Have you started planning your vegetable garden? May Long weekend is fast approaching and we all know what that means. Hopefully, cross-our-fingers, to having frost-free nights! There is something so incredibly satisfying about growing your own vegetables, serving them to friends and family, and of course, eating them yourselves. Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m biased. But still, the unmistakable taste of fresh tomatoes warm from the sun, drizzled with a little olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, is heavenly. How about the crunch of carrots eaten after they’re pulled from the ground, when you shake the dirt off, chew and can still feel a bit of soil between your teeth. Fresh herbs are also one of my favorites. Thyme, basil, parsley, dill, summer savory, mint and terragon. A million uses of flavour and fragrance. I could go on and on…
In the next few weeks, the growing season explodes. It’s what we wait for all year long. Are you ready? Come check out our wide range and selection of McFayden Select, McKenzie, OSC and Lindenberg Seeds. And of course we have vegetables planted and potted ready to transplant, if you don’t want to grow straight from seed.
And in the next week or so, I’ll post a blog on planning and planting a successful vegetable garden with some great tips!
When it comes to choosing your container, the sky really is the limit. We carry everything you’ll need to add instant colour and dimension to your patio, deck or front step. Our selections include unique artisan planters, hand crafted containers in classic or contemporary styling, elegant Malaysian planters and Vietnamese planters with luxurious color. Picking the right pot for the right spot can seem daunting, but we’ll try to make the decision process easier for you. Knowing the size you want, and where you want to place it will go a long way. If there’s one tip we can give you, take into consideration proportion. If your choosing a container for the front of your house, you want to create a dramatic impact and see your pot from the street. Therefore, bigger can be better!
Then, let your taste guide you to the style that you prefer; we’re bound to have something that meets your expectation.
Once you’ve chosen your new container(s), book a pot party with your friends! We’ll help inspire you with some cool, fresh ideas so that you can design and fill your new pot and watch it grow! How fulfilling is that?!
We have lots of Easter arrangements to add to your dinner table this holiday. And the Easter Lillys are just beautiful. What a great reminder of the reason why we are celebrating. Enjoy your long weekend, I know we will be.
Every month we try to feature some new drinks to keep it exciting and offer something different and delectable. Our spring selections of drinks include the chocolate mud puddle frappe, the frosted cookies cappucino, the turtle mocha, almond bark macciato and the oakridge drizzle. We’ve also already been serving some traditional Easter Paska to celebrate the upcoming holiday. Stump our cafe staff and ask exactly what’s in each!
This week we are closed Tuesday (April 19th) over lunch. We are hosting a luncheon for the Steinbach and Area Garden Club. As well, Good Friday, April 22nd, we are also closed. We will be open Saturday from 9am-5pm, in the Greenhouse as well as the Cafe. Regular business hours will continue on Monday. We thank you for your patronage and we apologize for any inconvience that the closures may cause you. We actually consider Good Friday and Easter Sunday our last days of rest through the busy spring season and relish the time that we can spend together as a family!
The sale starts tomorrow! From 9am-5pm we’re open, kicking off the season! Choose some of our extra plugs to your garden growing and check out our giftware clearnance table while you’re here. Just a reminder that you can still sign up your children for the Junior Gardener’s club and that Brent Parkin is in town on Sat. April 30th. Easter is just around the corner, and the easter lilly’s have just arrived. We’re busy putting together front door containers, table centerpieces, and front door wreaths. We’re looking forward to seeing you!
We feel everything is growing really well this year. We haven’t had a ton of sunshine in the past month so we are surprised at the rapid growth – That’s what makes working in a greenhouse so great. There are changes to be seen each and every day. Plants are flowering that weren’t yesterday, seeds have sprouted overnight and we are once again, running out of room! The
Starting this Saturday, April 16th, the greenhouse is now open Saturdays from 9am-5pm.
We’re hosting our annual plug and seedling sale! Use our extras to get your plants growing at home. Plus, for 1 day only – we’re clearing out the shelves of the Garden Store and Cafe for the Spring Giftware sale. Great deals are to be seen!
It’s also time to pick up your preorder tree/shrub sale sheet. If you haven’t taken part in this before, this is how it works:
You pre-order off of our select list of trees & shrubs, pay now and on (or about) May 2nd, your trees arrive! Get a great start to the season, while receiving a fantastic discount of up to 30% off the regular retail price!
If you haven’t been in during the last week….drum roll!!!! Gelato has arrived!
Check out our events page for all of our classes that are happening at Oakridge this spring. Every year we get excited to open our doors to all of you, to share our knowledge, to get to know you better and have fun getting dirty. We have a new class that we are doing this year in April. Aimed to get you through the in-between Christmas and summer stage, our spring pots will withstand the freezing nights and dazzle your friends and family at your Easter gathering.
Our Pot Party dates are also available, running once a week on Wednesday evenings, starting April 20th. And don’t forget about the Junior Gardeners club. The first class starts this Saturday, April 9th.
Remember to call Oakridge to register and that if you have a group of 5 or more that want to come out, we will gladly accommodate you at a suitable time.
And of course, if you’re not interested in planting your own pots, we have a great selection of ready-made, beautiful arrangements and containers designed by our florist. Looking forward to seeing you!
Ok, so the behind the scenes action continues. I have Theresa to thank for taking these pictures, they are awesome. Marianne is seeding, as per usual, with her handy, homemade contraption and Theresa is watering. All of the other pictures are our beautiful sprouts! And, as you can see, the greenhouses are continually filling up. Enjoy!
Wheat grass is a fun way to bring spring indoors, and makes a great Easter centerpiece. This project is very kid friendly, with the wheat grass growing quickly, satisfaction is imminent. Any type of container will work, but for best results, use a container that is 3-4″ deep. Start by soaking the wheat seed in water for about 5-8 hours. Fill your container to 1″ below the rim with pre-moistened soil or water gems. (I’ll talk about water gems later) Sprinkle the top of your container with wheat seed, creating a solid layer, but leaving a little room to grow. You’ll want to gently press the seeds into the soil or gems and then cover lightly with water. Keep the soil moist.
In about 3-4 days, you will see sprouts emerge. Move the pot to a sunny location, and in about a week, the sprouts will be a good height for creating your centerpiece.
You can also grow it directly in your childs’ easter basket, for a different spin on egg collecting. Just be creative and have fun with it.
