This study reported in the Dec 2022 issue of Environment International looks at 9 different factors that impact human health and ranks cities in Canada with populations over 100,000.

London’s average score is highest based on its proximity to nature, to water, its distance from pollutants like smog emitting industry, lower radiation due to distance from power plants and that most of its neighbourhoods are far enough from major highways and the noise and pollution from vehicles.

Tree cover vs paved surfaces was considered a factor in reducing the impacts of severe weather. Access to nature was considered an asset to promote physical activity and improved mental health.

Not all neighbourhoods rank equally. The poorest neighbourhoods rank a score of 44, while the best neighbourhoods rank 84. London’s average was 70.

What plant should I grow where? How much light? What type of soil? What types of plants grow well in shade or certain soils? Ideas for designing a small native plant garden including 9 downloadable templates:

Native plants have formed symbiotic relationships with native wildlife over thousands of years, and therefore offer the most sustainable habitat, offering less watering, rainwater management healthier soil.

A list of plant species that are native to southwestern Ontario and are suitable for planting in Middlesex County. These plants are adapted to the local climate and insect life and are hardier than horticultural species.

You may think you do not have the room to start seeds indoors - but have you heard of “cold sowing”? You can plant in seed trays or containers and set outside in the winter and let nature do all the work. There are a number of places you can order seeds for native plants:

Hawthorne Farms Organic Seeds:

Ontario Nativescape:

Northern Wildflower seeds:

It is really easy to start native plants outdoors in old plastic milk or apple cider jugs. Once planted, you can leave them alone until they sprout in the spring.

These retailers offer native plants either in person or through mail order. You may think it risky to order live plants by mail order, but they pack them very well and they can last many days in transit.

Ontario Native Plants

Return the Landscape:

Bee Sweet Nature

Search by zipcode to find the best native plants for your region. Based on the research of Dr. Douglas Tallamy of the University of Delaware, The Native Plant Finder is an indispensable tool for those looking to bring their garden to life!

Don’t think you have to completely re-plant your garden to native plants!

A gradual transition over several years makes it easier to achieve. Removal of invasive plants is a great start.

There are wonderfully colorful plants that are attractive to butterflies.

It is only on milkweed that Monarchs will lay their eggs.

When you welcome songbirds, butterflies, bees and other animals to your gardens, you are supporting them with much needed habitat. Anyone with a garden has an amazing opportunity to help our local and migratory wildlife and to enjoy the benefits and beauty they bring.

Carolinian Canada is a network of leaders growing healthy landscapes for a green future in the Carolinian Zone, Canada's extraordinary far south. Thousands of people are growing hope with native plants to address the triple threat of extinction, climate and health crises in the spirit and practice of reconciliation.

Trees are an important part of our quality of life - environmentally, culturally and economically. With your help, ReForest London will leave a legacy of trees, an appreciation of the value of green-cover, and strong community partnerships for future generations.

Ecosystems support all life on Earth. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration aims to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean. It can help to end poverty, combat climate change and prevent a mass extinction.

Simard brings us into her world, in which she brilliantly illuminates the fascinating and vital truths that trees are not simply the source of timber or pulp but are a complicated, interdependent circle of life; that forests are social, cooperative creatures connected through underground networks.

If the world of gardening has rock stars, Piet Oudolf qualifies as Mick Jagger, David Bowie, and Prince rolled into one. The Dutch landscape designer—whose work is instantly recognizable for its dreamy romanticism and oft-copied for its emphasis on sustainable, sensible plantings—makes it look so easy. But is it?

A CBC News analysis of data from the City of Montreal and Statistics Canada shows the higher the median income of a neighbourhood, the more extensive the tree cover. In other Canadian cities and beyond, researchers are tracking similar dynamics between green space and socioeconomic status, and looking for solutions to address the imbalance.

"The general pattern is that wealthier areas — more privileged neighbourhoods — tend to have not only higher tree cover, but also a greater diversity of species," said Carly Ziter, a biology professor at Concordia University in Montreal who specializes in urban ecology.

"Those patterns do seem to hold in many of our cities."

The need for trees, and the cooler, better air they provide, has become ever more pressing as the climate warms and cities are subjected to more extended periods of extreme heat

Here are a few of our favourites:

Books, books, books! Full of inspiration and practical advice here are a few essentials: Cut Flower Garden by Floret, The Wreath Recipe Book by Studio Choo (also see their Flower Recipe Book), Flower Color Guide – visually stunning and just released by Phaidon, Vegetables Love Flowers by Lisa Mason Ziegler and the practical The Pruner’s Bible by Steve Bradley.

Seeds! Check out the very talented offerings from Hanna Jacobs at Matchbox Garden Seed Co. and Colette Murphy at Urban Harvest.

Local floral subscription services: keeping on trend with supporting local farmers, keep an eye out for incredible flower farmers in your community. The Wandering Bee; Sarah Nixon from My Luscious Backyard, Shannon Whelan at Euclid Farms, Kitz and Daughters, Sas Long at Floralora Flowers and Melanie at Dahlia May Flower Farm.

Give the gift of a flower garden – if you’re in Toronto, Claire Mcgee at Buds Cutting Gardens can whip your urban space into a gorgeous floral oasis.

Consider making a donation to your favourite botanical gardens in a loved one’s name

In The Zone - Carolinian Canada

Your garden, and the nature that surrounds it, seem to be asleep right now. But native plants help support local wildlife year-round. Even in the coldest winter months, native plants and wildlife depend on each other and remain highly interconnected. During the warmer seasons, the most obvious ecological role of the goldenrod – a native plant with yellow blooms – is to feed pollinators with its flowers. But during the colder season, the stem of the goldenrod acts as habitat to a species of fly called the goldenrod gall fly. This fly lays its eggs in the goldenrod stem, which allows them to develop away from most predators. But this creates a protuberance (a bulge) on the stem, and these protuberances attract birds that feed on the larvae. As soon as winter arrives, the black-capped chickadee and the downy woodpecker search for goldenrods, hoping to find nourishing insect larvae in its stems. This nutrient supply is often essential during the months of January and February, when food is much harder to find.

Watch North American Native Plant Society's second DIY Seed Series webinar, where Paul Heydon shared some best practices for collecting seeds, seed storage, and successfully germinating native plant seeds into healthy plants.