Bonnie Plants not available in Canada for 2017
 

Looks like Canadian gardeners will not be able to buy Bonnie Seedlings in 2017. See Bonnie Plants email below:

[I][INDENT]Tom Hughes (Bonnie Plants Help Desk)
Mar 14, 12:45 PM CDT
Hello John,

Thank you for your interest in Bonnie Plants.

We are in the process of reviewing potential Canadian distributors for Bonnie Plants. Our goal is to retain a new distributor for 2018. In the meantime, we are working on a possible method that would accommodate future online plant orders for Canadian consumers, until we are set back up again for plant distributions to garden retailers in Canada.

We thank you for your patience,
Thank you,
Tom
Thomas Hughes
Customer Relations
Bonnie Plants
Office (334) 738-0052
Fax (334) 460-9736[/INDENT][/I]

Good. Buy local and without neonic pesticides

KarenO

Yup! I refused to buy ANY perennials last year, and the local guy who grows organically only has veggies and annuals.

I found it sad that the powers that be here were in no hurry to ban neonic pesticides!

Linda

Box store toxic sprayed awfulness. The reason is that health Canada is banning the use of a neonic pesticide harmful in many ways and specifically banned due to harm in aquatic environments. Note the letter doesn't mention why.
Can't imagine why anyone would want them except they are cheap. I suppose the good news is that if they wish to sell their plants in Canada, at least those plants can't be sprayed with the banned pesticides. No matter to me, I won't support them and their blighty tomatoes regardless. Box store plants are generally the source of any late blight outbreaks in northern regions. where the disease doesn't winter it is imported in diseased plants. A huge and destructive outbreak in the US northeast 2009 was traced back to a single strain from Bonnie plants in Alabama. Yet they retain the big box wallmart Home Depot etc monopoly.
KarenO

[QUOTE=KarenO;625380]Good. Buy local and without neonic pesticides

KarenO[/QUOTE]

I could be wrong but the Bonnie Plant seedlings appeared to be locally grown last year in this area.

Neonic pesticides kill bees. I've done a little research on it in the past, and did not like what I read.

Under contract to growers all over I'm sure but using their brand and their methods. They will be back clearly but they will need to make changes to comply with the new pesticide bans if they wish to sell here. Meantime, I hope that local growers will get the business usually undercut by a giant monopoly.
KarenO

[QUOTE=KarenO;625392]Under contract to growers all over I'm sure but using their brand and their methods. They will be back clearly but they will need to make changes to comply with the new pesticide bans if they wish to sell here. Meantime, I hope that local growers will get the business usually undercut by a giant monopoly.
KarenO[/QUOTE]

Looks like Ontario is looking to ban Neonic pesticides...

[url]http://environmentaldefence.ca/2017/01/06/harmful-neonic-pesticide-banned-canada/[/url]

Not just Ontario. And it's about darn time.
KarenO

I've noticed in the last year an increase in bees and butterflies in our city.

I wonder if it's because of the increase in community gardens in the city and the ban of harmful pesticides.

[url]http://hcgn.ca/about-us/[/url]

[QUOTE=EPawlick;625402]I've noticed in the last year an increase in bees and butterflies in our city.

I wonder if it's because of the increase in community gardens in the city and the ban of harmful pesticides.

[url]http://hcgn.ca/about-us/[/url][/QUOTE]

I think it is wonderful that people care and are so much more aware of environmental issues in general. Good for Hamilton and the many other cities and municipalities that are following suit. Its a very good thing and it is because of pressure from the citizens for the local powers that be to use more sustainable and healthy practices. Now the whole country is on board but it started with grassroots groups who lobbied for change. Still lots to do but it is encouraging to see the beginnings of a major shift in thinking I believe. :yes:
k

The distribution model for plants in big box stores is flawed on many levels. The stores consider the plants to be loss leaders, meant only to draw in shoppers who will also buy other items. The plants are sold on consignment, meaning the store has no incentive to keep them alive or healthy. Employees often don't even know to bring them inside on freezing nights. And the idea of any of them being capable of spotting a diseased plant is laughable at best. The mistreatment that the Bonnie plants get while at the store makes any disease problems become much worse.

Bonnie's tomatoes and peppers show up in box stores here in February. Our last frost date is April 29th, but our weather is highly variable. It has been sooo hard to educate people on the proper time to plant anything. When the plants sulk and whither after a week of 33F nights they think they can't grow plants and give up. So frustrating. I have many other issues with the way these plants are grown, but I'll save it.