Design Your Yard from the Comfort of Your Own Home | LEAF | Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests

Looking for ideas on how to beautify your yard? Fancy getting your hands dirty? Need some help getting started? Look no further! Our Do-It-Yourself Tree Planting Program might just be right for you! Our certified arborists will connect with you virtually to help you select the right native tree for your yard and later we’ll deliver it right to your door. The best part - no previous gardening experience is required!

The LEAF Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Tree Planting Program helps you select the right trees and shrubs for your yard and is available to residents of Toronto, York Region and Ajax!

LEAF staff delivering shrubs(© 2018 Brenna Anstett / LEAF)

It’s the perfect fit for anyone who:

Has the physical ability to plant and wants to get their hands dirty
Wants to plant a tree in their front/side yard where LEAF does not plant
Wants to save money

The DIY program ranges between $100 and $170 per tree and includes a virtual consultation with a LEAF arborist, five to eight foot tall native deciduous trees (or two to four foot tall native evergreen trees), mulch, a planting and care guide and delivery right to your door!

LEAF arborist on the computer, virtually assessing a client's backyard(© 2019 Daniela Serodio / LEAF)

The virtual consultation provides the flexibility to talk to a LEAF arborist from anywhere, as long as you have access to a phone and computer with internet. It’s almost like having the arborist right there with you in your backyard! We will give you a call and share our computer screen with you, so that we can take a look at your yard together using satellite imagery and a measuring tool. We will ask you about your yard conditions and go over ideal planting locations for new trees and shrubs. We will also answer any questions you have about planting and care. We will then recommend species that would work best based on your specific yard conditions. We take payment over the phone and then deliver your plants right to your door during our next delivery season.

After your virtual consultation, we will send you a personalised yard plan and detailed information about the species of trees and shrubs that you purchased. You will also receive instructional videos on how to plant and care for your trees and shrubs – all you need is a shovel and a tarp!

LEAF staff doing a curb-side delivery of trees(© 2019 Brenna Anstett / LEAF)

Does this program sound like the right fit for you? Send in your application for our DIY program now. We are already accepting orders for our next delivery season which starts in September! Interested in planting, but would rather we do it? Learn about our Full Service Tree Planting program.

Natasha Keshavjee is an ISA certified arborist and the Residential Planting Programs Operations Supervisor at LEAF.

The Backyard Tree Planting Program is supported by the City of Toronto, the Regional Municipality of York, the City of Markham, the Town of Newmarket, the Town of Ajax and Ontario Power Generation.