A public garden in Toronto is hoping to draw a new crowd of green thumbs by ditching the traditional genus and Latin name signs typically found next to shrubs with an interactive smartphone barcode that will instantly provide a rich amount of information on native plants.

Located in the Artscape Wychwood Barns in downtown Toronto, the LEAF Learning Garden which opened on Friday uses Quick Response codes to give tech-savvy gardeners information they need to grow more than 40 different southern Ontario native plants in their own backyards.

QR codes, the ubiquitous pixilated black squares images, are found on posters, emblazoned onto ads and stamped onto business cards.

They're also an educational tool with a "zing," LEAF's volunteer and community engagement manager Amanda Gomm told CTVToronto.ca.

Gomm said the garden will be dotted with QR codes throughout the narrow space, which visitors will be able to scan as they stroll along the plot's meandering path.

Once entered into their smartphones, the code will direct curious gardeners to a website which will provide them with information on growing tips, the plant's history, light conditions and images of the shrubs in full bloom.

"The demonstration garden is an educational and fun space where people can go and learn about native plants and the relationship they have with the local environment," Gomm said.

Gomm, who has been helping to develop the learning garden project over the past three years with a team of 75 volunteers, said she hopes the demonstration space will also make gardening more accessible to even the most novice of gardeners.

"Hopefully (the technology) will bring a new crowd to urban demonstration gardens," she said.

Gomm added that the application of QR codes to gardens is a novel idea in Canada.

"I had thought that there might be other gardens like us. But this is really the first that we've seen in Canada," she said.

The space, which will be divided into three zones -- a shade zone, a partial shade zone and a full sun zone -- will be home to a variety of native plants from eatable greens to threatened species such as the wood poppy.

Gomm said that the 150-by-8-feet garden will also act as a "creative space where people can come and get away from the hectic city."

"There's a meditative log and a sitting area which will also double as a presentation area in the future," she said.

The LEAF Learning Garden is located at 601 Christie St., in the south west end of the park. For more information visit www.yourleaf.org