Loblaw garden centres are opening across Ontario. Here's how to be sure you're buying native plants
With Victoria Day weekend fast approaching, seasonal garden centres across Ontario are ramping up operations in anticipation of a new growing season.
The traditional frost season is coming to an end. It's a good time to think about adding annuals, perennials, bulbs or other transplants to your garden.
World Wildlife Fund Canada's (WWF-Canada)
native plant program
and the Loblaw Companies are teaming up to make native plants more accessible for Ontario gardeners.
Native plants help Canadian wildlife and can help to create a beautiful, low-maintenance garden, WWF-Canada notes.
Native plants have evolved alongside local conditions, so they're easier to grow and keep healthy. These colourful plants will impress your neighbours and they also attract pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Loblaw Companies have
142 select garden centres
across Ontario and Quebec that are partnering with WWF-Canada's native plant program. Customers can choose native plants by watching for a tag featuring the WWF panda logo.
Plants featuring the WWF tag share the following traits:
Native plants are considered the gold standard for attracting pollinators and restoring wildlife habitats, whether grown in a garden or in pots on a patio or balcony, WWF-Canada notes.
Native plants support a wide range of insects, birds and mammals. They also help to create healthy soil ecosystems and clean water. Native plants are hardy and low maintenance. Native perennials are also resilient to climate change and support wildlife.
WWF-Canada spokesperson Kate Landry said growing native plants is a win-win.
'They add beauty to our outdoor spaces just like other plants, but native plants are also important for local wildlife like hummingbirds, butterflies and bumble bees, providing the food and shelter that they need,' Landry stated in a news release.
'These plants are sourced from local growers, so this program also supports Canadian businesses. We're proud to work on this initiative with Loblaw for the sixth consecutive year to achieve these benefits for wildlife and for people in our communities.'
Gardeners can join WWF-Canada's
re:grow initiative
by following an online step-by-step guide. By growing native plants, you can create, restore and steward habitat for wildlife and help to remove carbon from the atmosphere.
The national
how-to website
offers tips for growing native plants. It also tracks users' collective impact on biodiversity and climate. Along with expert tips, gardeners can also earn a chance to win prizes.
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