No MOW! No BLOW! No H2O!
Visit our demonstration gardens and learn about money-saving techniques that help gardeners fight climate change. Located at Laking Garden, this living exhibition is open to the public from spring through fall.

While almost every gardener sees their property as a nature sanctuary, the fact is that many common gardening practices are not environmentally friendly. Sustainable horticulture techniques have a small carbon footprint*, use little supplemental water and minimize waste and pollution. Cosmetic pesticide use is banned in Ontario but there’s still much more we can all do to go greener in our gardens.

How green is your garden?
Along with overwatering, gas-powered lawn equipment like mowers and leaf blowers harm the environment and your health. Most of us are making conscious decisions inside our homes to produce less waste, use fewer chemicals and less energy, and live a greener lifestyle. By adopting a few of the suggestions showcased here, even your yard can help fight global warming.

Download interpretive brochure
 Download each garden's plant list



No MOW!
This garden eliminates the need for gas-guzzling, carbon-spewing lawn mowers. The No MOW! garden includes grasses, perennials and ground cover plantings together with water permeable turfstone, eliminating the need for any mowing.



No BLOW!
This garden eliminates the need for mechanical leaf blowers or leaf vacuums. The No BLOW! garden focuses on plant material that does not create excessive leaf litter in the autumn, thereby eliminating the need for mechanical leaf blowers or leaf vacuums. It includes evergreens, deciduous shrubs and low maintenance perennials.



No H2O!
This water-wise garden reduces water consumption, mowing or blowing for maintenance. The No H2O! garden includes native plants as well as other drought-tolerant plant cultivars. This water-wise garden reduces water consumption and mowing or blowing for maintenance.

Download interpretive brochure
Download each garden's plant list


*What is a carbon footprint?
A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our individual activities have on the planet and climate change. It relates to the amount of damaging emissions produced in our day-to-day lives through burning carbon-based fossil fuels for electricity, heating, manufacturing, transportation, etc.

With support provided by the Government of Ontairo and its Community Go Green Fund.

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