium (Ca) in our freshwater lakes is seeing a major reduction. This is due to the lack of calcium in our forest floor from acid rain and …

Read More
Jaclyn SAR backgrounds

Wetlands are Wonderous

October 24, 2022

Written by Jaclyn Adams There are four different types of wetlands in The Land Between: bogs, fens, swamps, and marshes. Within The Land Between, 14% of the area are wetlands, …

Read More
Kennebec Wetlands square

Kennebec Wetlands Are The Best

June 13, 2022

Recent media attention has reported that a study by environmental scientists Cheng and Basu at the University of Waterloo has found that smaller wetlands are more beneficial to the landscape …

Read More
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Cattail Tales

June 10, 2022

The Land Between and most of eastern Ontario has been redesigned by our road managers and by cattails. The landscape is now mapped and marked by lines of cattails following …

Read More
Canadian Sheild

What’s an “Ecotone”?

August 9, 2021

The striking physical features of the Canadian Shield ecosystem, known for bare outcrops of granite rock, of small lakes and thin layer of soil contrast with the St. Lawrence Lowlands …

Read More
grayling

Lessons From the Graylings of Red Chalk Lake

May 31, 2021

At The Land Between, stories are important to us.  Stories are great at sharing knowledge between generations and individuals.  This particular story comes from my Grandfather who was born and …

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What the Phrag?! All You Need to Know About Invasive Phragmites

January 28, 2021

Phragmites australis australis, otherwise known as European Common Reed or Invasive Phragmites, is a fast-spreading, perennial aquatic grass found growing in wetlands, shorelines and roadside ditches. This aggressive plant crushes …

Read More
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Are We Losing the Loons?

January 9, 2021

What is Happening to Our Loons in Ontario?   The Common Loon (Gavia immer) is Ontario’s provincial bird and a well-known character in cottage country – its mournful wails and …

Read More
eurasian milfoil

Clogging the Lakes: Eurasian Watermilfoil

November 27, 2020

Understanding Eurasian Watermilfoil: What is it, How Did it Get Here, What are its Impacts, and What Can We Do to Prevent its Spread? What is Eurasian Watermilfoil? Eurasian Watermilfoil …

Read More
Beaver with stick

Busy Beavers, Our Essential Ecosystem Engineers

November 3, 2020

Beavers are easily one of the most fascinating and unique creatures in our landscape with their impressive paddle-like tails, lush shiny fur, self-sharpening teeth, and ear and nose valves that …

Read More

 

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The Land Between is a National Charity #805849916RR0001.

Your support helps us celebrate, conserve, and enhance this important region. You can reach us at:

P.O. Box 1368, Haliburton, ON K0M 1S0
705-457-1222 | info@thelandbetween.ca

We respectfully acknowledge that The Land Between is located within Williams Treaty 20 Mississauga Anishinaabeg territory and Treaty 61 Robinson-Huron treaty territory, in the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg. We respectfully acknowledge that these First Nations are the stewards and caretakers of these lands and waters in perpetuity and that they continue to maintain this responsibility to ensure their health and integrity for generations to come.

Copyright © 2022 The Land Between