welcome to wizard island gardens ~ building biodiversity back to urban life, one garden at a time
01
NATIVE POLLINATOR
GARDENS
We strive to create low-maintenance, beautiful gardens that give you something to look at and look forward to all year long. After a brief period of watering, and occasionally topping up the wood mulch allowing time for the green mulch and perennials to fill in the space, you'll have a garden that attracts friendly bees, butterflies and moths to its flowers all season! Click the see examples button below to see a sample design layout that we can customize for your soil, sun, and aesthetic needs.
02
LAWN-TO-MEADOW
TRANSFORMATIONS
Are you tired of mowing, fertilizing and water a lawn that that never seems cooperate with all your efforts? You're not alone! We can talk about converting your lawn to either a low-maintenance green carpet that looks well-kept and inviting without all the equipment and weekly chores associated with a traditional lawn. If you'd like a more colourful and wild look, we can design a beautiful garden that provides a feast for the eyes, as well as the birds, bees, and butterflies.
03
LOW-MAINTENANCE
GARDEN DESIGNS
One of the many benefits of having a pollinator-friendly garden is that they're relatively low maintenance, compared to highly-manicured alternatives. It comes as no surprise that native plants tend to thrive in the conditions they've evolved in, so most species are well adapted to our cold winters, wet spring and fall, with hot and dry conditions in between. Once the garden fills in there won't be room for more than the occasional intrepid weed, so you can relax and enjoy.
My name is Gavin and I've been gardening in the GTA for the last 13 years. Over the years I developed a keen interest in designing low-maintenance gardens that grow and evolve naturally into beautiful yardscapes.
04
PRUNING
Make sure your trees and shrubs are properly maintained before they get out of hand, or wrangle an unwieldy forest back into shape! Many shrubs and small trees are planted in city gardens that will outgrow their optimal size and shape, shading out other parts of the garden, and lifting a flowered canopy beyond where it can be enjoyed and easily maintained. If this sounds familiar, please get in touch for a professional, experienced, and affordable quote today.
05
SPRING AND FALL CLEANUPS
While we do get to enjoy the beautiful fall colours here in Southern Ontario we're also faced with the often daunting task of cleaning off the excess leaves in the autumn. We strive to strike a balance between letting the pollinators hit the snooze button in the garden beds until they're ready to come out, and making sure more trafficked areas of your property are kept tidy and safe during the transition seasons. We also make sure to prune and deadhead everything in your garden at the optimal time for plant health and aesthetic appreciation year-round.
Pollinators and their native plant companions are essential to the health of our ecosystems. With insect populations in decline and invasive plant species crowding into our natural spaces, it's important to make choices in our own lives that supports harmony in the larger ecosystem our homes rest in. Pollinators bring an extra layer of lively interest to any garden, adding the unique beauty of a living space that works together as a community, rather than a selection of individual plants, grouped together.
Pollinator gardens provide learning opportunities for the whole family. What plants grow fastest in the Spring? What kinds of insects start visiting first? Which plants get the most of which kinds of visitors? How many types of bee can you photograph and identify? What kinds of birds have been showing up? This can be a great way to introduce some broader ecological awareness in your own back yard, in the heart of a big city.
In time, these gardens lead to less maintenance and therefore reduced cost in the long term.
before + afters coming soon!
