Pollinators Are Important to Our World. Without Them, We No Longer Have Food.

Pollinators Are Important to Our World. Without Them, We No Longer Have Food.

We are keenly sensitive to the global concern for pollinators and the need to protect them and provide environments where they can thrive. We have been in contact with the EPA on the topic of colony collapse disorder since 2015 and have helped the industry change the way it thinks about growing residential plants. In 2016, we launched Nature’s Nutrients, flowering plants grown without the use of neonicotinoids that attract pollinators and provide foraging opportunities.

That same year, we set a goal to have live goods that are neonicotinoid-free by 2019. Our local growers have risen to the challenge, and we are now approximately 98% neonicotinoid-free across our supply chain. Although the science is still unclear around neonicotinoid exposure from residential plants to the honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder, we continue the pursuit of this goal. The challenge to achieve 100% has been in nuances like pest infestation and citrus regulations.

Certain states’ regulations in trees and shrubs treatment may prevent the complete elimination of this pesticide. We continue our quest of 100% elimination of neonicotinoids in all other outdoor flowering color plants like perennials, annuals, tropicals, florals, etc. We will continue to label the shrinking group (less than 2%) of plants that were exposed to neonicotinoids. Congratulations to our live goods merchants and growers for their success in facilitating this change.