There are still a number of shopping days until Christmas, but just in case you’re struggling with that hard to buy for person, we’d like make a few suggestions of some of the more interesting and unusual ideas for this holiday season. How about:

Hope to see you soon for any of your garden centre shopping needs. Open until Christmas Eve, December 24, 2014 at 3:00 p.m.

The very popular choice in a plant requires a very bright and direct sun location as well as a rich soil. Banana plants like lots of mulch and organic matter as well as lots of nitrogen and potassium (chicken manure seems to be a popular choice for banana plants)Your banana plant will thrive in a warm and high humidity location. Banana plants don’t like extreme temperatures (not winter hardy at all) or being hungry/thirsty.


This specimen of Fern boasts a beautiful, consistently bright lime colour. In a low light location you’ll see an even more unique and intense lime colour. This is a fabulous alternative to the tried and true Boston Fern but requires much the same care. Rita’s Neon will thrive in bright but indirect light, with high humidity and even moisture. If you plant outdoors, please select a sheltered area as wind can cause damage to fronds. Keep soil evenly moist but not wet. This plant needs to be indoors before frost or snow.

This tropical beauty is full of exotic blooms and you’ll reap the benefits of providing this plant with full sun and a well-drained location. Kangaroo Paws do require liberal watering while in bloom and a little organic matter to fertilize is a help also. Enjoy this prolific bloomer as a plant, or cut the blooms for your vase.

We hear from some of our customers that pumpkins are pretty tough to find today, especially in the Oakville area. We’re located on Trafalgar Road between Eglinton and Britannia and we’ve got pumpkins. We’ve got some unique varieties, traditional orange pumpkins of all shapes and sizes and we’ve got some pumpkins already carved for you or painted – ready to go for tonight. Be sure to stop in to Jade Gardens if you still need a pumpkin.

Pumpkins, pumkins and more pumpkins. Here at Jade Gardens and Greenhouses, we’re your Halloween decorating one-stop shop. We’ve got a multitude of specialty pumpkins (see this facebook album for pictures), along with painted pumpkins, ready to carve and we’ll even have already carved pumpkins for you, just before Halloween. If you have any questions, we’re happy to help. Come on in to Jade Gardens and Greenhouses for everything fall!

Fall is here and we’ve got a great selection of mums in bloom. You’ll find all sizes and colours available. Mums are perennial here in Southern Ontario, as long as you ensure that you have them planted in the ground at least 6 weeks before the first frost. The roots need adequate time to establish before the cold season. If you are planting your mums in a pot, the pot must be two and a half times the size of the root ball in order for it to winter over.
In addition to the mums, ready to go fall containers, purple feather/fountain grass and other fall plants, we’ve also got a great selection of fall decor. Scarecrows, pumpkins, hay or straw, Indian Corn and lots more. Come on in for all your fall decorating needs.

In addition to all the great fall mums and decor, we’ve got some fabulous sales on with prices you just can’t beat.

If you live in Oakville, Milton, Mississauga or Georgetown, you’re probably finding Cranefly larvae active now. This is a good time to put down Beneficial Nematodes to fight those larvae. For specific information on Nematodes to combat other pests, or on how to apply Nematodes, please see the attached post.

The consensus seems to be that 2013 will be a year for a hot and dry summer here in the greater Toronto area. It’s only May 30 today and already it’s a scorcher out there.

In Oakville, Milton, Mississauga and other nearby communities, we tend to have municipal watering banns in the summer when it gets really hot and dry, as an effort to conserve water. While we completely support water conserving initiatives, once the water in your rain barrels has been used up, there are little watering options for the annual bedding plants you may have planted.

Our solution is to use cactus and succulents right in your gardens and containers, particularly in those really sunny locations where other plants just can’t make it without the ongoing watering. There are more than a thousand species of Cacti, and while we don’t sell them all, at Jade Gardens and Greenhouses, we certainly boast one of the most extensive collections of cacti and succulents in the local area.

The important fact about using cacti and succulents in your garden, is that most cacti have a spiny stem and no leaves. Without this exposed leaf surface, cacti are able to retain moisture longer and the spiny stems act to reflect the sun. Succulents share much of the same care requirements as cacti, and are a great choice to take the heat. Jades, aeonium, aloe plants, so many choices. Cacti and succulents need a full sun location, a porus pot or well-drained soil and very little fertilizer. Many cacti and succulents flower and are quite a striking addition to your garden. Come on in to Jade Gardens and Greenhouses for advice on incorporating cacti and/or succulents into your garden and patio or deck. We have some great ideas and a great selection.

Whether you are seeding your lawn, planting your planters or working on a garden, the right soil is everyone’s starting point. In addition to mulch, topsoil, and triple mix, some of our most popular (and economical) choices include:

The Fafard Viva Lawn Repair Mix is made from a humus black earth, sphagnum peat moss, composted manure, vermiculite, lime, Chile Nitrate and a wetting agent and it is specially designed to promote fast seed germination and for high water retention with the manure adding a quick release fertilizer. This is the optimal choice for seeding or overseeding your lawn and is available at a cost of $8.99 for a 42L bag or 5 bags for $40.

Fafard’s Biosol Sea Compost is a fairly new product to us that is ideal for lawn top dressing or overseeding as well as increasing the water retaining capacity of sandy soils. It’s components include compostede manure, sphagnum peat moss, shellfish flour and seedweed. Biosol is available for $7.99 per 35L bag or at a deal of 5 bags for $35.00.

Composted Manure – Composted cow manure – a treat for your garden plants. Composted manure and even composted plant materials adds organic matter to your soil. They are a fertilizer that help the soil to retain moisture and they also help to balance the pH in soil.

Fafard’s Urban Organic Soil is a great new choice for herbs and veggies! It’s available at $7.99 per bag.Also available are red, natural, black and pine bark mulch for your gardens. Mulch is a fine way to help your soil retain moisture and to keep down weeds. It also adds a nice finishing look to gardens. This has been a sampling of some of the more popular soils we have available at Jade Gardens and Greenhouses. If you are looking for something else, or just not sure what to use, please give us a call or come on in and we’d be happy to help you with some recommendations.