Our Pollinator
Garden
Welcome to our native pollinator garden
In this site we explain our purpose and offer some of the resources that we found helpful as we worked with the brilliant Nikki Ross and set about changing our conception of what a garden can and should do.
Our journey began when we started learning about the environmental cost of North American approaches to gardening. Across North America, populations of bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and hummingbirds—the creatures responsible for pollinating roughly one-third of everything we eat—have declined sharply over the past half-century. Researchers estimate that almost 1 in 5 pollinator species are at risk of extinction.2 Habitat loss is the primary driver. Ontario’s meadows and forests, once rich with plant and animal diversity, have been systematically taken over by monocultural lawns, while “weeds” are eradicated with chemicals that poison the soil, water, insects and animals.
The consequences of fraying the web of relationships between native plants and native insect pollinators could be dire for our own food chain:
But the consequences of insect species extinction extend to all bird, amphibian, reptile, fish, and mammal life. The web that binds us is more complex than we can comprehend, but that does not make it unimportant.
There are around 400 species of bees native to Ontario,3 30 species of butterfly,4 and over 400 species of moths.5 Native plants have co-evolved with them, developing the precise flower shapes, bloom times, nectars, and chemical signals that bees need to find and eat. Green lawn, imported annuals, and seas of cement all leave them starved.
Our yard is small, but a front or back yard planting of native perennials, shrubs, and trees is not a small gesture. Research from the Ecological Design Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University has shown that even modest patches of native habitat meaningfully support bird and insect populations when connected across a neighbourhood. The cumulative effect of many small gardens is measurable at the landscape scale.
Most have long bloom windows, high pollen and nectar value, larval host plant status, and should be resilient without needing massive irrigation or pesticides once established. We do have some non-natives too, chiefly plants we will eat, like herbs, fruits, and vegetables, and some trees that were planted before we had the house. We’re using a number of different creeping thymes at the border as a lawn alternative.
1 Ontario Farmland Trust. “Pollinator Week: Native Pollinators and Agriculture in Ontario.” Ontario Farmland Trust, 16 June 2025, ontariofarmlandtrust.ca.
2 Cornelisse, Tara, et al. “Elevated Extinction Risk in over One-Fifth of Native North American Pollinators.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 122, no. 14, Apr. 2025, p. e2418742122. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2418742122.
3 Farms at Work. “Know Your Bees.” 28 July 2025, farmsatwork.ca.
4 Insectic. “30 Butterfly Species in Ontario.” Insectic, 14 June 2023, insectic.com.
5 “Ontario Moths.” Butterfly Identification, butterflyidentification.org. Accessed 29 May 2026.
Our plantings
What you can do
You do not need a large property, specialist knowledge, or a significant budget to make a meaningful contribution to pollinator habitat in Ontario. The actions below are ordered roughly from smallest to largest commitment — any one of them has real ecological value.
In this garden
We plant natives chosen for their ecological value, but we also do a few simple things that make a significant difference to the insects trying to survive in an urban garden.
We build and maintain bee hotels — small structures with hollow tubes and drilled wood blocks that provide nesting cavities for solitary bees like mason bees and leafcutter bees. Unlike bumblebees, which nest in the ground, solitary bees use pre-existing cavities to lay their eggs. A bee hotel placed in a sunny, sheltered spot near flowering plants can support dozens of nesting females through the season.
We leave the leaves. In autumn we do not bag or remove the fallen leaves from our garden beds. Many native bees overwinter as adults or pupae in leaf litter — bumblebee queens, luna moth cocoons, and butterfly larvae all depend on undisturbed ground cover through the winter. Leaves stay in the beds until late spring, when overnight temperatures are reliably above 10°C and the insects sheltering in them have emerged.
Start here
Stop mowing everything
Leave a section of lawn unmowed from May through October. Within a single season it will be colonised by clovers, wild asters, and self-seeded native plants. Ground-nesting bees, which make up roughly 70% of Ontario's native bee species, require undisturbed bare or sparsely vegetated soil.
This season
Plant one native perennial
A single clump of purple coneflower, goldenrod, or wild bergamot will attract more pollinator species in a week than an entire bed of non-native annuals does all summer. Choose something native to your specific ecoregion — Ontario's Carolinian zone, mixed forests, and shield country each have their own best candidates.
This season
Leave the leaves
Do not bag or shred fallen leaves in autumn. Many native bees overwinter as adults or pupae in leaf litter — bumblebee queens, luna moth cocoons, and Baltimore checkerspot larvae all depend on undisturbed ground cover through the winter. Pile leaves under shrubs or in a garden corner rather than composting them immediately.
Ongoing
Eliminate pesticides entirely
Systemic insecticides, including neonicotinoids found in most nursery-bought plants, persist in plant tissue and pollen. Even "bee-safe" contact insecticides kill foraging insects indiscriminately. A garden with some pest damage but no pesticides supports far more life than a perfect-looking garden that has been chemically managed.
Ongoing
Extend the season
Most ornamental gardens bloom May through July and then go quiet. Pollinators need food from the moment bumblebee queens emerge in April through to monarch departure in October. Plant for early spring (prairie smoke, columbine, serviceberry) and late autumn (goldenrod, asters, ironweed) specifically — these shoulder seasons are where the ecological gaps are greatest.
Ongoing
Add water
A shallow dish of water with a few stones or corks for landing perches is used by bees, wasps, butterflies, and birds daily. Change it every two to three days to prevent mosquito breeding. Place it near — but not directly under — flowering plants so visitors find it naturally.
Longer term
Replace lawn with native groundcovers
Turfgrass is an ecological desert. Wild ginger (Asarum canadense), wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica), and creeping thyme can replace lawn sections incrementally. Each supports insects, requires no fertiliser, and tolerates Ontario winters without protection.
Longer term
Talk to your neighbours
Pollinator habitat is most effective when it forms a connected network across multiple properties. A corridor of native plantings through several adjacent gardens is exponentially more valuable than isolated patches. If you have planted something you think we could add to the corridor, reach out to us at small-garden-pollinators@protonmail.com. If you have a bigger plan, get funds from the city to realize it: Toronto Pollinator Strategy.
Advocacy
Push for pesticide-free public land
Municipal roadsides, hydro corridors, and parks cover enormous areas of Ontario. Advocate for pollinator-friendly management of these spaces — many municipalities have pesticide bylaws that go unenforced, or mowing schedules that can be modified with minimal cost. Contact local councillors, conservation authorities, and land managers directly.
For more ideas, see the Ecological Design Lab’s good garden practices.
For more information
Organizations, identification tools, databases, readings on pollinator gardening, and films to watch.
Ontario & Canada — organisations
The leading non-profit invertebrate conservation organisation in North America. Publishes extensively on pollinator-friendly plant lists for Ontario, pesticide policy, and farm habitat. Their plant lists are province-specific and scientifically vetted.
Promotes the use and conservation of native plants across Ontario. Runs plant sales, seed swaps, and field identification workshops. A good starting point for finding locally sourced, ecotype-appropriate plants rather than nursery-propagated cultivars from distant regions.
Coordinates pollinator research, education, and habitat programmes across Canada. Publishes free regional planting guides keyed to Canadian ecoregions — the Great Lakes ecoregion guide is directly applicable to southern Ontario.
Citizen science programmes for monitoring monarch butterflies, bumblebees, and native bees across Canada. Submitting observations directly supports population-level research on species of conservation concern in Ontario.
Maintains one of the best online resources for identifying Ontario's insects, including bees and butterflies. The species checklists and photo galleries are invaluable for putting names to what is actually visiting your garden.
A Toronto-based research and design practice working at the intersection of ecology, landscape architecture, and urban habitat. Their Gardening for Biodiversity project translates current ecological science into practical, place-specific guidance for Ontario gardeners — covering plant selection, garden structure, soil health, and the particular conditions of urban and suburban sites.
Identification & observation tools
The most powerful tool available for identifying what is visiting your garden. Upload a photograph and the community — and AI identification engine — will name it to species level within hours. Also generates a map of all bee and butterfly observations in your municipality, useful for understanding what is present locally.
Tracks the seasonal migrations of monarchs and ruby-throated hummingbirds across North America in real time using citizen observations. Knowing when to expect the first hummingbirds in your part of Ontario helps in timing the bloom of early-season plants like columbine.
A joint initiative tracking bumblebee populations across North America. Ontario data contributes directly to monitoring of the rusty-patched bumblebee (Endangered) and yellow-banded bumblebee (Special Concern). The photo-based species guide is particularly useful for distinguishing Ontario's dozen bumblebee species.
Plant sourcing — Toronto & Ontario
A seasonal plant market at the Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto's Don Valley, running spring through autumn. Focuses on native and pollinator-friendly plants, with vendors selected for ecological value. The Brick Works site itself is a restored brownfield habitat and worth visiting as a model for urban ecological restoration.
An Ontario nursery specialising in unusual and hard-to-find perennials, with a strong selection of native species alongside choice garden plants. Good source for the less-common natives on this list — liatris, chelone, and monarda species that most garden centres don't stock.
A Toronto-based garden retailer carrying a broad selection of perennials, annuals, and garden supplies, with native plants well represented in their stock. Useful for finding many of the plants on this list in person without ordering by mail.
Specialises in native trees, shrubs, and perennials propagated from Ontario-local ecotypes. Local ecotype sourcing matters — plants grown from Ontario seed stock are better adapted to Ontario's photoperiod, soil chemistry, and climate than plants of the same species propagated in the US Midwest.
A Guelph-based nursery offering a wide range of plants native to southern Ontario and Manitoulin Island. Always true native species — never cultivars or nativars. Sells herbaceous perennials and shrubs for wetlands, meadows, prairies, and forests, including pre-selected garden combo trays of complementary species.
Canada's largest native wildflower seed producer. Excellent source for meadow mixes and bulk seed of Ontario species. Seed-grown plants are genetically diverse and more ecologically valuable than vegetatively propagated cultivars.
Reading
Douglas & McIntyre, 2022. This collaboration with conservation scientist Sheila Colla and illustrator Ann Sanderson provides all the information people need to support and protect pollinators by creating habitat in yards and community spaces, on balconies and boulevards — anywhere and everywhere in Ontario and the Great Lakes region. Includes detailed profiles of more than 320 plants native to Ontario (trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, grasses, and vines).
The first book to focus on native plants for gardens across Canada, detailing how-to-grow information for a broad range of beautiful native plants and garden conditions, with suggestions of great plant combinations and companions. It still makes Lorraine smile that nobody noticed that a book promising 100 plants actually included 101.
Timber Press, 2019. An American book making the case that planting more natives is a way to meet the challenges of dwindling habitats. Tallamy's most accessible and action-oriented work — a useful companion to his earlier research on caterpillars and birds.
American book about suburban habitat for caterpillars and breeding birds.
A more design-focused companion to Bringing Nature Home. Covers how to create layered, ecologically functional planting design that is also aesthetically deliberate. Useful for moving from the ecological argument to actual garden planning.
The most readable account of bumblebee biology and decline available. Goulson's research team has done more to document and publicise bumblebee population collapse than almost anyone. Written for a general audience without sacrificing accuracy.
The definitive field guide to North American native bees. Covers all major genera present in Ontario with photographs and ecological notes. Essential for anyone who wants to move beyond "it's a bee" to actually knowing what species are visiting their plants.
Films
A creative documentary directed by Amélie Hardy, 2026, that explores a former Olympian's wilding of his yard in Mississauga and successful court case defending his right to grow out his yard. This precedent-setting case law will affect how Torontonians grow their gardens.
This film directed by David Allen documents a large-scale rewilding project and the ecological transformations that follow when land is returned to natural processes. It's a compelling complement to the smaller-scale habitat work a garden represents.
Contact us
Pollinator habitat is most effective when it forms a connected network across multiple properties. A corridor of native plantings through several adjacent gardens is exponentially more valuable than isolated patches. If you have planted something you think we could add to the corridor, or just want to talk plants, reach out: small-garden-pollinators@protonmail.com
Garden journal
A growing record of the garden through the seasons — what is blooming, what is visiting, what is working, and what is not. Photographs taken in the garden.
