A visit to Canada's garden centres

Last month we were lucky enough to visit Quebec in Eastern Canada as part of the latest International Garden Centre tour. As always, the week was a whirlwind of garden centre visits, alongside trips to the Montreal Botanical Gardens and a maple syrup producer called 'Sugar Shack.'

The garden centres in Canada are very different from ours in the UK. Only two we visited had restaurants, not many sold Christmas decorations, and the climate really influences what they choose to sell. As they get around 30 feet of snow every winter, many of them close for 4 or 5 months a year, and during the remaining time, they really focus on just selling plants and gardening products.

As always with these visits, there is something for us to learn from and potentially bring back to Millbrook. Here are my top 5 points of inspiration from Canada’s garden centres:

Hibiscus

Apparently, they won’t grow like this in the UK, but we were blown away by the huge tropical hibiscus (spot me amongst the giant flowers). Maybe one for our conservatories, but it’s incredible that they grow so big in Canada’s hot summers and get cut back and covered by snow all winter.

Hydrangeas

They were everywhere and looked amazing (helped by the combination of summer heat and rain). Large bushes, beautiful colours, and even as standards on sticks. I would love to see more combinations of hydrangeas at Millbrook, really celebrating the range of sizes and colours.

Indoor designer pots

We brought back the idea for our Millbrook designer pots from our last trip to Canada, and thanks to Sharon, this has become really popular at our Gravesend store. So, why not do the same with indoor plants? We saw lots of beautiful displays planted up and ready to go, mixing houseplants together in one statement pot.

Big plants

Including hydrangeas, but particularly big perennials in 5-litre pots. Due to the weather, they don’t have much time to grow in Canada, so they make the most of big perennials to fill gaps and provide instant colour. A great way to add interest and colour to gardens later in the season.

Balconies

We know lots of our customers, especially in new developments near both our centres, have smaller areas and balconies to garden from. Balconies and small space gardening were also a big feature at Chelsea Flower Show this year and have lots of potential. I liked this racking display seen at a store in Canada, showing off how pots, plants, and furniture can turn a balcony into a beautiful outdoor space.