CAFES is hosting our fourth annual FREE tree give-away on Saturday May 9 2026, with generous funding support from Trees for Life, and in partnership with the Bridlewood, Convent Glen Orleans Wood, and the Mechanicsville Community Associations – just in time for Mother’s Day!
Trees are available NOW for pre-order. You can go online to cafesottawa.ca/mothersday to pick out your desired species in advance, and choose your nearest pick-up location and timeslot on May 9th at the online checkout. The pick-up locations and times are below:
- Ottawa East – Saturday May 9, from 10am-12pm at the Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex, 1490 Youville Drive, Orleans
- Ottawa Centre – Saturday May 9, from 2pm-5pm at Laroche Park, 51 Stonehurst Avenue, Mechanicsville
- Ottawa West – Saturday May 9, from 10am-12pm at the Eva James Memorial Community Centre, 65 Stonehaven Drive, Kanata
We have a big variety of trees to choose from this year:
- Red, Sugar and Silver Maple
- Red and White Pine
- White, Grey and Yellow Birch
- Pin Cherry
- Red Osier Dogwood
- White Spruce
- Hackberry
- Balsam Poplar
- White Cedar
- Chokecherry
- Nannyberry
- Highbush Cranberry
Each tree comes potted in a 2-gallon pot (with the exception of Chokecherry and Hackberry which come in 1 gallon and 3 gallon pots, respectively). Tree planting instructions will be provided and we are happy to chat with you about best planting practices when you pick it up. Please only place an order if you have sufficient space at your home to support the tree’s growth. There is a limit of 1 tree per person to ensure availability.
This initiative strives to increase private land tree planting as a way to improve the City of Ottawa’s overall tree canopy – given that backyard trees account for half of the city’s total canopy cover – which is huge! Planting a tree is also a great activity to do at home on Mother’s Day and an excellent gift option for loved ones. Get yours today, and see you on May 9th!
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