Unlike non-native plants, including traditional lawns, gardens that utilize native plants are an oasis for wildlife, including important pollinators like insects and songbirds! Native plants are plants that naturally occur in an area. Because they have evolved over many, many years in that area, they are best suited for it not only with respect to providing habitat for wildlife, but also with respect to surviving with little to no maintenance, watering, or chemical applicants. A native garden is truly the best option for nature and for you!
An added drawback: Invasives
While some ornamental plants may pose little harm to our native ecosystems, there are many that are invasive. Invasive species are species that are introduced to an area, are not native, and are able to establish and outcompete native plants slowly or sometimes rapidly taking over entire ecosystems, choking out much of the other vegetation that used to occur there. Invasive species are also very difficult to eradicate. While most of our most problematic invasive species were not introduced through gardening, there have been more than a few cases where plants were planted in gardens and became mild to moderately invasive from there. Just run a quick search for invasive mint, purple loosestrife, periwinkle, zebra and other showy grasses, or lily of the valley. It’s yet another reason that native is best!
Designing a Shoreland Garden
Native gardens need not look weedy or unkempt. It is possible to curate a beautiful native garden to suit your desired aesthetic with respect to height, fullness, and colour!
Natives gardens are particularly effective at the shoreland, a delicate area where land meets water that the vast majority of aquatic life and even terrestrial life rely on here in The Land Between and beyond. Natural shorelands also filter water, prevent erosion and flooding, and can deter geese from your property. The benefits are truly numerous! You can learn more about the shoreland here.
Native gardens are also impactful on land that is otherwise not useful. A perfect example is septic beds!
The Land Between’s Resources for Native Shorelands, Septic Beds, and More!
We offer a number of services, ranging from free resources to complete hands-on help with respect to planting native gardens on your property!
For those with a green thumb or an existing landscaping team, our free guides and resources provide a lot of the information you need to plan and execute a native garden on your property.
Offered periodically throughout the late spring, summer, and early fall months, these group workshops are run for a nominal fee. Hands-on help is offered by our experts and each participant will leave with a custom planting plan they can take and execute on their property! Stay tuned to our Events page or book your own private event by emailing us at info@thelandbetween.ca!
Leave all the work to us! Through our custom site visits, we’ll meet you on your property, learn about your needs and preferences, put together a plan for you, as well as supply and plant all of the plants for you!
Renaturalized Properties
Take a look at some of the properties we’ve worked on to renaturalize. With our help, these properties have implemented beautiful native gardens that now attract pollinators and other beneficial insects, songbirds, and so much more!
More about our programs
