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
Gardening
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.
Garden Gate: Episode 35 – Peterborough Garden Show
CHEX TV Air date: April 4th, 2014 Click here to watch this episode of The Garden Gate. The Peterboroug
h Garden Show is coming up quickly! ?My guest this episode is Rachel Burrows from the Peterborough Horticultural Society. Rachel is also the chair of The Garden Show. ?She’ll share information on what’s new for this show. New exhibitors, new speakers and new demos. She’ll also offer some tips on the best time to visit the show, parking and where (besides The Avant-Garden Shop) to buy your advance tickets. Please visit their website for full information.
Garden Gate: Episode 31 – Bats and white nose syndrome
Chex TV air date: Feb. 7th, 2014
Click here to watch this episode of the Garden Gate.
Not everyone is a fan of bats. ?But bats eat 1000’s of mosquitoes everyday and should be encouraged in our gardens and yards. ?You can put up bats houses to attract them. We carry a few styles made locally by Animal House Creations.?
Bats are on a steady decline all across the country because of a fungus called?White nose syndrome.
A local naturalist will be our guest this week. Drew Monkman, will tell us more about this terrible disease and how it is affecting our bats.
Garden Gate Episode 20 – Wasp traps and deterrents
CHEX TV air date: Fri. Sept. 6th, 2013
Click here to view this episode of ?The Garden Gate.
Wasps have been extra aggressive this year mostly due to lack of rain. Normally we get people into the shop looking for wasp traps and deterrents in August, but this year the requests began in June already!
We have a variety of options to deal with wasps including fake wasp nests to deter wasps from building new nests. Wasps are very territorial and if they see an existing nest they won’t build another within 200 feet of it.
We also carry wasp traps which attract and trap the wasps?and yellow jackets. These do not attract our beneficial bees! That’s a good thing. ?
Add some sweet liquid such as pop or sugar water to the traps and the wasps get up inside and can’t figure out how to get out eventually getting stuck in the sweet liquid. ?Hang them in a tree or place them on a table 10 to 15 feet away from where you sit outdoors. The trap will draw them away from you. Very effective.
?
Garden Gate: Episode 19 – Butterfly gardens at The Ecology Park
CHEX TV air date: Fri. Aug. 23rd, 2013
Click here to view this episode of ?The Garden Gate. ?
We visited The Ecology Park to talk with the manager Marcy Adzich about butterflies and how to build gardens for them and to attract them to your back yard. It was an eye opener! ?
This year we have seen very few butterflies and Kevin (CHEX TV camera man) had a really hard time finding ANY butterflies to film. ?There are a variety of reasons why we haven’t seen as many this year and we talk a little about that.
We can still plant gardens and provide water and nectar for them, in hopes that they will return and their population will increase again. ?
Garden Gate: Episode 18 – Quality tools
CHEX TV air date: Fri. August 9th, 2013
Click here to view this episode of The Garden Gate.
How many times have you gone to a big box store excited to add some new tools to your collection only to be disappointed later when they break, twist or rust!
Joe Cook is an expert when it comes to finding quality tools. He worked in the industry for many years and now uses many tools for his expansive gardens at Blossom Hill Nursery.
Learn the difference between poor and high quality tools.? At The Avant-Garden Shop we carry Felco pruners, which the experts use because of their durability.
Garden Gate: Episode 17 – A visit to Blossom Hill Nursery
CHEX TV air date: Fri. July 26th, 2013
Click here to watch this episode of?The Garden Gate.??
Blossom Hill Nursery is a stunning garden just outside of Peterborough in Fowler’s Corners that many locals don’t know about!
Filled with one of the largest collections of peony’s and delphiniums in Ontario, it’s a place gardeners and photographers alike fall in love with as soon as they arrive.
Visit their website at www.blossomhillnursery.com or ?www.facebook.com/blossomhillnursery
Garden Gate: Episode 16 – Sun protection in the Garden
CHEX TV air date: Fri. July 12th, 2013
Click here to watch this episode of?The Garden Gate. ?
Summers in Ontario can be pretty intense. We seem to go from cool wet springs right into hot humid and very sunny days. As gardeners we tend to love to spend long days working in the garden and often forget about sun protection until it’s too late.
We get many people in the shop who have either experienced skin cancer or been warned to protect their skin before it’s too late! Our hats can do the job to protect your face, ears and neck!
At The Avant-Garden Shop we carry three lines of hats that offer excellent sun protection. Visit our website for a sampling of some of our Canadian made sun protection hats.
Garden Gate: Episode 15 – A visit to Gardens Plus a member of Garden Route
CHEX TV air date: Fri. Jun. 28th, 2013
Click here to view this episode of The Garden Gate.
Abba dabba do, Alakazam, Blueberry muffin, Dance with me, Holy Mouse Ears…..these words don’t sound like they have anything in common…but they do!
In June I visited with Dawn Golloher of Gardens Plus just outside of Peterborough.? Dawn is a Hosta fanatic!? She had 100’s of varieties of hostas and ships them all over North America!
Hosta’s are great plants for the shade. They are very tough and fairly easy to grow. Many of the newer varieties have thicker leaves so slugs are generally not a problem.? There are giant hostas and also miniature hostas.? Tune into our Garden Gate episode to learn more!?