Why home grown plants are best
We are all familiar with the message that we should buy locally produced food. It is fresh, lacks the transportation effects associated with longdistance trucking and a locally grown apple this time of year just tastes better than any of the competitors.
But what about plants? The nursery grown plants made available to us from early spring through late fall can originate from far away places, or they can be grown just down the road. The difference is significant.
Here are our reasons why buying local, Canadian-grown plants makes sense:
1. Winter hardiness. We expect most plants that we grow in our gardens to survive the long, cold Canadian winters. A twometre-tall, Canadian-grown tree that you buy at a garden retailer now was started six to eight years ago from a seed or cutting. It will have endured several Canadian winters before you plant it in your yard. That preconditioning is no guarantee that it will survive in your garden — but it sure helps.
Frequently we are asked: “What is the best cedar for hedging?” And our answer often surprises people. The nursery-grown cedars grown here in Ontario are a much better bet than the eye candy emerald cedars that are sold in black plastic pots and grown across the border in Oregon. They grow fast on the west coast and, here, they die faster. Their roots are too small to push through a hot, dry, Canadian summer and, if they live, they enter the winter hungry and tired.
2. Environmental costs. When you buy a rose bush from California, the monetary cost of transportation is built into the retail price you pay. However, the environmental cost of shipping it over 6,000 kilometres is one that we all pay for in increased carbon emissions. The detrimental effects of burning carbon fuel are well documented by science and now, are undisputed.
3. Jobs at home. The horticulture sector of our economy supports 220,000 Canadian jobs, according to the most recent StatsCan report from 2019. Since the pandemic, we are certain that the number of jobs has increased — as has the farm gate value of Canadiangrown ornamental plants.
According to Victor Santacruz, executive director of the Canadian Nursery Trades Association, the ornamental horticulture generates over $4 billion in employment income and has a $15-billion impact on our economy. This is made up of over $7 billion in sales and approximately $8 billion in value-added impact to the economy.
In our opinion, there has never been a better time to buy Canadian plants.
4. In the GTA, locally grown is truly local. In the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario, there are a wealth of nursery farms and greenhouses that provide a reliable source of plants for our market of more than four million people.
It is easy to take for granted the Niagara region, farm-rich southwest Ontario, and other points east of Toronto where, collectively, more plants are produced than we consume. We think it is important to support and encourage economic development in this sector, not only since it supports jobs, but experience tells us that we are good at it.
5. Community building. Master Gardener groups and horticulture societies, especially lately, have reported stellar success at plant sales that feature all manner of good, green things grown by their members. These groups do a lot of service in their communities, educating and promoting horticulture, and a purchase at their sales is an investment in your local horticulture community.
6. Native biodiversity. A niche breed of nursery growers sell native seed-source perennials, an important point of difference from many commercial growers who produce genetically identical plants from cuttings. Seed-sourced native plants help protect native biodiversity by cultivating local genotypes within a species that are specifically adapted to their locales.
We reflect on the world that little Peter, the baby son of Ben and wife Sam, Peter will inherit. What educational and job opportunities will exist for him in this important horticultural sector of Canada’s economy? And what can we do to sustain and build on a profession and a planet that serves us back?
Supporting local is an easy choice.