Backyard Biodiversity

Wildlife in the City

#BackyardBiodiversity

With a little bit of education and a lot of heart, we can achieve peaceful co-existence with wildlife throughout the urban forest, starting with our own backyards!

We are working in partnership with Toronto Wildlife Centre and Ontario Power Generation to spread the word on ways that you can maximize your #BackyardBiodiversity.

Read our fact sheets to learn more:

Spring has Sprung Activity Sheet: How many signs of spring can you spot?
Fall Splendour Revealed Activity Sheet: How many signs of fall can you spot?
Native Species for Backyard Biodiversity: How to improve wildlife habitat in the city
Chirp, Chirp, Hurray! Backyard Biodiversity: How to help local birds in your yard
Spring and Summer Backyard Biodiversity: How to help wildlife in your yard
Autumn and Winter Backyard Biodiversity: How to help wildlife in your yard

Follow and Share

Follow LEAF and Toronto Wildlife Centre on our social media channels to stay up-to-date on this campaign. Share your local native wildlife photos using the hashtag #BackyardBiodiversity and be sure to tag us so we can share them too!

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@Leaf				@TWC_Wildlife
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@leaf_org				@TorontoWildlifeCentre
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LEAF- Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests				Toronto Wildlife Centre

Learn more

Thinking of pruning your tree but not sure when the right time is? Wondering how to attract songbirds and butterflies? Read through blogs for more information on how you can interact with wildlife and our urban forest.

Read our blogs to learn more:

Get Involved

What are my options?

LEAF helps property owners plant the right trees in the right places. We plant native species, which are well-suited to our climatic conditions, require less maintenance than exotic species, and provide essential habitat for wildlife. Our siting services, extensive advice, and resources on proper tree care help to ensure that the trees and shrubs we plant survive and thrive. Roughly half the value of our services is covered by our funding partners, so you get top-notch programs at a more affordable price. Read on to discover what we can grow together!

Full Service Tree Planting

Available to residents of Toronto, York Region and some municipalities within Durham Region.

Perfect for property owners who want in-person advice and the convenience of a complete planting package.

Our most popular service includes an in-person consultation with an arborist in your yard, as well as delivery and full planting service. We’ll assess the conditions in your yard and ask about your needs and preferences, and help you decide on the tree species and planting locations that best suit your yard. LEAF does all the heavy lifting – you just sit back and enjoy a greener backyard! Please note, LEAF only plants trees in backyards or fenced in side yards. If you’d like to plant a tree in your front or side yard, check out our Do-It-Yourself Program below!

Do-It-Yourself Tree Planting

Available to residents of Toronto, York Region and some municipalities within Durham Region.

Perfect for property owners looking to plant a tree in their front or side yards, or for those who simply want to get their hands dirty and plant their own tree!

Our online videos will help you get the right tree in the right place. We’ll ask you some questions about your property and your preferences, then give you customized recommendations for species and planting locations in your yard. Place your order and we’ll deliver the tree right to your door for you to plant!

Shrubs, Garden Kits, & Pawpaws

Available to residents of Toronto, York Region and some municipalities within Durham Region.

Perfect for anyone wanting to add colour, beauty and biodiversity to their yard.

Easy online or telephone ordering of native shrubs and perennials with subsequent delivery right to your door. Not only will these native plants brighten up your yard and provide essential habitat for songbirds, native bees and butterflies, many will also offer tasty treats for humans too!

Learn more

Bundle Your Shrubs to Beautify your Yard!

We are now offering themed shrub bundles, designed to help you beautify your yard! A bundle of four native shrubs, delivered to your door with mulch, a planting and care guide and a specialized fact sheet will cost you only $100 + HST- that's like buying four shrubs for the price of three!

Choose from our themed bundles below:

Edible Bundles are designed to help you create your own edible urban garden. This bundle allows you to select your favourite shrubs based on taste, bloom time, fruit type, flower and fall colour, mature size or hardiness! Select any four of the following: American hazelnut, black chokeberry, common elderberry, highbush cranberry, lowbush blueberry, nannyberry, northern wild raisin, pasture rose, purple flowering raspberry and serviceberry.

The rest of our bundles contain pre-determined species. As species sell out, substitutions may be made.

Native Bee Bundles are designed to provide habitat and food sources for our native bees. This bundle contains shrubs of varying mature sizes including St. John's wort, snowberry, common ninebark and grey dogwood.

Songbird Bundles are designed to provide food and shelter for songbirds throughout the year. This bundle contains shrubs of varying mature sizes including lowbush blueberry, red osier dogwood, common elderberry, and serviceberry.

Small Yard Bundles are designed for smaller spaces while still adding beauty and biodiversity to your yard. This bundle includes lowbush blueberry, St. John's wort, and meadowsweet and snowberry.

Privacy Bundles are designed to help you attain privacy while still adding biodiversity to your yard. This bundle contains tall and dense growing shrubs including red osier dogwood, black chokeberry, bayberry and common ninebark.

Contact us to order

Ordering Native Garden Kits

Naturalize your yard with LEAF's Native Garden Kits. Our kits come in small ($150 +HST) and large ($275 +HST) sizes and include an assortment of perennials* and shrubs that offer a simple way to beautify your outdoor space - and help the environment at the same time!

Native Garden Kits are available for spring delivery only. All kits include garden designs, a species information guide and tips to help your garden succeed.

*Please note plant species offered in the kits may change seasonally, depending on availability.

Garden Kits are only available to residents of Toronto, York Region and some municipalities within Durham Region.

We've sold out for 2024! Register to receive an early bird notification when Native Garden Kits become available for the Spring 2025 season.

Sign-up for an early bird notification

Wildlife in the City