The image of Sarnia as Chemical Valley could be on its way out; a local gardening guru has a vision to plant thousands of Eastern Redbuds across the city. This tree remains relatively bland most of the year except for a few weeks in spring when its branches burst open with tiny purple-pink buds; they are much more delicate than the pink blossoms of a crab apple tree.

What’s also noteworthy about the massive planting is that the seedlings, grown locally in Sarnia over the last two years, are free to residents in hope they will make a donation to a local charity initiative to plant a million trees in the deforested island nation of Haiti.

For more information on this ambitious project, visit the DeGroot Nurseries.