Landscape

Landscape programs at Peterborough Green-Up help City and County residents build a healthy environment by providing a wide range of programs and services about natural gardening and ecological land use.

Ecology Park
Green Garden Services
Our Urban Forest

Ecology Park

Peterborough’s Ecology Park is a unique place for people of all ages to discover a lasting friendship with the natural world. It is a centre for researching new ways of caring for the places where we live, work, and play, based on restoring balance and long-term health. Visit the Ecology Park website to learn more and to see the park's online catalogue.

The Ecology Park is Green-Up’s centre for landscape and outdoor education. On 5 acres of scenic city parkland, the Ecology Park is a showcase of ideas for ecological land use.

DISPLAYS
Stroll through the display gardens, which include a butterfly garden, a xeriscape, organic food and herb gardens, wildlife gardens and a children’s garden. A compost education centre illustrates the simple steps in producing perfect “black gold.” Visit the plant nursery, which produces a large variety of native and non-native plants. Explore the nature trails and naturalization projects, which include woodland plantings, a tallgrass prairie, and shoreline rehabilitation.

GARDEN MARKET
Throughout the growing season, the Ecology Park’s Garden Market is open three afternoons a week. At these times, you can purchase a wide range of gardening supplies including compost, mulches, plants, natural fertilizers, composters, and seasonal produce such as cut flowers and organic vegetables. Visit ecologypark.greenup.on.ca for complete information.

Market Hours: Sunday 1 to 4 pm, Tuesday 1 to 5 pm, Thursday 1 to 5 and 6 to 8 pm

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS
The Ecology Park provides a perfect backdrop for extensive children’s education programs. Each spring and fall, thousands of school children visit to learn about water quality, habitats, composting, plants, energy conservation and other curriculum-related topics. During the summer months, our “Earth Adventures” program provides afternoons of creative discovery and magical experiences for children aged 5-10 years.

SPECIAL EVENTS
Each year, the Ecology Park hosts a variety of workshops about land stewardship, natural pest control, garden crafts, native plants and other topics of local interest. Check our annual listings for upcoming workshops, Family Nights, Plant Sales, and other special events.

VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers play an important role at the Ecology Park. Each Wednesday, local volunteers work with park staff on a range of projects such as plant propagation, shoreline rehabilitation, seed collection and site management. Getting involved is a great way to learn!

WHERE IS IT?
Peterborough’s Ecology Park is the east end of Peterborough, Ontario, off Ashburnham Drive. It is just south of the Liftlocks, beside Peterborough Utilities (1867 Ashburnham Drive). On the Trans-Canada Trail, the Ecology Park is easy to access on foot, by bicycle, by car or by City Transit (Route #11 - Ashburnham).

Green Garden Services

In addition to Ecology Park programs, Green-Up offers personalized garden services to help your yard and garden thrive. For a small fee, a trained garden advisor will visit your garden (in Peterborough City or County) for a one hour consultation to provide advice and resources. If a complete garden make-over is what you wish, a garden design service is also available.

During the growing season, Green-Up offers a Garden Hotline. Call 745-3238 (ext. 210) with your gardening questions and our garden experts will call you with the most up-to-date information available.

For more details about these and other Green Garden Services, download our brochure (pdf). We also offer Landscape Factsheets on a wide range of gardening topics.

Our Urban Forest

The Urban Forest program is working in partnership with the City of Peterborough to:
• Promote the benefits of trees in the city,
• Update urban forestry policies and by-laws, and
• Restore the emphasis of the ecological values of trees in urban areas through a pilot neighbourhood forest inventory.