How to create a resilient and eco-responsible garden

A resilient garden is not a maintenance-free garden. It is a space designed to cope better with hot weather, use water wisely, and provide resources for local wildlife. In Montreal, where summer dry spells, heavy rainfall and cold winters all matter, a few thoughtful choices can make a real difference.

Here is how to build an eco-friendly garden, whether you have a small balcony or a full backyard, using practical horticultural advice and peer-reviewed research.

1. Grow a diversity of flowers to support pollinators

A 2022 study published in Basic and Applied Ecology found that local plant species richness in urban residential yards was associated with bee abundance and diversity. That does not mean all flowers are equally valuable: species, bloom timing and local conditions matter. Read the study.

Combine species that flower at different times. Explore our pollinator-friendly plants and perennials.

Orange milkweed: an essential host plant for monarch butterflies.

Pink bee balm: a perennial valued by visiting pollinators.

PowWow Wild Berry coneflower: a hardy perennial with vibrant magenta flowers.

Consider regionally appropriate milkweeds, bee balm and coneflowers. Milkweeds are host plants for monarch caterpillars, while bee balm and coneflowers can provide floral resources for visiting insects.

Echinacea purpurea 'PowWow Wild Berry' is a horticultural cultivar known for its magenta blooms. It can contribute to a pollinator-friendly garden, although cultivars do not necessarily provide the same ecological value as wild plant populations.

2. Combine native perennials with long-blooming annuals

A 2022 California study found that some native perennials attracted more native pollinators than non-native ornamentals, while attractiveness varied greatly among species. These results should not be directly generalized to Quebec, but they support including locally native plants. Read the research.

Annual flowers can add colour and help extend the blooming season. Zinnias bloom through much of summer, while Salvia farinacea works well in beds and containers and is usually grown as an annual in our climate.

Colourful zinnias can complement a diverse summer planting.

Blue and white mealycup sage: long-lasting summer colour for beds and containers.

Browse our annual flowers to complement your hardy and native plants.

3. Cover the soil and water more efficiently

Mulch shields soil from direct sun and generally reduces water loss through evaporation. Apply suitable organic mulch, keeping it away from stems and trunks.

Water slowly at soil level, ideally early in the morning, and check moisture below the surface before watering again. Mature compost can add organic matter to poor soils.

Explore our soils and composts and select the right material for your plants.

4. Fertilize thoughtfully: compost and fertilizer are different

Eco-friendly gardening does not mean adding as much fertilizer as possible. Observe your plants and consider a soil test when needed. Compost primarily adds organic matter and may improve soil properties; fertilizer supplies nutrients in specified proportions.

Cricket frass: giving valuable resources a second life

Cricket frass is an organic material produced during cricket farming. It contains plant nutrients and compounds such as chitin, making it an interesting option for fertilizing plants while putting an insect-farming by-product to good use.

Our cricket frass: a Canadian natural fertilizer sourced from Ontario and made with organic inputs.

A 2024 scientific study published in PLOS ONE found that cricket frass fertilizer improved vegetative growth and green bean production under certain experimental conditions.

These findings are promising, but they do not mean that every frass-based product will produce identical results for all crops.

At Jardin Chez Michel, we offer cricket frass sourced from Ontario, Canada, made with organic inputs. This Canadian product supports resource recovery and a thoughtful approach to garden fertilization.

Choose fertilizer according to your plants' needs

Our Jardin Chez Michel Farm Fertilizer (5-3-2) is made with inputs approved for organic growing. Follow the label and your plants' needs.

Compare options in our fertilizer collection.

Remember: natural does not mean impact-free. Excess nitrogen or phosphorus is undesirable regardless of its source. Fertilizing according to actual plant needs remains the best approach.

5. Create habitat beyond the flowers

Where safe, leave a small patch of fallen leaves and standing dry stems through winter: some insects use these places for shelter.

Avoid routine insecticide applications, including products marketed as natural, because beneficial organisms may also be affected.

A study of German urban gardens found that non-native ornamentals can supplement floral resources when some native flowers become scarce, without replacing every ecological role of native plants. Read the Oecologia study.

6. Choose plants for Montreal conditions

• Hot, sunny balcony: use generous containers with drainage and monitor soil moisture.
• Sunny flower bed: combine hardy perennials, flowers with different bloom times and organic mulch.
• Partly shaded yard: select plants according to actual hours of sunlight.
• Vegetable garden: diversify crops and use mature compost where needed; browse our vegetable plants.

Our Jean-Talon Market team helps gardeners find plants suited to their space.

7. Start with four simple steps

1. Check sunlight and drainage.
2. Select three to five complementary species, including hardy perennials and locally native plants where possible.
3. Mulch, water according to actual needs and fertilize only when useful.
4. Watch the flowers and pollinators through the season, then refine your planting next year.

Scientific references

1. Gerner & Sargent (2022), Basic and Applied Ecology: plant richness and bees in urban yards.
2. 2022 study, Environmental Entomology: native perennials and pollinators in California.
3. 2024 study, PLOS ONE: effects of cricket frass on green bean growth and production.
4. 2020 study, Oecologia: native and exotic plants in urban gardens.