Brenda On this episode of The Garden Gate we’ve highlighted some activities that you could do with the kids during March break. (Originally aired prior to March break) Puzzles, soap stone carving, paint by sticker books, puppet making, embroidery kits, colouring cards, building a bird house or getting outside to identify some birds and play … Read more
Over the last few years we curated many more beautiful greeting cards for our customers. It seems more an more people are writing letters and sending a little note to family and friends. Many of our cards are also made in Canada and some by local artists. Every day we hear that we have the … Read more
It’s hard to understand how little tiny birds can survive our cold winters. They’re just so small! There are a few things that we can do to help and on this episode I talk about some ideas. Suet, peanuts, hulled sunflowers, roosting boxes and heated bird baths all help to make the lives of our … Read more
We’ve spoken before about buying good quality seed. Plump seeds with large kernels. The birds prefer it! But having CLEAN seed is also important. Our seed is cleaned multiple times both by the grower and our bird food supplier. This means there are very few sticks, dust or other debris. Some box store brands include … Read more
On this episode I share tips on how to attract cardinals to your feeders. I talk about the type of feeders they prefer, their favourite seed and also what trees to plant! Cardinals are a favourite of most customers and it’s the goal to get one to their feeders! We can help. Take just 2 … Read more
On this episode I share some ideas for last minute gift ideas. Beautiful Stitch by Stitch ornaments are always popular. Hand made and Fair trade. We also have an interesting suet feeder that looks like a cute owl, compressed seed gifts for the birds, beautiful soaps and hostess napkins by Michel Design Works, tea towels, … Read more
At this time of year the shop is filled with beautiful gifts for Christmas. One of our favourites are the Stitch by Stitch ornaments. These are hand made in South-East Asia by artisans in their homes. While we tend to avoid items made over seas so we can support our own Canadian artists, these items … Read more
Winters in Canada are tough on birds. They spend all their time looking for food, water and shelter. Anything that we can do to help these beautiful little creatures is a good thing and will help them to survive the cold nights. Birds must eat from dawn until dusk just to survive the -30C nights. … Read more
We have lots of beautiful seed “gifts” for the birds now in stock. These compressed seed trees and wreaths are very popular with our customers and also the birds. If you have someone on your gift list who keeps saying “I don’t need anything” then these are the perfect gift. The gift is for the … Read more
It’s that time of year again. Time to clean and set up your bird feeders! If you don’t feed all year then now is the time to get your feeders out again. It’s very important that the feeders are clean and that you use good quality fresh seed. And to get the most enjoyment from … Read more