Transforming your gardens or yard to a native plant garden may feel overwhelming at first, but don’t worry, we have your back! The Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library has design instructions, additional resources and pictures of plants that you can use for inspiration. You can also take a look at our seed catalogue for plants that fit in your space.
Preparing your site
If you are transitioning an existing garden to a native plant garden, we suggest the following first steps to prevent the further spread of invasive plants, or remove them entirely.
Step 1: Identify all the plants you have on your property.
To do so, there are several apps that can help you:
- iNaturalist (free and contributes to scientific research)
- Seek (free and contributes to scientific research)
- For Android phones, you can use Google photos
- Google Lens (free)
- Picture This (a version is free)
- Plant Net (free)
Step 2: Prevent the further spread of plants that are identified as invasive.
Before adding native plants to your property, prioritize preventing invasives from spreading further. Prevent their spread by cutting blooms and containing roots (rhizomes) where possible.
Step 3: Remove invasive species.
Different invasive plants require different removal treatments. Consult the Ontario Invasive Plant Council for guidance on the best treatment for you.
*Please note that where invasive plants were present and removed, only add native plants a few seasons after the invasives have stopped growing.
Step 4: Remove all unused lawn using cardboard and newspaper, to replace with native plants.
If you are creating new garden space out of what is currently lawn, you’ll want to remove that unused lawn. The lasagna method consists of smothering your lawn using ink natural cardboard or newspaper. You can start this method any time of the year although it works best if you lay your lasagna in the fall, so you can take advantage of the winter to fasten the decomposition process. Here is a video from Growit Buildit to help you. You could also remove your lawn by hand, as shown here by Growit Buildit, but it’s not recommended as it breaks the relationships present in the soil.
Once you’ve prepared your site and remove any unused lawn, you’re ready to start designing and planting your native plant garden!