Gardens 2 Go

Clay Soil Garden

Clay soils typically are wet in the spring and become dry and hard in the summer, a condition which stresses some plants. Our CLAY SOIL GARDEN plants are well-adapted to clay and thrive in these conditions.

FULL SUN:
2-New England Aster, 2-Smooth Aster, 2-Oxeye, 2-Swamp Milkweed, 2-Canada Milkvetch, 2-Wild Bergamot, 2-Stiff Goldenrod, 2-Great St. Johnswort, 2-Dense Blazingstar, 2-Foxglove Beardtongue, 4-Tall Ironweed, 4-Black Eyed Susan, 4-Nodding Wild Onion, 4-Michigan Lily

Deer Resistant Garden

Our DEER RESISTANT GARDEN features plants which are not as palatable to deer. However, if deer are hungry enough, there seems to be little they will not eat.

SUN:
2-Nodding Wild Onion, 2-Cylindrical Blazingstar, 2-Side Oats Gramma Grass, 2-Little Bluestem Grass, 4-Butterfly Milkweed, 4-Wild Bergamot, 4-Black Eyed Susan, 4-Hairy Beardtongue, 4-Golden Alexanders, 4-Virginia Mt. Mint, 4-Stiff Goldenrod

SHADE:
6-Wild Columbine, 6-Wild Geranium, 3-Bluestem Goldenrod, 3-Wild Ginger, 3-Heart-leaved Aster, 3-Woodland Sunflower, 3-Zig-zag Goldenrod, 3-Bottlebrush Grass, 3-Graceful Sedge, 3-Stellate Sedge

Drought Resistant Garden

Xeriscaping is defined as "water conservation through creative landscaping". With a DROUGHT RESISTANT PLANT GARDEN, create a yard that is pleasing in design and usefulness, yet low maintenance and not another threat to the environment. This garden features plants that tend to wilt more slowly under drought conditions. The plants also will attract butterflies and small birds to the garden. All of the plants are low growing, so they will perform well along boulevards, and as a replacement for front lawns.

3-Nodding Wild Onion, 3-Pussytoes, 3-Butterfly Milkweed, 3-Sky Blue Aster, 3-Downy Woodmint, 3-Prairie Smoke, 3-Hairy Beardtongue, 3-Hoary Vervain, 3-Side Oats Gramma Grass, 3-Little Bluestem Grass, 3-Kalm's Brome Grass, 3-Rocky Mountain Fescue

Hummingbird & Songbird Gardens

A good way to enjoy the company of birds is by planting a garden to attract them. Besides feeding them, a natural food source garden is an excellent way to bring birds to your nearby feeder. Songbirds require insects in the summer and seeds in the fall. Hummingbirds feed only on nectar. Since hummingbirds, have virtually no sense of smell, the flowers that attract them tend to have little or no fragrance, apparently directing their resources instead toward high visibility and nectar production.

SUN: 3-Butterfly Milkweed, 3-Smooth Aster, 3-Sky Blue Aster, 3-Purple Coneflower, 3-Hoary Vervain, 3-Hairy Beardtongue, 3-Wild Bergamot, 3-Indian Grass, 3-Switch Grass
PART SHADE: 3-Wild Columbine, 3-Tall Bellflower, 3-Woodland Sunflower

Butterfly Gardens

Butterflies are looking for two things when they enter a garden: nectar, the food that adult butterflies need, and host plants, the place where the female will lay her eggs and provide caterpillars food. Both are necessary to create a successful butterfly garden. Most species of caterpillars are particular about the type of plants they can eat. Their eggs must be placed on the correct plant in order for the caterpillar to survive.

Full Sun, Sand and Gravel
3-Common Blue Violet, 3-Golden Alexanders, 3-Showy Tick-trefoil, 3-Butterfly Milkweed, 3-Sky Blue Aster, 3-Smooth Aster, 6-Black-eyed Susan, 3-Hoary Vervain, 3-Woodland Sunflower, 3-Field Pussytoes, 3-Blue Hyssop

Full Sun, Loam and Clay
3-Common Blue Violet, 3-Golden Alexanders, 3-Canada Milkvetch, 3-Swamp Milkweed, 3-New England Aster, 3-Purple-stemmed Aster, 3-Joe Pye Weed, 3-Boneset, 3-Turtlehead, 3-Michigan Lily, 2-Red-oiser or Silky Dogwood (small)

Beneficial Insect Gardens

A beneficial insect is any insect that improves the soil, pollinates plants, or controls harmful pests. Many beneficial insects, including honey bees, are in decline, in part due to synthetic chemicals and habitat loss. This BENEFICIAL INSECT GARDEN will attract them to your property and sustain them with nectar and pollen. The presence of beneficial insects allows gardeners to reduce or eliminate insecticides, while increasing pollination that in turn enhances fruit and seed yields. Producing more, while reducing reliance on chemicals provides a real bonus to fruit and vegetable gardeners. It also benefits wildlife gardeners by attracting birds and other wildlife.

Full Sun, Sand and Gravel
3-Sky Blue Aster, 3-Butterfly Milkweed, 3-Common Cinquefoil, 3-Canada Anemone, 3-Golden Alexanders, 3-Stiff Goldenrod, 3-Hairy Beardtongue, 3-Hoary Vervain, 3-Cylindrical Blazingstar, 3-Ironweed, 3-Wild Strawberry, 1-Chokeberry

Full Sun, Loam and Clay
3-Purple-stemmed Aster, 3-Swamp Milkweed, 3-Canada Anemone, 6-Golden Alexanders, 3-Ohio Goldenrod, 3-Foxglove Beardtongue, 3-Blue Vervain, 3-Dense Blazingstar, 3-Joe Pye Weed, 3-Boneset, 3-Common Blue Violet, 1-Chokeberry

Part Shade
3-Wild Geranium, 3-Carpernter’s Square, 3-Thimbleweed, 3-Yellow Hyssop, 3-Virginia Waterleaf, 3-Golden Alexanders, 2-Serviceberry, 2-Alternate-leaved Dogwood, 2-Chokeberry (fewer plants due to higher cost of the shrubs)

Meadow Gardens

Open meadows provide a home for many colourful wildflowers. They are the natural homes for butterflies, bees and grasshoppers. No wonder meadows have been the traditional places for picnics and summer walks. In recent years a lot of our wildflower meadows have disappeared.

3-Swamp Milkweed, 3-Michigan Lily, 3-Sky Blue Aster, 3-New England Aster, 3-Boneset, 3-Joe-Pye-weed, 3-Wild Bergamot, 3-Green-headed Coneflower, 3-Black-eyed Susan, 6-Blue Vervain, 3-Golden Alexanders

Prairie Gardens

One of the most diverse ecosystems in Ontario, the tallgrass prairie is also one of its most endangered. Less than 1% of the original extent of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem is preserved today in its natural form. There is a lot of interest in native tallgrass plants for landscaping. This is reflected by popularity of Purple Coneflower, Liatris and Switch Grass, all tallgrass prairie plants, at garden centers.
The dry prairies in and around Cambridge, Brantford and London inspired the dry prairie garden. The moist prairie garden was inspired by the prairie habitats that grow on the deep, rich soils along the Grand River and southwestern Ontario. Planting a prairie garden is best done where it naturally occurred or near where it naturally occurred. Otherwise a meadow garden is more appropriate and will perform better. Please consult with Nith River Native Plants about which is best for your area.

DRY PRAIRIE: 2-Sky Blue Aster, 2-Smooth Aster, 2-Black-eyed Susan, 2-Hairy Beardtongue, 2-Cylindrical Blazingstar, 2-Prairie Cinquefoil, 2-Robin's Plantain, 2-Butterfly Milkweed, 2-Virginia Mountain Mint, 3-Hoary Vervain, 3-Wild Bergamot, 3-Big Bluestem Grass, 3-Indian Grass, 3-Little Bluestem Grass

MOIST PRAIRIE: 3-Michigan Lily, 3-Virginia Mountain Mint, 3-Showy Tic-trefoil, 3-Wild Bergamot, 3-Golden Alexanders, 3-Foxglove Beardtongue, 3-Black-eyed Susan, 3-New England Aster, 3-Big Bluestem Grass, 3-Indian Grass, 3-Switch Grass, 3-Prairie Cord Grass

Black Walnut Tolerant Gardens

Instantly create a black walnut tolerant plant garden! While some plants are susceptible to juglone (the chemical secreted by the leaves and roots of a Black Walnut) others are not and can even thrive in the area of black walnuts. Juglone can cause stunting, death, or wilting in many plants when they are planted nearby. The average limit of the toxic zone from a mature tree is 15-20 meters, so there is a wide range of sunlight levels to consider, not just right under the tree. To help you beautify your property with juglone resistant plants Nith River Native Plants has created three groups of walnut resistant plants based on the amount of available sunlight.

Full Sun - Dry
6-Wild Bergamot, 6-Virginia Mountain Mint, 6-Black-eyed Susan, 6-Smooth Aster, 6-Sky Blue Aster, 6-New England Aster

Full Sun – Moist
6-Wild Bergamot, 6-New England Aster, 6-Michigan Lily, 6-Cord Grass, 6-Green-headed Coneflower, 6-Silky Dogwood/Red-oiser Dogwood (small)

Part Sun/Shade
3-Wild Ginger, 3-Thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana), 3-Jack-in-the-Pulpit, 3-Heart-leaved Aster, 3-Tall Bellflower, 3-Virginia Waterleaf, 3-Wild Geranium, 3-Woodland Sunflower, 3-Common Cinquefoil, 3-Zig-zag Goldenrod, 3-Common Blue Violet, 3-Bottlebrush Grass

Rain Garden

Help the environment by reducing flooding and the load on local wastewater treatment plants. If you live in an urban area, you can pool rainwater into a rain garden instead of allowing it to run off into a storm sewer. By digging down and piling the earth around the edge you can pool water and form a rain garden. A rain garden allows more rainwater to soak into the soil than does a lawn; rain garden plants clean impurities from the water while attracting birds and butterflies in the process. Rain gardens do not attract mosquitoes because the water does not pool long enough for mosquitoes to breed.

3-Swamp Milkweed, 3-Purple Stemmed Aster, 3-Turtlehead, 3-Joe Pye Weed, 3-Boneset, 3-Great St. Johnswort, 3-Cardinal Flower, 3-Green-headed Coneflower, 3-Great Lobelia, 3-Blue Vervain, 2-Blue Flag Iris, 2-Michigan Lily

Woodland and Forest Gardens

In woodland the trees are spaced so that there are areas with sunny openings supporting drought tolerant and shade intolerant plants. In a forest, once leaves are on the trees there is almost constant shade and therefore a lot moister too. Please consult with Nith River Native Plants if you have questions about which, woodland or forest garden is most suitable for your area.

PART SHADE (Woodland): 3-Common Cinquefoil, 3-Wild Columbine, 3-Virginia Anemone, 3-Heart-leaved Aster, 3-Tall Bellflower, 3-White Trillium, 3-Bluestem Goldenrod, 3-Wild Geranium, 3-Jack in the Pulpit, 3-Early Meadow-rue, 3-Woodland Sunflower, 3-Rosy Sedge

FULL SHADE (Forest): 4-Early Meadow-rue, 4-Common Blue Violet, 4-Virginia Waterleaf, 4-Woodland Strawberry, 2-White Trillium, 2-Red trillium, 2-, 2-Bloodroot, 2-Wild Ginger, 2-Zig-Zag Goldenrod, 2-Wild Geranium, 3-Gaceful Sedge, 3-Bottlebrush Grass