A new website helps you grow an eco-friendly garden, regardless of your gardening skill or space constraints.Grow Green, created in partnership between Metro Vancouver and UBC Botanical Garden, provides a step-by-step guide for starting and maintaining beautiful and sustainable gardens, specifically designed for the climate and ecology of this region.“All private urban green spaces, no matter how small, can provide ecological benefits by supporting biodiversity and helping pollinators,” said Derek Corrigan, Chair of Metro Vancouver’s Climate Action Committee. “Grow Green eliminates the guesswork from gardening and allows anyone to strengthen the green infrastructure network of Metro Vancouver.” Simply enter basic information about your space, and Grow Green provides customizable template designs suited for balconies, patios, yards or lawns. The website accounts for native and non-invasive plant species, pollinators and soil moisture conditions. Its plant database, developed in collaboration with the UBC Botanical Garden, contains only regionally-appropriate and locally-available plants. “In addition to improving urban ecosystems, gardens also promote personal wellbeing,” said Douglas Justice, Associate Director of UBC Botanical Garden. “There’s a growing body of evidence showing that green spaces within the urban environment help reduce stress, relieve psychological fatigue and sharpen mental focus.” Grow Green also supports several Metro Vancouver sustainability goals by providing information on water conservation, rainwater absorption, wildlife habitats, invasive species, soil health, and composting. “We’re pleased to collaborate with UBC to make it easy for people to grow gardens that conserve water, increase biodiversity within urban areas and promote the use of compost to build healthy soils,” added Director Corrigan. Grow Green is the first and only gardening guide created specifically for this region, and is funded through Metro Vancouver’s Sustainability Innovation Fund. GrowGreenGuide.ca works on all desktop and mobile devices.