Welcome to our website - a wonderful place to discover information on gardening in British Columbia, as well as a source of seasonal tips to make your gardening experience easier and more rewarding. At this time of year, the pace of activity in the garden has slowed, but our West Coast climate still allows us to venture outdoors many times a month to enjoy the quiet beauty of a late fall garden or tend to a few last minute tasks to put your garden to bed for the winter. You’ll find many tips on our website or in our garden centres for winter protection of plants as well as everything you’ll need to do the job. Our seven neighbourhood garden centres in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island are within easy reach, in person, by telephone, or through the internet twelve months of the year!
November gardens - The days are cooler and shorter, but there is still time to create some colour in the garden – today and next spring. Our garden centres offer an excellent selection of spring-flowering bulbs and there is plenty of time to plant. We can offer suggested combinations of bulbs that will provide a beautiful and fragrant show of blossoms from February until late April – it’s easy. For colour now and throughout winter, we have winter-blooming pansies, many shrubs with bright stems, winter berries and blossoms, and perennials with colourful leaves.
If you have any questions about plant care or health during winter, we’d be pleased to answer them with information and tips based on our years of experience in our own gardens.
Indoor gardens - It’s hard to believe but poinsettias are available now. We know from experience there are many gardeners who love the change in season and the availability of poinsettias, “Christmas” cactus, and other Holiday Season flowers. Orchids love the cooler days with less sunlight and will bloom for extended periods of time at this time of year. All of these flowering plants are readily available and make a perfect gift to give when you are heading out for dinner or visiting a friend!
Here come the Holidays - All of our garden centres have taken on the look of Holiday decorating centres. We have a new selection of “everlasting” Christmas trees for those who live in apartments and condominiums or who prefer the ease of a tree that comes in a box. To decorate the trees, we have tree trims in a wide range of themes incorporating many traditional or fashionable colours as well as themes featuring natural and ”woodsy” looks to dazzling and gleaming ornaments.
Later in the month, our complete selection of fresh cut boughs and branches arrive, so you can create your own festive planters, garland, or wreaths. This has become a popular and inexpensive method to brighten up an entryway to welcome visitors to your home during the Holiday Season. Attend one of our free demonstrations or sign up for a clinic to learn how easy it can be!
At the end of the month, our traditional display of fresh-cut and living Christmas trees will arrive. For many families, it has become a Christmas tradition to get together and visit one of our stores to look over our wide selection of species and sizes of trees and pick the one that is just right for their home. If you have never done this, we invite you and your family to join us for this wonderful shopping experience.