‘Tis the season to spread joy and, for gardeners, that means gardening stuff! There are so many great things for gardeners; the hard part is choosing what gift. If you have had a chance to walk around Alternative Choice Garden Centre with your gift recipient then you may know exactly which plant or decorative pot they crave. And you know, if you buy a container and a plant, we’ll pot it up for you for free! And give it a warm little ‘jacket’ to get it home safely in cold temperatures.
New gardeners and new homeowners are the easiest to buy for! They need everything! Tools are a fantastic starting place because every homeowner needs a range of tools. A set of hand tools including a trowel, hand hoe, a weeding fork and of course some sturdy gardening gloves will be most welcome. A quality hard rake and a spring rake will be used for years. Our quality shovels and spades will be appreciated. Even a plant enthusiast in an apartment will make good use of a set of hand tools for potting up and transplanting! And even experienced, enthusiastic gardeners may need a fresh set of tools, because tools do wear out.
At the start of the pandemic we saw a huge increase in the amount of people interested in planting their own fruits and vegetables. Food security was an issue as we heard about trucking problems, grower shut-downs and such. We were helping people in their fifties plant their first vegetable gardens, it was so much fun! At Alternative Choice Garden Centre many of those people returned in the second summer of the pandemic, having enjoyed the experience (and amazed at the taste of a truly fresh-off-the-vine tomato), and were looking for advice on new things to plant. A gift certificate is a great choice for fruit trees and bushes. Many people were interested in starting their own tomato and pepper plants, or some annual flowers as a winter pastime. Please those people on your gift list with indoor grow kits with heat mat, grow lights, containers and soil mediums. The houseplant enthusiast would also appreciate a grow light.
For those with limited space and mobility, consider our collection of VegTrugs. These attractive units are sturdy and well built, and can grow an easily accessible selection of annual vegetables, fruits and flowers. It’s perfect for around a deck or patio in some of the newer sub-divisions where the backyard is tiny; you can retain your play space without sacrificing fresh food. Perhaps include some of our organic fertilizer, to keep the food chemical free!
As a landscape designer, I rue the amount of fence that many people are faced with outside their windows. As a matter of fact, it’s something I heard about quite a bit as people came out of the first lockdown. They were stuck in their house...looking at fence. Of course, a fence can be softened and hidden with plant material but in many smaller yards there is simple no room, without eating up lawn space that should be for kids and pets. Garden décor, in the form of wall hangings and signs are a beautiful addition. We’ve got some lovely outdoor wall hangings in themes such as the ‘Tree of Life’ and flower motifs. How about a sign pointing the way to the beach or cabin? Maybe consider a trellis, so plant material like clematis or Virginia Creeper could be grown up, without sacrificing a lot of space.
With the shutdown of bars and restaurants, a lot of people took to cooking more at home. Alternative Choice Garden Centre carriers a complete range of Napoleon BBQs as well as accessories. We can hook your gifts up with a wonderful BBQ or just some really cool accessories such as sauté pans, quality grill tools as well as wood chips in fantastic flavors to ‘up’ their BBQ game.
Have a person or couple on our list with a new property and they don’t even know where to start? Consider a consultation with our experienced landscape designers, which can include anything from a plant consultation to decks, patios and walkways. We’ve got the people who can do it all!
