CHEX TV Airdate: August 8th, 2014 Click link to watch this episode. We have a variety of trellises available at The Avant-Garden Shop. ?Besides being beautiful, these are Canadian made and add interest and provoke conversation in your garden. I brought?a few trellises to a local garden centre and picked out a few plants that would work well with them! When buying a trellis, you want to make sure they are large enough (plants seem to grow bigger than we expect!) and also durable. ?Often times we set up a trellis and find out a year later that it’s rusted, falling apart…and now covered with a plant that is dragging it down to the ground. ?How do you untangle that mess?! In this episode, I’ll give you a few ideas on what to look for in a quality trellis and different ways to display them in your garden. ?
Month: July 2014
Garden Gate: Episode 42 – Plants for birds
CHEX TV airdate: July 25th, 2014 Click here to watch this episode. Birds love seed that you put out in your bird feeders, but in the summer they go crazy for natural berries and seeds that they find in your garden. On this episode I’ll highlight a few plants they you could easily incorporate into your garden. I especially love seeing Cedar waxwings in the late summer devouring the Mountain ash berries. ?I always get customers in commenting on “this flock of birds.” ?They come in large numbers and hang out in one tree for a day or two until the berries are gone. Then they move onto the next one. 
It’s also a great idea to leave some of your plants standing late and through the winter so the birds can pick out all of the seeds. Echinacea is a great plant that the finches especially enjoy. So leave those seed heads standing as long as possible! If you incorporate a variety of plants, trees and shrubs you’ll see more variety of birds. They each have their favourite. This All about Birds website as well as many others can give you lists of plants that birds love. ?Or drop by the store and we can give you some ideas as well. Just remember “Variety is the spice of life!”
Garden Gate: Episode 41 – A visit to The Greenhouse on the River
CHEX TV airdate: Friday July 11th, 2014 Click here to watch this episode. I had the pleasure of visiting Greenhouse on the River to shoot two episodes of The Garden Gate. Peter Green, owner, was my guest for this episode and we talked about their beautiful containers and unique annuals. The Greenhouse on the River is a member of Peterborough and Area Garden Route. ?This is a cooperative of 9 garden related businesses in the area that each specialize in one or two areas of gardening. ?The Greenhouse is well known for their beautiful container gardens. Whether it be hanging baskets, stunning large containers or small succulent gardens, The Greenhouse on the River is the place to go. ![DSC_0586[1]](https://www.avantgardenshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/DSC_05861-300x201.jpg)
Peter and Elyn as well as their staff are very knowledgeable in what plants will do well in your specific situation. And they are there to help you choose which you rarely find at box stores! I loaded my car this spring with beautiful plants and they have been doing tremendously. The fan flower (photo) is spectacular! In July they being their summer sale. So if you need to fill in a few holes, now is the time to visit. Tell them Brenda sent you! Enjoy