Miniature Gardening Crosses Borders
~ Stardate: May 4th, 2011. Holy cow.
I used to enjoy a predominately US customer base while going through my growing pains as a start-up business. Every so often I would dial into my Google stats to see where the visitors to my website are coming from, and I would see the States plus a couple of other countries like Vietnam and England.
Well, I had 1,378 cities from 68 countries visiting my website last month…
Yikes-o-rama!
Updated to 2019: Please call ahead to these garden centers to see if they carry the right plants for gardening in miniature. See this blog about what KIND of plants to ask for, click here.
So, in an effort to spread the love of miniature gardening, (because that appears to be vocation these days) and with some help, I was able to find a list of Canadian nurseries and garden centers that have specifically ordered the very same miniature and dwarf conifers that I recommend using in the miniature garden with success.
Here are some thoughts to consider before you go on your search:
~> Call ahead of your making a long trek to make sure there are some in stock.
~> Because of the custom/border thing, these nurseries will probably place a one big spring order for spring that they can sell throughout season. Which means that they will not reorder until next spring. So shop early!
,~> Note that the different types of conifers like different conditions. “Right plant in the right place” and no, there is no compromising, tricking or fooling Mother Nature. Any plant that is not in the right spot will lose its defenses against pest and diseases and will die a slow death. This means outdoor plants should be outdoors, shade plants should be planted in the shade and sun plants in the sun, etc.
One of the secrets behind a successful miniature garden is using the right kind of plants. Miniature and dwarf conifers hit the mark because they really do look like miniature versions of the full-size trees and shrubs that we see in our landscape. Cypress, pines, spruces, hemlocks and junipers are all familiar to us but the miniature and dwarf forms are not as well known – yet!
If anyone outside North America has any information on where to get miniature plants please help us spread the love. We are looking for connections in England, Ireland, France, Netherlands, Holland, Australia and Mexico specifically.
New Trees Are Always In Stock: We just received some new miniature and dwarf trees and shrubs again last week. Find most of them up in the store here.
**THIS BLOG WAS WRITTEN IN APRIL OF 2011. THE INFO HERE MAY BE OUTDATED. CALL OR GOOGLE THE STORE FIRST.**
**Here at Two Green Thumbs Miniature Garden Center, w ship all year long from Seattle, Washington.
See what plants are up in the store today.
Check back often, our inventory is always changing!**
Here are the Canadian nurseries that carry the miniature and dwarf conifers for miniature gardening:
British Columbia
Triple Tree Nurseryland, Maple Ridge – https://www.tripletreenurseryland.com/
Minters Gardens, Chilliwack – https://www.mintergardens.com/
Dinter Nursery, Duncan/Victoria/Van. Island – https://www.dinternursery.ca/
Georama, Nelson – https://georama.blogware.com/blog/AboutUs/LocationandHoursofOperation
Art Knapp Plantland, Vancouver/Port Coquitlam – https://www.artknapps.ca/
Nico`s Nurseryland, Salmon Arm – https://www.freewebs.com/nicosnurseryland/
Sunnyside Nurseryland, Delta – https://www.gardeninglife.ca/listing/sunnyside-nurseries/
Maple Leaf Nurseryland, N. Vancouver – https://www.mapleleafgardencentre.ca/
Alberta
Golden Acres, Calgary – https://www.goldenacre.ca/
Ellerslie Gift and Garden, Edmonton – https://ellersliegift.com/plants/orchids/
Eagle Lake, Strathmore – https://www.eaglelakenurseries.com/
Millcreek, Edmonton – https://www.millcreeknursery.ca/
Parkland Nursery, Red Deer – https://www.parklandgarden.ca/
Greengate Garden Centre, Calgary – https://www.greengate.ca/
Salisbury Greenhouse, Sherwood Park – https://www.salisburygreenhouse.com/
Green Haven Garden Centre, Lethbridge – https://www.gardens.com/go/view/4147/*
Greenland Garden Centre, Sherwood Park – https://www.greenlandgarden.com/
Manitoba
Shelmerdine Garden Centre, Winnipeg – https://www.shelmerdine.com/
St Marys Nursery & Garden Centre, Winnipeg – ww.stmarysnurseryandgardencentre.ca/
Ontario
Woodhill Garden Centre, Thornhill (Hi Mom! ;o) – https://woodhillgarden.com/default.aspx
Canadale Nurseries, Ltd, St. Thomas – https://www.canadale.com/
Rideau Woodland Ramble Garden Centre, Merrickville – https://www.rideauwoodlandramble.com/
Whistling Garden Ltd., Wilsonville – Whistling Garden Ltd., Wilsonville
Summerhill Nursery, Toronto – https://summerhillnursery.ca/
Quebec
Pepiniere Villeneuve, L’Assomption – https://www.gardens.com/go/view/4603/*
*Directory listing only, not a website. Unfortunately the supply stops at Quebec and there are not any nurseries in eastern Canada that order from my grower.
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Want to dig even deeper into this wonderful hobby? Check this out.
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And this is why I love you so. I knew they’d get more popular above the border eventually…! Thank you SO MUCH for this list.
Aw, shucks, Lis! It’s the least I could do for my fellow Canadians! ;o)
Hi Janit – I see my buddy, Rob, helped you out with some garden centers to find some of our favorite miniature conifers! Keep up the good work – we’ll change the world, one conifer lover at a time. :^)
Ed
Hi Ed! Yes, Rob was more than helpful! He really made a bunch of people squeal with joy – I’ve got the emails to prove it! Lol!!! I look forward to the day when we can meet. I do want to come down to the nursery to visit again – it just lovely down there and I would love to show my fellow miniature gardeners our “Mothership!” ;o)
Do you have any tips for getting rid of flies from gardens? We get these small flies in our yard from time to time. They are currently in part of our miniature garden. They are really small flies. Like fruit flies.
Thank you! We don’t really want to use pesticides if possible because sometimes the plants don’t like it
Thanks again!!
Andrea
Hi Andrea,
Those little annoying flies may mean that there is too much moisture somewhere and something is rotting in or around your miniature garden. Take a look around to see if you can find any stagnant water – in your accessories, houses or perhaps there are small pools of water on top of the soil hidden somewhere. Churn up all the soil with a fork or small garden fork – like you would hoe your life-sized garden bed to get it ready for planting – this will get some air into the soil and also let it dry out a bit. Back off on the watering and wait until the soil is wrung-sponge damp before watering again. (A general rule, I’m not sure what plants you have.)
You didn’t mention if your MG was in a pot and I’m assuming you’ve had the MG planted for at least a few months – if it is in a pot, there should be drainage material in the soil like vermiculite or perlite. You can add some to the top layer if you want but, ideally, the whole garden should be repotted with the amended soil for the best success. If it’s in ground, there should be plenty of organic matter in the soil to help with the aeration and same solution if it’s not: unplant, amend soil, replant. Either way and as a quick fix, poke a stick around the base of plants to help the air to get down to the roots.
Also, clean up any debris in your garden so the bugs have no where to hide. Get rid of any dead leaves and dying branches too – this will help get some air to the plants too. I’m with you – I don’t turn to chemicals and I don’t really feel that there is any need to.
Let me know if this helps, Andrea and thank you for your great question! YFMG – Janit