Backyard Tree Planting Program

LEAF offers over 50 native trees and shrubs through our Backyard Tree Planting Program. Clearly, we love native species! But, is there one among them all that our staff likes best? I interviewed our Residential Planting Programs staff on what makes their favourite tree so great.

The ironwood is a tree with so many wonderful features, but its ability to blend in with its surroundings is uncanny. As a natural, smaller-growing understory tree that prefers a bit of shade, the ironwood keeps a low-profile amongst its forest friends.

The LEAF Backyard Tree Planting Program has been helping private property owners plant native trees for more than two decades. Designed so that native trees survive and thrive, the program boasts a number of unique features that benefit both trees and property owners.

I have always been captivated by how trees withstand the harshest of winter weather and know when to grow their new leaves in the spring. This isn’t magic. The process actually depends on a variety of factors, such as temperature, precipitation and species type, and the timing can even change from year to year! Bud burst, or in other words “leafing out,” in the spring, is a more remarkable process than many of us know!

I was hired as the spring 2019 Lead Planter at LEAF for the 2019 spring planting season. At the time, I was looking to expand my field experience and was excited to get involved with an organization that has been doing such great work in urban forestry for over 20 years! Now, a year later, I am sharing with you what a typical day might look like as a LEAF planter and why the work we do is so important!