list of regulated weeds<\/a> in January.<\/p>\nRemoving it from the provincial list, however, doesn’t change how damaging the plant can be, said Megan Evans, the executive director of the Alberta Invasive Species Council.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“It doesn’t change the biology of the plant or the aggressive way that it spreads or the impacts that it can have on ecosystems, gardens and natural areas,” Evans told CBC Radio’s Calgary Eyeopener on Thursday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The City of Calgary uses the provincial list to regulate which weeds are acceptable and which ones must be removed.\u00a0Previously, the city’s Community Standards Bylaw required residents to remove creeping bellflower from their properties or face a fine.<\/p>\n
A ‘successful spreader’<\/p>\n
Creeping bellflower is a particularly challenging invasive species, Evans said, because of its deep underground root system and ability to spread aggressively.<\/p>\n
Digging out the roots is the best way to prevent the weed from spreading, but this requires time and energy, Evans said, as there are often root fragments and tubers buried deep in the soil that can sprout new plants.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“It’s been a very successful spreader,” she said.<\/p>\n
Creeping bellflower is a perennial native to Europe and western Asia.<\/p>\n
LISTEN | Creeping bellflower no longer a prohibited weed:<\/p>\n
Calgary Eyeopener6:16Alberta is waving the white flag on an infamous purple-flowered weed<\/p>\n
Albertans are no longer required to keep Creeping Bellflower under control, as it was removed from the list of prohibited noxious weeds back in January. As they start to pop-up in yards and gardens, hear why enforced removal is no longer on the province’s radar.<\/p>\n
Evans said it was brought to North America with the intention of planting it in gardens.<\/p>\n
“It’s a beautiful flower. It’s really easy to grow, and so many years ago it was brought and spread through the horticultural trade,” she said.<\/p>\n
The province listed creeping bellflower as a prohibited weed in 2010 under the Weed Control Act, which states that “prohibited noxious weeds must be destroyed and noxious weeds must be controlled.”<\/p>\n
In a statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation said the weed was removed from the list earlier this year because “regulation has not proven effective in urban settings,” though it remains under control in rural settings.<\/p>\n
“Although no longer provincially regulated, Creeping Bellflower is still considered an invasive species. Municipalities may continue to manage it through local bylaws, and residents are encouraged to consult their municipality for guidance. Albertans are also advised to remove the weed by digging out as much of the root system as possible,” press secretary Callum Reid said.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778795067_300_default.jpg\")
Megan Evans with the Alberta Invasive Species Council says one way Albertans can unknowingly spread creeping bellflower is by planting generic packets of wildflower seeds. (Daniella Ponticelli\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Evans said there are few ways to limit the weed’s proliferation in urban areas, which means the focus should be on preventing its spread to new areas rather than total eradication.<\/p>\n
Evans also advised Albertans to be aware of ways they may unknowingly be helping the plant spread.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said creeping bellflower seeds are often included in generic wildflower seed packets that don’t have to specify which plants are included. Instead, she advised buying wildflower seeds from verified native plant suppliers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 3 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":669782,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,295,66],"class_list":["post-669781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=669781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/669782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=669781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=669781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=669781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Text](\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/a\/assets\/texttospeech.svg\")
<\/p>\n