The Grow Green team (a collaboration between Metro Vancouver and UBC Botanical Garden) would like to let you know about some fresh new content that is headed your way in 2018 and tell you what we have been up to in 2017.
Fresh Content!
We are thrilled to announce the addition of our new ’Green Thumb News’ section on Grow Green!
In this section, we will provide practical, simple advice from the experts on the most popular and contemporary gardening topics. Look out for our first article coming soon, which will provide you with timely advice on what to do (or not to do!) with your garden during the fall season. Starting in early 2018 you will see regular articles to help you with next season’s gardening adventure, such as tackling garden pests without nasty chemicals, and making your garden a pollinator paradise.
Want to know when new articles are posted? Join our mailing list to receive article notifications and other Grow Green updates. We promise to send you only the important stuff!
Our Story
What is Grow Green?
Have you always wanted to start a garden, but felt completely overwhelmed with options and not sure where to start? Are you an experienced green thumb looking for new ideas or ways to grow while make a positive impact on your local environment?
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced gardener, Grow Green is an excellent resource to help you with whatever your gardening adventure may be. This web-based tool not only helps you decide what non-invasive plants would grow best in the unique growing conditions of your garden space, but it also provides a variety of garden designs to help you plant a stunning garden. The best part? You can take a quick quiz that will highlight the plants and designs that best suit your growing conditions, space constraints, and garden preferences!
Grow Green in 2017
Grow Green launched in 2016 and has since helped thousands of people to create beautiful, sustainable gardens and lawns – in fact, between April and August of 2017, over 7,000 people visited Grow Green for gardening inspiration! Of the visitors coming to our site, the majority (75%) are new visitors which tells us that word is spreading and more and more people are coming to look at sustainable lawn and garden designs. A big thank to you to our Grow Green supporters who helped spread the word this past season, with over 500 of you sharing links to Grow Green via your Facebook and Twitter accounts!
Plants and Designs for Every Garden
A year after we launched Grow Green, we looked at user feedback and assessed how people have been engaging with the website. Based on this information, we developed a variety of fresh content covering topics like small space gardening, growing food, and supporting pollinators and native plants. With your help and feedback, we now have 110 garden and container plans, 6 lawn alternatives and a searchable database of over 350 plants!
Grow Green in the Region
In 2017, UBC Botanical Garden launched the Grow Green demonstration garden where they have brought to life 5 of the most popular garden designs. Come visit UBC Botanical Garden to explore the Grow Green Garden through a self-guided walk, or guided tour!
The Grow Green team has also been actively promoting the Grow Green guide at a variety of events across the region. Did you see us?
- Growing Green in Metro Vancouver (March 4, 2017) – a forum aimed at professionals from industry, government, and academia to discuss hot topics in sustainable horticulture
- City of Vancouver Tree Sale (September 17, 2017)
- PNE Ag in the City (September 2017) – talked about eco-friendly gardening and gave away our infamous seed paper (paper that you can plant to grow wildflowers!)
