It's that time of the year again – Bay of Plenty Regional Council is offering free native plants in exchange for weeds from your garden.

BOPRC biosecurity officer Shane Hona says staff will be at the Rotary Market at Kuirau Park on Saturday to spark interest about weeds found in Rotorua, and provide advice on how to identify and control them.

'If you're in the garden doing some spring cleaning and find any weed species that you haven't noticed before, bring in a sample to our stall and we will help to identify them.

"Some invasive weed species can damage natural areas and completely smother native species, so it's important we get the message out to locals."

Shane says he has noticed an increased number of families dropping in to the stall over the past couple of years.

'It is a great way for tamariki to get their hands dirty by helping to clear weeds from the garden and learn about the importance of planting natives instead.”

A range of native plants will be available at the Weed Swap stall, including grasses, flaxes and shrubs. Regional Council staff will be at the Kuirau Park market from 8am-1pm on Saturday November 4, or until all the native plants have been swapped.

To make the weeds easier to dispose of, they should be contained in disposable bags.