Home and Garden

Browse these resources for inspiration, information and tools to create naturally beautiful lawns and gardens.

 


Stormwater Landscaping Projects

Get ready to add some beautiful and innovative design elements to your yard! Rain barrels, rain gardens, permeable pavement and other stormwater management technologies help to conserve and clean the fresh water that lands on your property on rainy days.

Greening Your Grounds cover page

To help homeowners make the most of rainwater, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) has created Greening Your Grounds, a 55-page step-by-step guide. It is distributed for free at our Greening Your Grounds workshops.

To find out about upcoming workshops near you, visit our Calendar of Events.

If your group or organization is interested in training to lead your own Greening Your Grounds workshop or purchasing 100-plus copies of the guide with your logo on the front cover, please contact Liana D’Andrea.

Creating Habitat

TRCA has produced two downloadable guides to help community groups create and maintain habitat for birds, mammals and insects. You can click on the images below to download.

PollinatorMaintenanceGuide_cover340       CreatingHabitatGuide_cover340e

The guide books are also distributed for free at TRCA Healthy Yards workshops. To find out about upcoming workshops near you, visit our Calendar of Events.

 


Demonstration Gardens

Get inspired to create your own healthy yard by visiting a demonstration garden in your community!

 


Home and Garden Resources

 

FACT SHEETS

beneficial insects fact sheet cover BENEFICIAL INSECTS: Only a few of the world’s 750,000 known insects are worthy of the label “pest”. Most are harmless, and some are beneficial. Insects provide a number of essential services.

DOWNLOAD

bird gardens fact sheet cover BIRD GARDENS: Gardening and birdwatching are popular pastimes in Canada. Gardening for birds is the perfect way to blend these activities and contribute to a healthy environment.

DOWNLOAD

butterfly gardens fact sheet cover BUTTERFLY GARDENS: Throughout history, people have regarded butterflies as symbols of rebirth. They go through several life phases, help pollinate many flowers, and some move across vast expanses of land.

DOWNLOAD

Climate Change in your community CLIMATE CHANGE IN YOUR COMMUNITY: What are the impacts of climate change in the Greater Toronto Area? Examples include flooding, damaged trees, heatwaves, spread of invasive species, and soil, streambank and shoreline erosion.

DOWNLOAD

front page of TRCA Gardening for Bees fact sheet GARDENING FOR BEES: Native bees are important pollinators, helping to increase yields in gardens and farm fields and supporting the life cycles of wild plants. This guide suggests ways to support wild bees in your garden.

DOWNLOAD

invasive plant species fact sheet INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES: Invasive plants come from outside this geographic area. When introduced, there is potential for them to establish themselves and disrupt local ecosystems, forcing out native plants.

DOWNLOAD

lawn care fact sheet cover LAWN CARE: An attractive lawn can be maintained without chemicals and with minimal water and fuel. Follow the steps in this guide to create a healthy lawn that is safe for all living things.

DOWNLOAD

Living Next Door to Nature fact sheet cover LIVING NEXT DOOR TO NATURE: If you live close to a natural area, there is a lot you can do on your own property that will protect the environmental and recreational value of this greenspace.

DOWNLOAD

Native Plants fact sheet cover NATIVE PLANTS FOR YOUR GARDEN: This collection of native plant cards is designed to assist gardeners in creating beautiful landscapes that reflect the region’s natural heritage and contribute to healthy communities.

DOWNLOAD

naturescaping fact sheet cover NATURESCAPING: “Naturescaping” aims to re-establish native plant communities in gardens, creating low-input, wildlife-supporting landscapes that reflect our natural heritage.

DOWNLOAD

rain gardens fact sheet cover page RAIN GARDENS: A rain garden is a landscaped feature that collects the stormwater that runs off your grass, roof and driveway, helping preventing it from entering our waterways.

DOWNLOAD

rainwater harvesting fact sheet cover page RAINWATER HARVESTING: Rainwater harvesting is making a comeback! It makes environmental sense, and saves money, to use rainwater instead of tap water wherever possible.

DOWNLOAD

 

“GROW ME INSTEAD” GUIDE

cover of Grow Me Instead guide

Invasive species are a threat to biodiversity. Horticulture is one of many pathways for the introduction and spread of invasive plants. With this in mind, the Ontario Invasive Plant Council (OIPC) and partners created a guide to help gardeners and landscapers choose beautiful, non-invasive plants.

The Grow Me Instead guide identifies common garden plants that may invade natural areas, thereby reducing native biodiversity and changing environmental conditions. It also provides a list of non-invasive alternatives for each of these plants.

This resource is available as a free download from the OIPC website.