The Avant-Garden Shop: Your Garden & Bird Store

canadian made

Garden Gate: Episode 220-Canadian made (July 16, 2021)

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  Our store opened in 2002 with a focus on gardening, birding and Canadian made. After almost 19 years, you can imagine we’ve met some very talented artists and have been able to help add a touch of beauty to your home and garden. We’ve always felt it important to support local and Canadian artists … Read more

Garden Gate: Episode 178 – Peterborough’s “One of a kind” shop

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Peterborough’s own “One of a kind show” Most of us love unique art and crafts, which is reflected by the ever-growing number of art and craft shows in Peterborough. While these shows can be fun, they’re limited in time and often involve working through large crowds in the hope of finding that certain something. Many … Read more

Garden Gate: Episode 145 – Choosing quality products

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At The Avant-Garden Shop we carry as much Canadian made product as possible. We know it’s important to support local! We also look for quality products that are going to last! On this episode I talk about quality concrete, plastic and UV protection. If you’re going to invest in a product, it’s worth investing a … Read more

Garden Gate: Episode 138 – Soap stone carving kits for children (April 27th, 2018)

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How it all started!  Co-founder Oliver Harwood was asked to teach an elementary school class how to carve soapstone.  The first class was a hit and grew to 33 classes in the first year. In the last two years they have grown to teach more than 10,000 students in more than 300 schools.  They have … Read more

Garden Gate: Episode 49 – Outdoor window boxes

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CHEX TV airdate: Friday Oct. 31st, 2014 Watch this episode here. DSC_0586[1]It might seem like a strange time of year to talk about window boxes. Afterall, it’s time to put our gardens to bed! Probably by now most of your annuals have been hit by the frost. ?So then why am I talking about window boxes? ?Because I want you to use them 12 months of the year! ?Of course you can fill them with beautiful flowers, but I like to use them in other seasons too. Ours at the shop have looked gorgeous for the last few years. ?I start early in the spring with some beautiful pansies as they are very cold tolerant. Then at the end of May I fill them with a variety of annuals. ?By the end of October they are usually done so I’ll fill them with lovely pine, cedar, juniper and whatever other greens I can get my hands on. teardropOur window boxes are very deep which means they hold a lot of soil. ?This is probably one of the most important characteristics of a quality window box. A deep container that holds lots of soil will help keep your plant roots cooler, hold more moisture and allow for deeper root growth. ?Small containers heat up, dry out and?plants will be less likely to do well or even survive. Note: Coco liners have been difficult to find over the last couple of years so instead we use a double layer of burlap. Our window boxes are made in Ontario by a metal worker with high quality steel, durable welds and fantastic designs. ?Walsh Mountain Ironworks at one time was located in Port Hope. ?The retail shop is now closed and the jigs and patterns sold. ?The new owner is doing a wonderful job and we are very pleased with the quality and designs. A variety of styles can be seen on our website. ?

Garden Gate: Episode 43 – Trellises

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Mum trellis-webCHEX 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 39 – Sugar Bush Fairy Doors

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CHEX TV air date: June 6th, 2014 Click link to watch 3 minute video

On this episode of The Garden Gate, I’m joined by Alan Cornfield of Sugar Bush Fairies.

Georgian Garden DoorSugar Bush Fairies is a unique and exciting home based business located in the Horseshoe Valley area that?caters to the decorative needs of the fairy folk realm. ?They create enchanted handcrafted wooden fairy doors for your home and garden. ?Alan suggests that we simply lean the beautiful doors against a tree or rock, place them on a bookshelf, hang them on a wall or set them against a baseboard.? These doors are available in a variety of adorable styles to capture the eye of even the most discriminating pixie, brownie, goblin, hobbit, elf, leprechaun, sprite or other fairy folk.? Each door is a portal allowing the fairy folk to enter into our lives, bringing with them the special magic of their realm.

The chief designer behind the Sugar Bush Fairies is Alan Cornfield.? Alan is very experienced in the design and crafting of wood products.? He has been a design engineer in the furniture industry for the past 20 years.? Alan?s expertise can be seen in the meticulous work he puts into each door?s individual details.? He has the ability to capture the magic that every door promises and create it for your enjoyment.

After the doors are designed, they are then artistically painted by his partner, Sarah.? Sarah discovered her passion for painting several years ago.? She enjoys various mediums of painting, from folk art to nature.? Sarah has always been intrigued by tales of the fairy folk and was very excited to be able to assist in these creations.? Some of the fairy doors have very detailed paintings on them, which makes them one of a kind artisan collectibles.? A lot of thought and time is put into each door.

Together, Alan and Sarah have developed the Sugar Bush Fairies Studio that is located in the loft of their workshop. ?Their home is located in the Sugar Bush of Horseshoe Valley, in Oro-Medonte. ?They are inspired everyday by the nature that surrounds them in their little home in the woods.

Available at The Avant-Garden Shop and online.

Garden Gate: Episode 36 – Outdoor wall art

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CHEX TV air date: May 2nd, 2014 Click link to watch this episode Wall panels and rustic sculptureAt The Avant-Garden Shop we pride ourselves in offering beautiful wall art that is Made in Canada and high quality. During this episode I’ll highlight a few artists and show their beautiful work, which is now in stock. ?I’ll also discuss what metals are good for the outdoors and what treatment can be done to keep product from rusting. Placement of your wall art is key, so I’ll make a few suggestions on where to locate your pieces as well. For many of the works that we carry, we are the exclusive retailer of these artists works in this area. So please drop by The Avant-Garden Shop often to see what’s new. ?Because we work with artists, often the product offerings are limited they can often take time to get in again. It’s a good thing that we don’t have 100 of any item! It makes your wall art extra special and unique. Visit our website to read some information on some of our artists. We have over 100 artists

Garden Gate: Episode 28 – L’Immaginaria

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cardialCHEX TV Air Date: Friday, Dec. 27, 2014

Click here to view this episode of The Garden Gate.

On this episode of The Garden Gate, I’m speaking with local artist Lisa Martini-Dunk about her wonderful scratch board art.

Lisa is inspired by nature and by her imagination to create her stunning works of art, and lives in East City (Peterborough).

Lisa begins with an idea and then a sketch. Once she’s happy with the image she begins to create her work. Using a special black paper board she scratches away the black parts to leave the image behind. Almost working in reverse. ?Then special paint is used to add colour. She will transfer the image to her computer where she is able to define or “punch up” the colours. ?She will print the card and then hand coat them with a product to bring out the sheen. ?You’d think she was done then, but no, she chooses a paper that specially matches the image or colours on the paper. What a wonderful and thoughtful gift.

We carry her beautiful cards. Each is a limited edition with only approx. 20 of each image being printed.

 

Garden Gate: Episode 26 – Buy Canadian

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CHEX TV airdate: Friday Nov. 29th, 2014

Click here to view this episode of The Garden Gate.?

Why is it important to buy gifts that are Made in Canada?

You hear about the 100 mile diet – how far did that item you just purchased have to travel to get to you?

Are the people making the item getting a fair wage for what they are creating? Do they have health care? Education???

Coasters ML (8)It’s sometimes impossible to know the answer to these questions, when the item has come from a container that was shipped half way around the world! ?When you buy Canadian and from someone who knows about the product, you can usually get the answer to your questions and feel good about your purchase. ?And once you know that information, you can decide where best to spend your hard earned dollars.

During this episode of The Garden Gate, you’ll learn a few facts about the many Canadian made items available at The Avant-Garden Shop, and answers to some of these questions. I hope you’ll tune in or drop by and ask some questions!

 

 

The Avant-Garden Shop