Native plants are now arriving at select Loblaw garden centres in Ontario and Quebec, with some locations hosting a mural showcasing these plants' importance to wildlife.

TORONTO, May 15, 2024 /CNW/ - Growing native plants is an important way to help provide essential food and habitat for wildlife. But that's not all! Native plants have evolved in step with local conditions, so they're easier to grow and keep healthy as well as being pretty to attract pollinators (and impress your neighbours).

This spring, gardeners who want to give nature a helping hand can source these plants from 133 selected garden centres across Ontario and Quebec, thanks to WWF-Canada's native plant program, generously supported by Loblaw Companies Ltd. (Loblaw).

To highlight the essential role that native plants play in supporting wildlife, a living wall installation featuring real native plants and nature artwork by Toronto muralist Julia Prajza will visit three garden centres in southern Ontario:

• Etobicoke, Ont – Loblaws Humbercrest (3671 Dundas Street West) from May 16-19
• Guelph, Ont. — Zehrs Eramosa (297 Eramosa Rd.) from May 23-26
• Waterloo, Ont – Zehrs Beechwood (450 Erb St. W) from May 30-Jun 2

Gardeners are invited to visit the installation to learn about native plants and how they can grow them, purchase plants and access free native plant resources by signing up for WWF-Canada's re:grow program.

Also, WWF-Canada gardening and conservation experts will be available at selected Loblaw garden centres in Ontario and Quebec to talk to gardeners about the benefits of growing of native plants. Here's where and when you can find them: 

• Toronto: Loblaws Dundas & Bloor, 2280 Dundas St. W., May 25, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Mississauga: Loblaws Glen Erin Drive, 5010 Glen Erin Dr., May 25, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Ottawa: Loblaws Baseline Road, 1980 Baseline Rd., May 25, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Montreal: Provigo Montreal Rachel, 2925 Rachel E., May 25, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Native plants are adapted to local conditions and have deep relationships with other plants and wildlife native to an area. By choosing native plants with a tag featuring the WWF panda logo, people can be assured their plants are: 

• Native to the region.
• Sourced from a local, known original wild population.
• Grown from seeds that have been collected ethically.
• Genetically diverse (not propagated clones).
• Wild-type plants (not cultivars/nativars).
• Grown without neonicotinoids and glyphosate; and other pesticide use is limited.

Essential for healthy landscapes, native plants are the gold standard for attracting pollinators and restoring wildlife habitats. They support a vast diversity of insects, birds, mammals as well as healthy soil ecosystems and clean water. They're also hardy and low maintenance (almost all are perennial), so they're perfect to build all-season, gorgeous gardens that are more resilient to climate change and support wildlife throughout seasons.

Jarmila Becka Lee, Specialist, Community Action, Restoration and Regeneration, WWF-Canada, says:

"Increasingly, people in our communities are looking for ways to help wildlife and connect with nature while enjoying their outdoor spaces. We're happy to help by working with local growers to bring native plants to Loblaw garden centres for the fifth consecutive year. Whether you're planting in a backyard garden or in containers on a balcony, patio or even a rooftop, each of these plants can make a difference for bees, butterflies and other wildlife by adding more valuable habitat to the landscapes where we live."

Alain Brandon, VP, Sustainability, Social Impact & Government Relations, Loblaw Companies Limited, says:

"The Native Plants Program is one way Loblaw is helping to make a positive impact directly in the communities where we operate. When customers choose to incorporate native plants into their yards and gardens, not only are they enhancing the beauty of their communities, but they are also fostering local ecosystems. We're proud to partner with WWF Canada on this important initiative and others like it – because small actions can lead to significant change."

Gardeners invited to join WWF-Canada's re:grow

Everyone in Canada can help restore wildlife habitats by planting native species in their own yards, container gardens and community spaces. By joining WWF-Canada's re:grow — a national how-to site for growing native plants and tracking users' collective impact on biodiversity and climate — gardeners can access expert tips to help them master the skills needed to plant, grow and steward native plant gardens.

Map of where to find native plants at Loblaw garden centres in 2024

List of plant species available in southern Ontario

List of plant species available in eastern Ontario and southern Quebec

WWF-Canada is committed to equitable and effective conservation actions that restore nature, reverse wildlife loss and fight climate change. We draw on scientific analysis and Indigenous guidance to ensure all our efforts connect to a single goal: a future where wildlife, nature and people thrive. For more information visit wwf.ca.

Loblaw is Canada's food and pharmacy leader, and the nation's largest retailer. Loblaw provides Canadians with grocery, pharmacy, health and beauty, apparel, general merchandise, financial services and wireless mobile products and services. With more than 2,400 corporate franchised and Associate-owned locations, Loblaw, its franchisees and Associate-owners employ more than 221,000 full- and part-time employees, making it one of Canada's largest private sector employers.

Loblaw's purpose – Live Life Well®– puts first the needs and well-being of Canadians who make one billion transactions annually in the company's stores. Loblaw is positioned to meet and exceed those needs in many ways: convenient locations; more than 1,050 grocery stores that span the value spectrum from discount to specialty; full-service pharmacies at nearly 1,400 Shoppers Drug Mart® and Pharmaprix® locations and close to 500 Loblaw locations; PC Financial® services; Joe Fresh® fashion and family apparel; and four of Canada's top-consumer brands in Life Brand®, Farmer's MarketTM, no name® and President's Choice®.

SOURCE World Wildlife Fund Canada