September General Meeting: Guest Speaker Claudette Sims, "A Gardening Conundrum: Why are Invasive Plants Sold in Nurseries?"

Invasive plants are considered by many to be a threat to biodiversity, human health, and our economy. And, they threaten native plants, insects, animals, and our forests. So why are they sold in nurseries? Tonight’s speaker says that the Master Gardeners of Ontario receive so many questions on this subject that they decided to investigate. After months of research, Claudette Sims has some surprising answers to share with us. But more importantly, she has suggestions for moving forward.

Claudette Sims joined the Master Gardeners of Ontario in 2004 and served as President for six years. She was a regular panelist and lead on the weekly CBC radio online garden chat for many years and also subbed in for Ed Lawrence on the radio, which she says was a thrilling but scary experience. Claudette is currently Administrator for the very successful Master Gardeners of Ontario Facebook Group which is nearing 58,000 members, featuring a great team of Master Gardeners who provide gardening advice for the public.  Along with Cathy Kavassalis, Claudette is working to further the work of the Canadian Coalition for Invasive Plant Regulation (CCIPR) to stop the sale of high-risk invasive plants that harm biodiversity. Claudette's most recent passion continues to be adding larval host plants for butterflies and specific native plants for specialist bees.  

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Tonight's guest speaker is planning to attend the meeting remotely, via Zoom.  A live video broadcast of her remote participation will be projected onto a large screen in the auditorium.

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Members: Instructions for participation in this virtual and in-person event will be emailed to members twice - once on the Friday prior to the meeting, and again on Monday. Instructions are also available by logging into our site and checking the "members-only" version of this event. 

Visitors: Guests are welcome to participate in this virtual and in-person event at a nominal fee of $5.00. Instructions for participation will be emailed to non-society members who complete the registration process prior to the event start time.

About In-Person Attendance at the McConaghy Centre: 

• Doors to the auditorium open at 7:00 pm 
• The meeting begins promptly at 7:30 pm
• Please bring a mug or cup if you would like hot coffee or tea
• All attendees are encouraged to register online for inclusion in door prize draws
• Masks are not required, but are encouraged