It may not rank as high on the scandal meter as some of the items we’ve been hearing about on the nightly news, but the deep dark secret of the green industry is that it hasn’t been all that “green.” The plants we buy come in pots and flats made of plastic, and until recently most of them were not recyclable. By now, thousands, maybe even millions, have been tossed and sent to landfills. Fifty years hence, they’ll still be sitting there. For more on this issue see Beth Botts’ article in the March/April Chicagoland Gardening.

Then a few years ago Sid’s Greenhouse in Palos Hills pioneered an event in which all and sundry were invited to bring in their clean plastic pots and flats, which Sid’s then hauled away for recycling. Three cheers for Sid’s. Boerner Botanical Garden in Milwaukee has started a similar program. More cheers.

And now, an exciting new development. I recently received a box of test plants, courtesy of the Ball Horticultural company in West Chicago, and the plants were growing in biodegradable SoilWrap® pots made from Mirel® a 100% renewable resource. Just stick the pots in the soil, cover with soil and let them decompose. The pots arrived in yellow trays made of PLA, a bio-plastic that comes from renewable cornstarch. The pots and trays are being tested in the Minnesota market this year.

—Carolyn Ulrich