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Five Ways to Attract Wildlife to Your Backyard

by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping | Jan 4, 2023 | Flowers, Gardening, Hardscaping, Landscape Design, Native Plants, Ponds, Shrubs, Trees, Water Features

If you are looking for ways to attract wildlife to your backyard, then you have come to the right place! In this blog post, we’ll be exploring different methods for attracting and nurturing wildlife in an eco-friendly way. We will discuss how native plants can provide food and habitat, which water sources are best suited for animals, how to create safe shelters, and much more. By the end of this blog post, you’ll have all the tips and tricks required to turn your backyard into a thriving habitat for various types of animals.

Plant a variety of native plants that provide food and habitat.

Planting a variety of native plants is one of the best ways to attract wildlife to your backyard. Native plants provide food in the form of berries and nuts, as well as providing shelter and nesting materials. They also help to increase biodiversity, which helps promote healthier ecosystems for animals to thrive in. Planting native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses will create a space that allows for birds, insects, and other animals to find food and shelter from predators. Not only do these plants have benefits for wildlife but they require less maintenance than non-native plants since they are accustomed to the local soil conditions and climate.

Provide water sources, such as bird baths and small ponds.

Provide water source for wildlife pollinators pond waterfall bubbler Providing a source of water is essential for wildlife in your backyard. Bird baths and small ponds are excellent methods of providing a source of water. Not only do they help to attract birds and other animals, but they also give them a safe source of hydration. If you are looking to create a bird bath or pond, make sure it is shallow enough that there is no risk of drowning.Additionally, place rocks or pebbles in the water to provide areas where animals can drink safely without having to enter the water. One caveat: ensure your water source doesn’t freeze over by keeping water moving (with a bubbler or waterfall) or add a small heater to keep it usable. By adding these water sources you will be able to keep birds and other animals safe, hydrated, and happy in your backyard.

Keep pets indoors or away from areas of wildlife activity.

Keep pets indoors to avoid scaring off wildlife from your backyard Keeping pets indoors or away from areas of wildlife activity is an important part of protecting wildlife in your backyard. Cats and dogs may be attracted to the small animals in your yard, such as birds, rodents, or other creatures. It is best to keep these pets inside or restrain them while they are outside so they do not disturb or harm any wildlife.Additionally, make sure that any outdoor dog runs are not set up in areas where wildlife likes to rest and feed. By taking these extra steps you can ensure that both your pets and the local wildlife stay safe and happy.

Create a shelter for wildlife with logs, brush piles, birdhouses, and nesting boxes.

Creating a shelter for wildlife can be a great way to improve your backyard habitat. Logs, brush piles, birdhouses, and nesting boxes are all excellent places for animals to take refuge from harsh weather or predators. Logs provide shelter underneath and can also be used by birds as perching spots.Brush piles offer animals tall grasses and shrubs to hide in while keeping warm. Birdhouses and nesting boxes give birds and small animals a safe place to build their homes. All of these structures will help create an inviting environment for wildlife in your backyard.

Leave some areas of your garden undisturbed.

undisturbed flower garden hyacinth daffodils hummingbird moth Providing undisturbed areas in your garden is a great way to support local wildlife. By leaving some areas of your garden untouched, you are giving animals the chance to make their own homes without interruption from people or pets.This can take the form of wild patches of grass, untended corners of your yard, or piles of sticks and logs that provide harborage for small creatures. Even if it seems like doing nothing is best, keeping these areas free from human activity and disturbance will be beneficial to the wildlife that makes use of them.

With a few simple changes and an open mind, you can transform your backyard into a hub of biodiversity, where birds, amphibians, mammals, and insects come together to build their homes. Create shelters with logs, brush piles, birdhouses, and nesting boxes to attract wildlife to your backyard. Leave some areas of your garden undisturbed for animals to make their own homes. Once you get started on making your backyard more wildlife-friendly, there’s no telling all the types of critters that will call it home.

Plant Combinations

by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping | Sep 30, 2022 | Flowers, Foliage, Gardening, Landscape Design, Native Plants, Shrubs, Softscaping

When it comes to selecting plants, shrubs and trees for your gardens, there are myriad options you can choose to add visual interest, minimize maintenance, and attract birds, bees, and other pollinators. But the real magic happens when you select plant combinations that complement one another, elevating the overall effect.

When you drive by a home and find yourself admiring their beautiful landscaping, it’s typically not due to an individual element in their garden, but rather the combination of plants, shrubs, and trees that work nicely together.

Regardless of whether you’re planning a formal or informal style, you can find specimens that will help you achieve the look you’re aiming for. A few things to consider:

Height

Create depth and balance by grouping elements of various heights. Taller plants/trees can be placed at the back (or middle for an island flowerbed) while shorter selections can be added at the front or around the edge.

Shape

Consider the various shapes of foliage, flowers, and overall plants. While consistent shapes throughout a design can be effective, they tend to lend a more formal appearance, so choose shapes accordingly. Also, look for options that tend to naturally hold the desired shapes to minimize the additional task of pruning.

Quantity

Design theory dictates that odd numbers are more visually appealing, so group plants, shrubs, and trees accordingly.

Seasonality

Some perennials look great in spring, summer, and fall (and even winter). Others have features that really shine for only a limited amount of time during one season, and then are rather unremarkable the rest of the year. For example, Forsythia is full of brilliant yellow blooms in the spring while the Burning Bush foliage is a brilliant red in the fall. Group elements to ensure that at least one plant or tree is always offering some visual interest.

Colour

Play around by planting different shades of the same colour. Go monochromatic by planting elements whose colours are all the same, but size and shape varies. Or select plants, shrubs, and trees whose colours are different from one another but complementary.

Hardiness

If you’re planting combinations that you want to come back year after year, ensure they’re all appropriate for your hardiness zone. Stratford and area’s hardiness zone is generally a 6. If in doubt, ask the nursery where you buy your plants.

Plant Combinations for Sun and Shade

Sun

Coneflowers, Ornamental Grasses , Black-Eyed Susan, and Gayfeather (Liatrus) creates a low-maintenance prairie look that is colourful and showy from early summer to late fall.

Shade

Combining Hostas with Ferns and Japanese Forest Grass creates visual interest with a range of leaf sizes, textures, and colours. And Hostas provide the added bonus of white or pale purple blooms in the summer.

These are just two of many types of plant combinations you could try in your gardens. If you’re interested in adding or enhancing visual interest in your gardens but don’t want to do it yourself, contact us to discuss your landscaping goals.

Shrubs and Perennials for Shade Gardens

by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping | May 27, 2022 | Flowers, Foliage, Gardening, Native Plants, Shrubs, Softscaping

When springtime rolls around, homeowners start getting flowerbeds and gardens ready for the growing season. This usually means moving plants and shrubs and adding more to the mix. There are so many options for the sunny spots in your yard, but what about those more challenging, shady spots? Fear not. There are plenty of beautiful, hardy, low-maintenance shrubs and perennials for shade gardens.

The following are some of our favourite plants and shrubs for shady gardens and flowerbeds. Not only are these options beautiful, but many are native to Ontario, or at least well-adapted to our climate, so require very little maintenance, once established.

Shade-Loving Shrubs

shady gardens shade-loving yew taxus canadensis evergreen native Boxwood
Densely leaved evergreen shrub that can be easily shaped to suit virtually any location or style.

Yew
Low-growing evergreen with soft, needle-like foliage that bears red berry-like seeds.

Serviceberry
Small tree that adapts well to various environments, bears fruit and attracts wildlife.

Non-Invasive Honeysuckle
Tolerates both sun and shade, blooms from spring to late summer, and is a favourite of hummingbirds and bumblebees.

Arrowwood Viburnum
Flowering shrub that bears purplish-blue berries and whose foliage turns brilliant colours in the fall.

Oakleaf Hydrangea
Round deciduous shrub produces large clusters of long-lasting white flowers that gradually turn purplish-pink.

Japanese Rose
A deciduous flowering shrub with brilliant yellow flowers that prefers fully or partially shady locations.

Perennials for Shade Gardens

Ferns
A wide variety of fern species in various sizes that thrive in Ontario’s climate in part- to full-shade.

shady gardens shade-loving solomon's seal Solomon Seal
Elongated leaves grow on arching stems of white, tubular flowers in the spring, yielding dark, almost black berries.

Lungwort
Low-growing plant with speckled leaves and small, bell-shaped flowers in shades of purple and pink.

Hosta
Available in various shades of flat and variegated green, they produce large blooms on large stalks and can be easily split and transplanted.

Hellebore
Early blooming, low-growing, mounding perennial with large, star-shaped flowers in shades of white, yellow, pink, and purple.

Brunnera
Large, heart-shaped leaves with tiny, forget-me-not type flowers that bloom in early- to mid-spring.

Hardy Geranium
Sprawling, low-growing green foliage with five-petaled flowers in shades of white, bluem pink, and purple.

Astilbe
Low, mounding plant that produces fuzzy flower plumes in shades of white, red, purple, and pink on tall stalks.

Japanese Forest Grass
Dense, mounding ornamental grass with bright- and medium-green coloured variegated leaves that grow in waterfall-like arrangement.

With all of these options, shaded lots have no excuse to be dull. For continued visual interest throughout the year, be sure to combine plants of different heights, shapes, colours, and blooming periods.

And as always, if you need assistance with establishing and or maintaining your shade garden(s), contact us.

Colourful Landscaping Ideas

by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping | Apr 30, 2022 | Flowers, Foliage, Gardening, Landscape Design, Native Plants, Shrubs, Softscaping, Trees

While having a lush, green landscape can be beautiful, most homeowners want colourful landscaping ideas so they can enjoy at least a pop of colour to liven up their gardens.

And while many look to tropicals and/or annuals for added colour, there’s a wide range of hardy perennials in a full spectrum of hues that you can plant to achieve this in Southwestern Ontario.

Adding colour to your landscaping doesn’t just increase your enjoyment of your outdoor spaces, but it enhances curb appeal and also attracts a wide variety of birds, butterflies, bees, and other pollinators to your gardens.

Some birds are attracted to flowers and garden décor that are the same colour as their plumage, especially when the hunt for a mate is on. For example, orioles are attracted to orange and hummingbirds find reds, pinks, and purples appealing.

It’s interesting to note that white can signal danger to different species of birds, so landscaping that’s resplendent with white flowering plants, shrubs, and trees may see limited avian visitors.

That said, butterflies are attracted to white flowers in addition to plants and flowers in vibrant shades of red, purple, pink, orange, and yellow. They also prefer to feed in full sun.

During the transitional months of April and May, we start to see trees and shrubs fill out and spring-flowering plants and trees exhibit beautiful colour, many with fragrant blooms.

Colourful Landscaping Ideas for Spring

Trees and shrubs that will increase the colour quotient in spring include:

Forsythia – brilliant yellow blooms
Weigela – trumpet-shaped white, pink, fuchsia, or red blooms
Dappled Willow – sprays of white and pale pink petals at stem tips
Flowering Dogwood
Deutzia – showy stems of white blooms and gorgeous fall foliage

Some of the plants and flowers that steal the scene in the spring include:

Catmint – clusters of purple-blue flowers, much like lavender
Hellebores – five-petal, open-faced flowers in a range of striking colours
Irises – tall stalks with large, orchid-like flowers in various colours
Pasque Flower – mounds of short purple-petaled flowers with large bright yellow centres
Spring Bulbs – tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, grape hyacinths

Colourful Landscaping Ideas for Summer

Shrubs and plants whose colour peaks in the summer include:

Spirea
Butterfly Bush
Penstemon
Daylilies
Upright Phlox
Coneflower
Campanula
Cranesbill Geraniums
Hydrangeas

Colourful Landscaping Ideas for Fall

While fall is typically viewed as a transitional season, the gateway to winter, there are a wide variety of plants, shrubs, and trees that are at their colourful best in September and October:

Burning Bush
Sweet Spire
Tiger Eyed Sumac
Rose of Sharon
Fothergilla
Sedum
Asters
Black-Eyed Susan
False Sunflower

Colourful Landscaping Ideas for Winter

Even winter can’t bleach the colour out of every plant, shrub, and tree. The following provide beautiful contrast against an otherwise colourless landscape:

Red Twig Dogwood
Yellow Twig Dogwood
Euonymus
False Cypress
Winterberry
Holly
Cotoneaster
Juniper
Boxwood

Most importantly, if you want to keep colour in your gardens all year long with perennials, we recommend selecting a few of the above suggestions from each seasonal category. That way, as colour is fading from one season’s showy selections, the next season’s perennials will take centre stage.

We often consult with clients who are interested in low-maintenance options but still want visual interest and colour in their gardens. If you need assistance selecting the right plants, trees, and shrubs for your landscape, contact us.

Add Privacy with Landscaping

by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping | Mar 12, 2022 | Fencing, Foliage, Gardening, Landscape Design, Native Plants, Shrubs, Softscaping, Trees

Often, when homeowners want to add privacy to their yards, they think of walls and fences made from stone and/or wood. And sometimes solid structures like these are needed if the goal is to keep people and animals in or out.

However, if you simply want to break up visual sightlines, add privacy with landscaping including plants, shrubs, and trees. And if you’re looking for inspiration, here are some of our favourites that we incorporate into landscaping projects when clients desire increased privacy from neighbours.

Evergreen Options

Emerald Cedar

Although, slower growing than other cedars, the Emerald Cedar is a vibrant green, dense, cone-shaped evergreen that grows quite tall (4 metres) and can survive (preferably in full sun) for 30+ years.

Black Cedar

Although cone-shaped like the Emerald variety, the darker-coloured Black Cedar has a wider base, making it an excellent choice for windbreaks and perimeter hedges. They are a faster-growing shrub and can survive for 50+ years topping out at approximately 5 metres in height.

Yew (Taxus canadensis)

The Canadian Yew, the most prevalent of yews in Southwestern Ontario, is a vibrant green with dense limbs of soft, flat needles. While it does grow quite wide (up to 7 feet) it maxes out at only 4 feet in height, making it a candidate for low hedges and topiaries. Bright red berries mature in late summer to early fall, providing visual contrast against green foliage.

Spruce

While Black, White, and Red Spruces are indigenous, the Norway and Colorado/Blue varieties also thrive in Southwestern Ontario (hardiness zone 5). Generally speaking, Spruce trees are quite hardy with dense foliage, and reaching heights of 20-25 metres. This option is better planted away from buildings and other structures, with plenty of room between each, if planting in a row/group.

Upright Juniper

Low-maintenance and hardy, upright Juniper varieties like the Wichita blue and Ontario green juniper mature quickly with dense foliage that makes them a great alternative to fences and privacy walls. Junipers can be planted fairly close together as they are narrow, but grow to approximately 15 feet tall.

Deciduous Options

American Hornbeam

This hardwood can reach 15 metres tall and provides ample privacy with its densely packed leaves, which turn a brilliant red in the fall.

English Oak

The English Oak can grow to 60 feet tall and just as wide, though many varieties start out in a more cone-shaped habit before spreading out. These trees can live well beyond 100 years. There’s also a narrower variety more suited to tight spaces.

Privet

The fast-growing Privet makes a great privacy hedge with its dense, glossy, oval-shaped leaves. It flowers in the early summer, and yields non-edible fruit after flowering concludes.

Ninebark

A popular hedge choice in landscaping, the Common Ninebark’s leaves are a yellowish-green and grow in dense arrangements with seasonal flowers clusters. It is a fast-growing shrub, reaching up to 10 feet high and 8 feet wide.

Large Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental grasses that thrive in Southwestern Ontario come in a wide range of shapes, colours, and sizes. Feather Reed Grass and Fountain Grass both grow to about 3 feet tall and make good low privacy screens. But if you’re looking for complete privacy, tall varieties like those of the Miscanthus genus are your best bet. They work great in conjunction with fence panels, planted in a standalone cluster, or lining the perimeter of a deck or patio. A word of warning though, Miscanthus can become invasive, if not managed with regular splitting and cutting back to the ground.

Add privacy with Miscanthus ornamental grass

Although these suggestions can help you get started, you might benefit from expert advice and installation, ensuring that the right varieties of trees to add privacy with landscaping are chosen. Contact us any time for assistance with enhancing the privacy of your yard.

Drought-Tolerant Landscaping

by A Touch of Dutch Landscaping | Jun 2, 2021 | Flowers, Foliage, Gardening, Native Plants, Shrubs, Trees

With the dog days of summer mere weeks away, homeowners want to spend more time outside, but not necessarily more time working in their gardens.

One of the most common requests we receive when working with new landscaping clients is for a low-maintenance design. This usually means, very little work in terms of watering, weeding, dead-heading, and pruning.

While no garden or flowerbed, is maintenance-free, we’ve put together some tips below to help you minimize your gardening workload, so you can maximize relaxation this summer.

Drought Tolerant Honeysuckle Vine (Lonicera)

Honeysuckle (Lonicera)

Stave off drought with these tips

Before we look at plants that tolerate hot, dry conditions well, let’s talk about your soil. Generally, plants enjoy soil that drains well. Soil that doesn’t (typically clay-based soil) can contribute to root rot and may claim otherwise healthy plants. However, soil that drains well can quickly become too dry in hot, windy, and/or dry weather.

The key to maintaining soil moisture is mulch. We recommend a thick layer (three to four inches) of mulch on flowerbeds and around trees. Mulch comes in a variety of types and colours and not only helps soil maintain moisture, but also helps keep weeds to a minimum, and gradually breaks down to help nourish the soil.

Another tip for maintaining a drought-tolerant and sustainable landscape is to collect run-off rainwater in a rain barrel. Strategically placed under a downspout close to your gardens, harvested rainwater can get your plants, shrubs, and trees through the drier spells of summer.

Coral Bells (Heuchera mirachantha)

Drought-tolerant plants for Southwestern Ontario summers

Generally speaking, the more established a plant or tree is, and the deeper the root system, the better it will tolerate drought. That generally takes care of trees and evergreen shrubs, but you’ll still need to tend to well-established deciduous shrubs and perennials during spells of extreme dryness.

The following are a small sampling of drought-tolerant species.

Perennials

Honeysuckle Vine (Lonicera)
Fragrant and colourful, the honeysuckle can be trained on a trellis or arbour and is a favourite of pollinators and hummingbirds.

Daylily (Hemerrocalis)

Coral Bells (Heuchera mirachantha)

Foliage ranges from purple and red to bright green and plant produces tiny, bell-like flowers. Mounding and provides excellent ground cover in shade gardens.

Daylily (Hemerrocalis)
Available in an extremely wide range of colours with both solid and variegated foliage, the exotic-looking flowers of these super-hardy perennials also attract pollinators.

Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum)
This sturdy grass provides dense mounds of colour (depending on the variety) including yellow, green, red, and purple. Flowers stretch on thin stalks above foliage.

Lenten Rose (Helleborus occidentalis)

Lenten Rose (Helleborus occidentalis)
Has sturdy foliage and blooms in early spring, bringing shades of pink, purple, blue, green, and yellow to your garden. Prefers shade or dappled sunlight.

Shrubs

False Cypress (Chamaecyperas psifera)
This evergreen species lends dense structure to gardens. With foliage in a range of colours from gold to emerald green and blue, it’s great for adding both privacy and visual interest.

Yew (Taxus)

Yew (Taxus)
This dense shrub can be planted on its own, but is commonly planted in a row to create a hedge or natural privacy screen. Female specimens develop showy, red berries.

Panicle Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata)
Beautiful clustered blooms in pale green and white to pale and vibrant pink. Browning flowers/seedheads remain on shrubs well into winter, providing visual interest and (when planted near a food source) a place for winter birds to perch.

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)
Blooming in mid-summer, the long clusters of flowers in bold hues attract butterflies and last until first frost, providing colour when most other flowers’ blooming periods have ended.

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

Sumac (Rhus typhina)
Ranging in size from compact to large, this shrub’s feathery foliage is bright green during the warmer months, but is better known for its eye-catching fall colours including bright yellow, orange, and red.

Succulents

While not native to our region, succulents are the camels of the plant world, maintaining an internal water supply that sees them through long periods of drought. However, not all succulents can survive Ontario winters, so we do need to be somewhat selective unless we transplant to pots to bring indoors for the winter months.

Sedum Autumn Joy (Herbstfreude)

There are a couple winter-hardy selections that add visual interest and are incredibly low-maintenance. The Autumn Sedum, which is a lower growing perennial, blooms in the fall, providing dashes of colour when many other flowering plants are already spent. And Sempervivum (commonly known as “Hens & Chicks”) is hardy in flowerbeds and rocks gardens, but also works well in containers, both outdoors and indoors.

While these tips may provide you with information that helps you determine a general direction in which you’d like to take your landscaping, you might not have the tools, equipment, or time to create the beautiful, low-maintenance outdoor experience you’re hoping for. We invite you to contact us any time for assistance with landscaping design and installation.

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