I live in a high rise condo and our grounds (Beds, lawns and patios) need to be rejuvenated. I am lobbying for exclusive use of native perennials, shrubs and trees. Are you aware of any commercial properties in the GTA that have gone that route that I could use as examples? Thank you.
Thank you for contacting Toronto Master Gardeners. Native plantings for your condominium are an excellent idea. Although I don’t have any firsthand knowledge of condominium gardens exclusively using native plantings, I’d recommend a few resources:
List of Native Plant suppliers in Ontario. These nurseries specialize in native plants and many of them also provide garden design services. They may be able to show you examples of native gardens.
Landscape Ontario – Natural Gardens lists a few locations to view native plant gardens in southern Ontario (two locations are in Toronto). They also have an annual award, The Horst Dickert Memorial Award, that recognizes the best use of native plant material into a landscape design. The 2022 Award Recipient is International Landscaping Inc. Landscape Ontario Find is useful for finding service providers for your project.
Toronto Master Gardeners have also published two Gardening Guides (Gardening with Native Shrubs and Pollinator Garden) that you may find useful for your landscape rejuvenation project.
In The Zone is a collaborative initiative between WWF-Canada and Carolinian Canada and is beneficial to consult when looking for native plants.
Lastly, if you need to convince the decision-makers of the importance of growing native plants, I’d recommend they read: Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants by Douglas W. Tallamy.
Good luck with your native plant gardening.
May 18, 2022