How to change the world, one plant at a time
By Renee Sandelowsky and Helen Varekamp
Renee Sandelowsky and Helen Varekamp are Bayfield residents and local volunteers. They are writing a monthly series of articles about the benefits of planting native species of plants and removing invasive species.
It’s a new year and lots of people are thinking about how to make the most of it. What are the priorities for the new year? What do we want to accomplish?
Like many of you, we are concerned by global conflict and climate change and often feel helpless. What can ordinary people do?
We discovered that it’s possible to make a big difference on a small scale in our own yards by getting involved with native plant gardening. We can garden in our own time and in our own way, and that feels good … and we don’t have to be skilled gardeners or have a big yard to do it.
Once we started learning about native plants, we also learned about invasive plants and the harm they do. We realized that, like us, many others don’t know much about invasive plants either. We grew up in a time when Ivy, Periwinkle, Lily-of-the-Valley, and Pachysandra were the ‘go-to’ plants for filling the empty spaces in our gardens.
Over time, we have come to learn how dangerous these invasive species of plants can be. We see that behaviours are beginning to change. Instead of thinking about our gardens only as something pretty to look at, why not also value them as habitat and food supply for the living creatures with whom we share the planet?
Our gardens can be both aesthetically pleasing and functional if we try to eliminate invasive species and plant more native plants.
By removing invasive plants and planting native species of plants instead, we are protecting biodiversity (the total variety of all life in nature). That’s important. Without all the different types of organisms on our planet, we wouldn’t have the air we breathe or the food we eat. Pollinators are responsible for one third of the world’s crop production. A single teaspoon of rich garden soil can hold up to one billion bacteria, several metres of fungal filaments, several thousand protozoa, and scores of nematodes.
Oceans are teaming with fish that provide us with protein. Trees, bushes and grasslands slow down water flow and decrease the risk for flooding. The list goes on and on.
Remember, even if you don’t have more than a small balcony, you can still plant a couple of native plants in a pot and watch the bees come.
Get your neighbours on board and your balconies will be buzzing with birds and bees.
If you are looking for something you, as an individual, can do to make the world a better place, why not plant some gorgeous native plants or trees? Enjoy watching the birds, insects and wildlife in their natural habitat.
Have a happy and healthy new year!
– Renee Sandelowsky and Helen Varekamp are volunteers with the Canadian Coalition for Invasive Plant Regulation.