CHEX TV airdate: Sept. 4th, 5-6pm Click here to watch this episode online. 
Sue Chan is an expert on bees. Her life is buzzing all the time! Sue works for a variety of organizations including Farms at Work. (http://www.farmsatwork.ca/about-us) ?It was with that organization that she wrote a booklet about bees called A Landowner’s Guide to Conserving Native Pollinators.(Available at The Avant-Garden Shop for just $10.00) ? On this episode of The Garden Gate , we talked about why bees are so important, how they are affected by neonicotinoids, and also what types of plants they like. We carry bee houses at the shop as well which we also talked about. ?These bee houses are made locally and are meant for mason bees to lay eggs in. ?Putting up a variety of “houses” for the bees will help them to increase in numbers and pollinate your plants!
Gardening
Garden Gate: Episode 67 – Neonicotinoids – What are they and why are they bad? Guest Mark Bennett
CHEX TV airdate: Friday July 10th, 5-6pm
Click link to watch this episode online.
We’ve been hearing a lot in the news about Neonicotinoids (Neonics).
This relatively new class of insecticide affects the central nervous system of insects, resulting in paralysis and death. ?Plants that have been grown using Neonics are harmful to bees, butterfly’s and birds because they ingest the nectar or pollen and the insecticide along with it.
My guest, Mark Bennett from Wild Bird Trading and Millcreek seed, discusses Neonics with me on this episode of The Garden Gate.
All of our Millcreek bird food is Neonic FREE! ?So you can be rest assured that when you feed our Millcreek brand of bird food to your birds you are not harming any birds, bees or butterfly’s!
Garden Gate: Episode 64 – Keeping mind and body active!
CHEX TV airdate: May 29th, 2015 On this episode of The Garden Gate I speak with Diana Primavesi from the Alzheimer’s Society. Over the years I have sold many bird feeders! ?People love to sit and watch the birds and see what new little guys will show up each year. ?I’ll get phone calls about new and exciting birds that are dropping in to resident backyards. ?My husband and I often sit on our back deck and can easily be amused for an hour by this bird in the tree, another on the feeder or something flitting about further back in the garden. It’s amazing how time flies when you watch these little movements. As people ag
e and they are less active, I often get customers?coming in to help amuse either themselves or a spouse/partner who is having health issues or even suffering from the early stages of dementia. ?It’s great to see a caring person?come in to set up a bird feeder to help occupy others who must?spend time either in bed or sitting at a window. ?The birds can keep your eyes and mind active. Which is a good thing! Diana will share some ideas and tips on staying active both in the garden or by the window watching the birds. ? Photos by Fred Jennings, Longlac
Garden Gate: Episode 63 – Providing water for the birds and butterfly’s
CHEX TV airdate: May 15th, 2015
Click link to watch this 3 minute video online.
Bi
rds and Butterfly’s both need water either for drinking or for bathing. ?On this episode of The Garden Gate I show you a few options available, from bird baths, bird waterers and also butterfly feeders and baths.
We especially love the hand made pottery bird baths made by Quebec artist Marie-Joel Turgeon. ?Th
ese stunning works of art will look great either in your garden, on the lawn or in a large container garden.
The birds love them because they aren’t too deep as many other baths can be. Also very easy to clean.
The bird waterer is also a popular item. It can be hung on a shepherds hook, set on a stump or table or affixed to a 4X4 post.
Birds can either drink from the cups or jump right in and have a bath. ?It automatically refills from the blue coloured container to keep the cups full. The blue colour also helps to reduce algae growth. Customers (and birds) love this item!
Then we also have a few special items for the butterfly’s. ?We rarely have puddles in our yards for the butterfly’s anymore, so we need to find ways to provide water for them as well. We have butterfly drinkers, feeders and also houses!
Garden Gate: Episode 60 -The Peterborough Garden Show!
CHEX TV airdate, March 27th, 2015 5-6pm. Click link to watch this episode. Easter Weekend there will be one of the best Garden Shows in the region on at the Evinrude Centre. Thursday April 2nd, 5-9pm Friday April 3rd, 10-5pm Saturday April 4th, 10-4pm Closed Sunday (because of Good Friday opening) On this episode I will be joined by Rachel Burrows to talk about all the new and exciting things happening at the Garden Show. For more information on the Garden Show visit their website.
Garden Gate: Episode 46 – Liftlock community garden and the garden bandit!
CHEX air date: Sept. 19th, 2014 To watch this episode, click link here. Years ago it use to be very difficult for apartment dwellers to find a spot to create a little garden plot! ?But thanks to years of hard work and lots of great volunteers, there are numerous places where you can plant a few seeds. Jillian Bishop of the Community gardening network is the woman you need to contact if you’d like to find out more! I recently visited with Jillian at one of these gardens located near the Liftlocks! ?It’s great to see this land producing food. ?When they started the garden a few years ago they were thrilled to find the BEST soil. Over the years waterways staff had pulled loads and loads of weeds out of the water which decomposed where the garden plots are now located creating wonderful rich soil! While I was there, we decided to try out some weeding tools that we?carry at The Avant-Garden Shop. ?We’ve been selling them since the day the store opened. We have sold 1000’s. They’ve been featured in Fine Gardening magazine and are a BIG hit. ?The Garden Bandit and the Telescoping weeders make weeding so easy. They are simple looking tools. But sometimes simple is better! ?Jillian was even able to weed her garden in her heels and dress! ?Check it out on an upcoming episode of The Garden Gate (Sept. 19th, 2014). The Garden Gate appears bi-weekly on The New CHEX Daily between 5 and 6pm on CHEX-TV.
Garden Gate: Episode 44 – Griffins Greenhouses
CHEX TV air date: August 22nd, 2014 Click here to watch this episode online. At this time of year, it’s wonderful to visit a garden centre like Griffins. ?Their plants look wonderful (and there are still plenty), the pond out back is so relaxing and there is always someone around who can answer your questions or just spend a few minutes chatting. Griffins Greenhouses are ?members of Peterborough and Area Garden Route (www.gardenroute.ca). I will chat with them about their involvement with this group and also about some of their beautiful hanging baskets and containers. ?They’ll have some tips on keeping them good looking through the heat of our summer.
Garden Gate: Episode 43 – Trellises
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. ?
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
Garden Gate: Episode 40 – Concrete Sculptures
CHEX TV airdate: June 27th, 2014 Click link to watch this episode. Concrete sculptures can add charm, interest and surprise to your garden. ?Choosing a quality piece can sometimes be a challenge however. ?Often times we find ourselves lugging heavy concrete pieces into tool sheds or garages for winter protection. But if you choose quality concrete, this isn’t necessary! 
If you’ve been in any long standing classic garden or visited places such as Versailles in France, they have very old concrete sculptures, and you’ll realize that these pieces are too large or numerous to be brought indoors each winter. Also, the longer they live in a garden the more beautiful they become. Moss and lichen begin to grow within crevices highlighting the detail in each sculpture. On this episode of The Garden Gate I provide some tips on what to look for when purchasing concrete pieces for your garden so your art will last for many years.