Gardening For Biodiversity

Led by the Ecological Design lab as part of their national Bylaws for Biodiversity research, the Gardening for Biodiversity component project, has been developed in partnership with the National Environmental Treasure, Nature Canada and FLAP Canada. Together, we collaboratively created a series of free resources that are supported by fact, building upon our shared knowledge. This initiative is intended to serve as a collaborative repository, uniting credited links and resources across our organizations into one accessible collection. By curating these valuable tools in a single place, we aim to support and simplify the journey for individuals and communities seeking to learn about gardening for habitat and biodiversity.
This series includes four comprehensive fact sheets (with more to be developed in the future), each focusing on key aspects of biodiversity gardening:

01 – Yard Naturalization: A ‘How-to’ Guide
Naturalization is not an all-in or nothing task. There are small changes that can be made, which have a large positive impact on biodiversity.

02 – Myths & Misconceptions: Naturalized Gardens, Ticks, Mice, Rats, & Other Pests
One of the greatest misconceptions about naturalized landscapes is that they are more likely to host vermin species, compared to traditional turfgrass.

03 – Bird-Friendly Gardens: Supporting Bird Habitat for Every Season
Generally, a bird-friendly garden is structured around three key components: food, water, and shelter. As Guinness (2024) states, “bird-friendly gardening is not a radical shift from gardening; in fact, you may already be doing it.”

04 – Good Garden Practices: Underrated Practices & Top Plant Picks
Effective gardening practices play a crucial role in cultivating a healthy garden. The following is a compiled list of our 10 favorite underrated good gardening practices.
Thank you to Ecological Design Lab, National Environmental Treasure, and FLAP Canada for this collaboration!
Originally posted on Ecological Design Lab.
How to Help
Want to learn how to make your city bird friendly?
Whether you are interested in calling on the government to help birds or want to share our messages, every little bit helps. When you sign up you will receive updates on our work with bird conservation and current projects with plenty of opportunity to get involved!