Skip to main content
CWF logo
Sign In
Username

Password
Forgot?
Not a Member?   Register Today
Français
Donate
Shop
Subscribe
  • Donate
    • Ways to Give
    • Single
    • Monthly
    • Shop CWF
    • Adopt-an-animal
    • Fundraise
    • In Tribute
      • In Honour
      • In Memory
    • Gift of Securities
    • Symbolic Gifts
    • Legacy Giving
    • Corporate
      • Major Gifts
      • Sponsorship
  • About Us
    • Why Canada's Wildlife Needs Us
    • Contact Us
    • Supporter Centre
    • FAQs
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Jobs
    • Funding
    • Board Of Directors
    • Foundation
    • Senior Staff
    • Reports
    • Privacy & Policies
      • Accesssibility
      • Policies
  • What We Do
    • What We Do
    • Coasts & Oceans
    • Forests & Fields
    • Lakes & Rivers
    • Endangered Species & Biodiversity
    • Education & Leadership
    • Connecting With Nature
  • Resources
    • Check out our resources
    • DIY
    • Downloads
    • Encyclopedias
    • Events
    • For Educators
    • Games
    • Printed Materials
    • Reports & Papers
  • News & Media
    • Blogs
    • Brand Guidelines & Logos
    • In the News
    • Magazines
    • Newsletters
    • Press Releases
  • Blog
  • Magazine
  • Shop
  • Site Search
  • Sign In
  • Français
  • Donate
  • What We Do
  • Resources
  • News & Media
  • About Us
  • Français
  • Site Search
  • Sign In
  • Français
  • Ways to Give
    • Single
    • Monthly
    • In Honour
    • In Memory
    • Adopt an Animal
    • Shop CWF
    • Symbolic Gifts
    • Fundraising
    • Legacy Giving
    • Gift of Securities
    • Corporate
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Supporter Centre
    • FAQs
    • Corporate Partnerships
    • Jobs
    • Funding
    • Board Of Directors
    • Foundation
    • Senior Staff
    • Reports
      • └ Annual
      • └ Financial
    • Privacy & Policies
      • └ Accesssibility
      • └ Policies
  • What We Do
    • Coasts & Oceans
    • Forests & Fields
    • Lakes & Rivers
    • Endangered Species & Biodiversity
    • Education & Leadership
    • Connecting With Nature


    • Agriculture & Habitat
    • American Eels
    • Aquaculture
    • Backyard Birds
    • Bats
    • Bioblitz
    • Camping and Nature
    • Chinook Salmon
    • Conservation Awards
    • Educator Training
    • Expecting Parents
    • Family Nature Club
    • Fish Passage
    • Freshwater Turtles
    • Gardening For Wildlife
    • Gardening in Schools
    • Monarchs
    • National Wildlife Week
    • Photo Club
    • Pollinators
    • Right Whale
    • River Barriers
    • Rivers to Oceans Week
    • Teens in Nature
    • Wildlife in Winter
    • Young Adults in Nature
  • Resources
    • DIY
    • Downloads
      • └ Booklets & Handouts
      • └ Colouring Pages
      • └ E-cards
      • └ Podcasts
      • └ Reports & Papers
      • └ Wallpapers
      • └ Webinars
    • Events
    • Encyclopedias
      • └ Native Plants
      • └ Invasive Aquatic Species
      • └ Common Animal Fact Sheets
      • └ Common Plant Fact Sheets
    • For Educators
      • └ Curriculum Fit
      • └ Educational Units
      • └ Lesson Plans
      • └ Resource Sheets
    • Games
      • └ Interactive
      • └ Quizzes
      • └ Crafts & Activities
    • Printed Materials
      • └ Calendar
      • └ Magazines
      • └ Manuals
      • └ Posters
  • News & Media
    • Blogs
    • Brand Guidelines & Logos
    • In The News
    • Magazines
    • Newsletters
    • Press Releases
  • Why Support Wildlife
  • |
  • What We Do
  • |
  • Get Involved
Donate
Adopt
Facebook Twitter Wordpress Youtube Instagram Pintrest

A Haven for Wildlife

cwf-fcf.org > English > News & Media > ... > Canadian Wildlife > SO2016
  • Canadian Wildlife
  • WILD magazine

Magazine

September 1, 2016
By Canadian Wildlife Staff

Article image with image of Monarchs on flowers

Marlene and Dennis DuChemin have created a garden that is a treat for the eyes — and a haven for wildlife. Their property, just south of Ontario’s Muskoka region, is lovingly tended by Marlene, who gardens without chemicals, grows native plants and includes the basic elements for wildlife: food, water, shelter and space.

HOW IT BEGAN

When the DuChemins bought their property in 1975, the yard consisted of sand fill, patchy grass and a few trees. But it didn’t take long for Marlene — an amateur artist and floral designer — to start adding to the space. The more trees she and Dennis planted, the more birds they noticed. Marlene took horticultural courses and found that her growing knowledge and increased wildlife sightings fuelled her desire to further develop the garden.

A special feature of the DuChemins’ garden is its myriad winding paths, which pass by flowerbeds filled with perennials, including native species. These, along with many shrubs and trees, provide nectar for insects like bees, butterflies and others that eat unwanted bugs. Later, the blooms turn to seeds or fruit, which feed the birds and mammals.

HELPING HANDS

The DuChemins supplement natural food sources with bird feeders, both the seed and suet kinds. They put orange halves in onion mesh bags for orioles and hang feeders for hummingbirds as a backup to the flowers that they primarily feed on.

The DuChemins also let their home serve as supplemental shelter for some bats, which live behind their window shutters. Knowing that the bats will eat hundreds of mosquitoes and adult ”pest species” makes them a worthy ally. The garden also boasts several water features to support wildlife, ranging from bird baths to a small pond next to the deck.

GARDENING WITH CARE

Marlene employs different methods to keep weeds in check. She uses mulch to prevent them from growing in the first place and casually pulls out the odd one that pops through. Other times, she uses her hoe — and sometimes she just lets them blend in. Marlene plants densely and, in the lawn, overseeds where needed.

The DuChemins also have several composters, which produce material to nourish plants and improve soil structure. Their many rain barrels help conserve water. By not cutting their lawn too short, the grass roots and leaves are able to resist heat and pests — and they never water the lawn.

LESSONS LEARNED

Marlene credits her success to a few key elements. She learned as much as she could about plant material and chose plants according to their height at maturity. She puts plants together with complementary colours and textures, as well as different blooming times, so there is always something showing in the garden. Marlene also employs an age-old method that has been useful for athletes and artists alike — she pictures ways to create her garden projects before physically engaging herself.

Canadian Wildlife: September/October 2016

The September/October issue of Canadian Wildlife magazine is on newsstands now! In this issue you’ll learn why spirit bears need protection now more than ever. You’ll also find out whether urban and rural...

Read More

Gardening Calendar

Consult our year-round gardening calendar—a resource that’s full of advice on planting, pruning, transplanting, and general garden chores and activities to enhance wildlife habitat in your garden.

Read More
arrow

Learn more

Facebook Twitter Wordpress Youtube Instagram Pinterest
CWF

About Us

  • Ways to Give
  • Contact Us
  • Supporter Centre
  • Corporate Sponsorship
  • Careers
  • Funding
  • Board of Directors
  • Foundation
  • Reports
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy & Policies

What We Do

  • Endangered Species & Biodiversity
  • Lakes & Rivers
  • Coasts & Oceans
  • Forests & Fields
  • Education & Leadership
  • Connecting With Nature

Explore

  • Agriculture & Habitat
  • American Eels
  • Aquaculture
  • Bats
  • Below Zero
  • Bioblitz
  • Canadian Conservation Awards
  • Canadian Conservation Corps
  • #DoMoreForWildlife
  • Fish Passage
  • Freshwater Turtles
  • Gardening For Wildlife
  • Great Canadian Campout
  • Monarchs
  • Mother Goose
  • Photo Club
  • Pollinators
  • Reconnecting Canadians
  • Right Whale
  • River Barriers
  • Salmon
  • Rivers to Oceans Week
  • Wild About Birds
  • WILD Education
  • WILD Family Nature Club
  • WILD Outside
  • WILD Spaces

News & Media

  • Blogs
  • Newsletters
  • Press Releases
  • Magazines
  • In the News
  • Branding Guidelines & Logos

Resources

  • DIY
  • Downloads
  • Encyclopedias
  • Events
  • For Educators
  • Games
  • Reports & Papers
  • Manuals

Partner Websites

  • AquaticHabitat.ca
  • BanWithAPlan.org
  • Canadian Marine Animal Response
  • Foundation
  • Hinterland Who's Who
  • iNaturalist.ca
  • Love Your Lake
  • Quest for Canada's Great Whales
Français - Accueil

© 2021 Canadian Wildlife Federation. All Rights Reserved.

Charitable registration # 10686 8755 RR0001