Expanding our Horizons

Expanding our Horizons

All you need is a garden…but getting there this year has been a bit of a bumpy ride this spring of 2020, due to weather and a pandemic. With the first official day of summer just over a week away, reflecting on the last two months to get here has been a crazy ride to say the least. The COVID-19 pandemic has put us in unprecedented times, and experiences for many a gardening generation. With business shut down in early March, many growers, nurseries, and garden centres had to take a step back and see if our season would even begin. Growers cut back on growing, nurseries and garden centres cut back on staff to start and as we headed towards our normal start of gardening – the May long weekend, we quickly discovered that although many things were being cancelled – gardening was certainly not cancelled!

Alberta gardeners as always were up for the challenge, and whether it was to start growing your own, expanding isolation spaces, or just simply spending more time at home – it seems everyone wanted their garden items immediately! It began quickly in March with the scooping up of seed potatoes, seeds of every kind, growing supplies, herbs and every other plant that made it to the greenhouse to a crescendo of demand for all things green and their associated requirements. While following Alberta health protocols, increasing staff numbers to meet needs of customers and sourcing every bit of plant material we could from our own growers, other local growers and our usual suppliers we ended May with very little slow down. Thank you again for your kindness, patience, and support through it all.

A visit to our Greenhouses might seem slim pickings as we head into June, but you will find many in the growing industry in the same boat, the increased demand has outweighed the supply. We are continuing to source plant material and although gardeners tried and trues might not be available, it is a great time to try something new. We have a full supply of Perennials, Shrubs and Trees in all sizes – have a look at your garden spaces and create some new mixed borders, plant a tree or two and have some fun expanding your landscape. Use perennials and shrubs in containers, in place of the usual annuals, with the bonus that they can be added into the landscape in the fall…an investment that will carry through for many years to come.

As many of you spend more time at home this summer while we continue to await an end to the pandemic and some sort of new normal, be rest assured we will have and still have many great options to spruce up your back yard. From the plants to the fertilizer, sod, bulk materials, garden décor, furniture, pots, growing accessories, stone, rock, play structures, fountains and so much more – we’ve got you covered! Keep growing with Blue Grass and don’t forget to enjoy this time we have been given. Enjoy your garden spaces, it has been a challenge getting here this year, remember to stop and smell the roses!