Play Your Part
Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) is one of BC’s most invasive garden plants. A single flower cluster can produce 40,000 seeds per growing season that spread far and wide and rapidly infest sensitive riparian habitat. When experts began suggesting that butterfly bush was invasive in North America, the nursery industry created sterile cultivars and hybrids that produce very few or no seeds. Unfortunately, even some of these ‘sterile’ cultivars have now been observed to produce abundant seeds.
Although the plants provide a food source (nectar) for adult butterflies they do not provide crucial habitat or food for butterfly larvae and may negatively impact plants required for native butterfly reproduction. It’s not a good choice for gardens or the environment.
Learn morePlantWise is a provincial program that supports the horticulture industry’s transition to become invasive-free
Most exotic plants in BC were intentionally introduced for their attractiveness as garden plants. Unfortunately, some of these far-away species end up becoming invasive due to a lack of predators and pathogens in their new home. Invasive plants spread rapidly and can have severe impacts on our native ecosystems, way of life, and economy.
Many of these invasive plants are still sold and planted today. Check out our Grow Me Instead resource to learn which invasive plants are most problematic in the horticulture industry, and which alternative species you can “grow instead”!
Grow Me Instead
Grow Me Instead is a key component of the PlantWise program, supporting gardeners and industry in reducing the distribution of invasive plants.
Do you manage a garden centre or nursery? We are currently piloting our updated PlantWise Recognized Retailer program! Sign up at www.recognizedretailer.ca to receive free training for your staff, outreach materials for customers, promotion on our social media and website and more!
More ways to be PlantWise!
Take our free PlantWise eLearning course
Check out our YouTube channel and Publications page for even more information on the identification and impacts of invasive plants and what you can do to help stop the spread.
