What Should I Plant This Spring in Toronto?
Already thinking about what plants to add to your garden? Don’t worry. I am too! In Toronto, mid-spring is the perfect time to plant hardy vegetables, vibrant flowers, versatile shrubs, and beneficial trees suited to the local climate. That means by mid-May we are free of the risk of frost. Proper planting choices can improve garden health, beauty, and productivity.
Spring is an exciting season for Toronto gardeners, offering fresh opportunities to plant a variety of vegetables, flowers, shrubs, and trees. As a professional landscape designer serving the Toronto community, I've compiled this helpful guide outlining the best plants you can introduce into your garden this spring, ensuring a beautiful, thriving landscape.
Best Vegetables to Plant in Toronto
Toronto’s climate is perfect for growing many delicious vegetables. Early spring planting should include hardy varieties such as kale, spinach, peas, carrots, and radishes. According to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA, 2022), planting these vegetables early ensures abundant, nutrient-rich harvests due to their tolerance of cooler temperatures.
For later in the spring, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and zucchini should be started indoors and transplanted outside after the risk of frost has passed, typically by mid-May in Toronto. These vegetables thrive in Toronto’s warm summer temperatures, providing ample yields throughout the growing season.
Vibrant Spring Flowers for Toronto Gardens
Spring planting in Toronto can bring vibrant colour and beauty to your garden. Popular annual flowers like marigolds, petunias, pansies, and geraniums are excellent choices due to their ease of care and vibrant blooms. Additionally, perennial favorites such as hostas, daylilies, peonies, and black-eyed susans provide year-after-year beauty with minimal maintenance.
The Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA, 2021) notes that planting perennial flowers not only reduces gardening costs but also attracts beneficial pollinators like bees and butterflies, promoting a healthier garden ecosystem.
Versatile Shrubs for Toronto’s Climate
Shrubs can enhance your garden's structure and visual appeal. Popular choices for Toronto include hydrangeas, spirea, lilacs, and viburnums. Hydrangeas are loved for their dramatic blooms that last through summer and into fall, while lilacs and viburnums offer delightful fragrances and vibrant spring flowers.
Landscape Ontario highlights that well-chosen shrubs not only increase curb appeal but can also enhance property value by as much as 10-20% (Landscape Ontario, 2021), making shrubs an essential addition to any Toronto landscape.
Beneficial Trees to Plant in Spring
Planting trees in spring can significantly improve your landscape's health and beauty. Ideal choices for Toronto include red maples, flowering dogwoods, serviceberries, and eastern redbuds. Red maples, popular for their stunning autumn colors, adapt well to various soil conditions common in Toronto gardens.
According to Toronto Parks & Forestry (2022), strategically planted trees can help reduce household energy costs by providing shade in summer and windbreaks in winter, lowering energy use by as much as 30% annually.
Spring flowering trees from left to right: Serviceberry, Redbud, Yellow Bird Magnolia, Dogwood
Herbs for Toronto Gardens
Herbs are versatile, easy-to-grow plants ideal for spring planting in Toronto. Basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and mint are fantastic choices, thriving throughout Toronto’s growing season. Growing herbs at home is both economical and environmentally friendly, offering fresh flavors while minimizing packaging waste.
Fruit Plants Suitable for Toronto
Spring is an excellent time to plant fruit-bearing plants in Toronto. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and even small fruit trees like apples, cherries, and pears are well-suited to Toronto’s climate. According to OMAFRA (2022), homegrown fruits offer nutritional and economic benefits, significantly reducing household grocery expenses.
TOP, from left to right: Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries. BOTTOM. from left to right: Cherry, Pear, Apple.
Why Choose Stephanie LeBlanc & Master in the Field LANDSCAPE DESIGN?
With professional expertise in Toronto gardening, my tailored advice combines practicality, sustainability, and local experience. My Metropolitan University Landscape Design certification, CLD certification candidacy and Landscape Ontario membership ensure the highest gardening standards tailored to Toronto’s climate and conditions.
Ready to transform your garden this spring? Contact Master in the Field today for personalized gardening advice and landscape design services! Or visit my Inspiration Page for more landscaping ideas perfect for your Toronto landscaping projects.
