Services
Planting that lives through August
Beds, lawns and trees chosen for the yard, the soil and summers like 2025. And a tree check before we quote, because two of the three towns we work in require a permit to remove a private tree 15 cm or more across.
Summer 2025 was the test. Toronto had six heat waves, 14 days above 32 C and half the normal rain or less from 1 June into August. Thirsty planting struggled that summer, and we replaced more of it than we liked. Since then every plan we draw leans on native and drought-tolerant plants, deep beds of triple mix, mulch over every bed, and a watering plan written for the first season. A garden should need you a lot in year one and much less after that.
Trees come first in the scope. In Mississauga, Private Tree Protection By-law 0021-2022 requires a permit to injure or remove any private tree 15 cm or more in diameter, so the bylaw covers digging near a tree as well as cutting it down. In Oakville, By-law 2017-38 requires a permit and an on-site assessment before removing a tree 15 cm or larger at chest height, and since March 2024 cedar no longer counts as a replacement tree. Milton has no private tree permit for an individual lot and recommends a certified arborist before any removal. We check every tree near the work and tell you before the quote, not after.
Sod goes on prepared soil, not on builder fill, and is rolled the same day. Watering rules differ by town. Peel Region runs a voluntary smart-watering campaign in Mississauga and Brampton. Halton Region uses odd and even calendar days by house number in Oakville and Milton, and new sod may be watered until it is established. We write the watering plan to whichever applies.
How the job goes.
The tree walk
We measure every tree near the work, check it against the bylaw for your town and tell you whether a permit is needed.
The plan
A planting plan that says what goes where and why: sun, shade, soil and how much water each bed will want.
Permits and locates
Any tree permit applied for with you, and the Ontario Dig Authority locate requested before we dig a bed.
Soil
Old turf and weeds stripped, beds dug and filled with triple mix, grade checked so beds do not hold water against the house.
Planting and sod
Trees, shrubs and perennials planted and mulched, sod laid on prepared soil and rolled the same day.
Watering plan
A one-page plan for the first season, written to Peel or Halton rules, and a one-time plant replacement if anything fails in year one.
What is included
- A tree check against your town's bylaw
- Bed preparation with triple mix and mulch
- Native and drought-tolerant planting plans
- Sod on prepared soil, rolled the same day
- Replacement trees where a permit requires them
- One-time plant replacement in year one, 30 days on sod
What it costs
Published GTA cost guides from 2025 and 2026 put installed sod at $1.70 to $3.50 per sq ft, triple mix at $40 to $50 per cubic metre for the material alone, and planting beds at $300 to $4,000 or more per project. In Mississauga, a tree permit is $399.77 including HST plus $139.72 for each additional healthy tree, with no fee for dead or dying trees, and one native replacement tree is required for every 15 cm removed, backed by a deposit refunded after a healthy year. What moves the number: the size of the plants at planting, how much bad soil comes out, access for the soil delivery, and any tree permit or replacement trees.
Straight answers
Do I need a permit to take out a tree?
In Mississauga, for any private tree 15 cm or more in diameter, unless it is dead or dying, in which case there is no fee. In Oakville, for any tree 15 cm or larger at chest height, after an on-site assessment; check the fee with the Town. In Milton, not for an individual lot, but the Town recommends a certified arborist first. In Brampton, for a tree 30 cm or more at 1.37 m if it stands more than 2 m from an occupied building.
Can I water new sod during restrictions?
In Oakville and Milton, Halton's rules allow new sod to be watered until it is established. In Mississauga, Peel's campaign is voluntary, so there is no odd and even rule to follow. Either way, we give you a watering plan for the first weeks.
What is drought-tolerant planting?
Plants that root deep and need little water once established, many of them native to Ontario, planted in deep soil and mulched. It is not gravel and cactus. It is a garden that does not die in a summer like 2025.
What if a plant dies?
We replace it once, within the first year. Sod is covered for 30 days, because after that it depends on watering we cannot control.
Send us the yard
Call or write with the street and what you want fixed. We will come and measure, check the grade and the trees, and tell you what the base will take before we talk about stone.
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