The Avant-Garden Shop: Your Garden & Bird Store

The American Robin

  Someone once described a day in the life of a robin as follows: Run, run, run, STOP. Run, run, run, STOP. Run, run, run, STOP. Run, run, run, STOP. There’s much contentment found in sitting quietly and watching robins. They’re keen worm finders, tilting their heads just so, to focus one eye on wormholes … Read more

GARDEN GATE: Episode 285 – Local Photographers Tracy Waddington & John Ashdown Stop By (Feb 2, 2024)

Today our guests are two Peterborough based photographers sharing their love for birds. Tracy Waddington & John Ashdown have taken many amazing pictures of birds and frequently share them with our community on a couple groups on Facebook. They are amazing photographers that like to look for birds near Trent University, along the Otonabee river, … Read more

GARDEN GATE: Episode 284 – Susan Robertson Pottery! (Jan 19, 2024)

Susan Robertson is an and artist and potter from Broderick Saskatchewan. She has been creating beautiful pieces for over 35 years. We have carried her items in the shop for many years. Her pottery is made from stoneware clay so they are dishwasher and microwave safe. We have a variety of designs available in mugs, … Read more

GARDEN GATE: Episode 283 – The best winter bird seed! (Jan 5, 2024)

The weather is getting colder and the birds are busy working hard to keep warm. Changing your seed to a hulled variety really helps them get their food quickly. It saves them energy not having to remove the shells, and also keeps things tidy at your feeders. We sell the hulled sunflower seeds, hulled peanut … Read more

GARDEN GATE: Episode 282 – Last minute gifts for bird lovers! (Dec 22, 2023)

We all have a friend or family member who is hard to shop for at Christmas time! If the don’t need or want anything but they love watching and feeding the birds, we have some ideas for you! Mixed seed trees and balls make great gifts that the birds will love as well. Top quality … Read more

GARDEN GATE: Episode 281 – Holiday Cards! (Dec 8, 2023)

There’s still a good selection of holiday cards available at the shop as we get closer and closer to the end of the year. More Quilling cards came in recently with beautiful designs. We even got some tiny ones! These one of a kind cards make great gifts themselves, as they can be framed and … Read more

GARDEN GATE: Episode 280 – Solmate Socks! (Nov 24, 2023)

Solmate socks are always super popular in the shop and for good reasons! Aside from the fun patterns and bright colours, they’re mismatched with love. The company uses sustainably sourced, eco-friendly fibers. This means that textile waste that would have gone to landfill is upcycled into quality yarns without adding any additional dyes to keep … Read more

GARDEN GATE: Episode 279 – Squirrel Buster Suet! (Nov 10, 2023)

It’s getting colder so that means it’s time to get out your suet feeders! Suet is easily digestible fat and calories which provides fast energy for hungry birds. In this episode the Squirrel Buster Suet is in the spotlight. This is a great feeder to keep the squirrels from devouring all the tasty suet before … Read more

What do trail mix and feeding birds have in common?

Imagine a bowl of trail mix in front of you. Assuming no nut allergies, you may be faced with peanuts, cashews, dried fruit, sunflower seeds, and M&Ms. Many people “high-grade,” sifting through and picking out favourites and leaving the rest behind. I know I end up eating a lot of peanuts and sunflower seeds if … Read more

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