Ontario Invasive Plant Council conducts Grow Me Instead campaign
By Adnews Staff
Toronto-based non-profit organization The Ontario Invasive Plant Council has begun an awareness campaign called "Grow Me Instead." The initiative, which is being conducted in association with Toronto and Region Conservation, is intended to curb the spread of invasive plants in the province by encouraging gardeners to make informed choices when purchasing plants from garden centres. The organization has produced a guide that will be distributed through garden centres and online at <http://www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca>. The guide informs readers of the ways in which popular garden plants can spread into nearby natural ares and the problems they can cause. The guide also contains recommendations of non-invasive plants that can be substituted. The current pilot project is running at 10 garden centres in the Greater Toronto Area. Over the next five years, the project will expand to the rest of the province. "We have found that gardeners are very eager to avoid these invasives and to learn what species are good alternatives," said Owen Williams, chair of the council. "Aside from saving them a lot of work trying to control them in their own backyards, it is something that everyone can do to help conserve natural biodiversity."