CNLA News - February 2025
Landscape associations in Atlantic Canada sign harmonization agreement
Landscape Nova Scotia, Landscape New Brunswick/P.E.I., and Landscape Newfoundland and Labrador are excited to announce the signing of a harmonization agreement to enhance collaboration among Atlantic Canada’s landscape associations.
This milestone collaboration represents a unified effort to strengthen services and foster growth in the region’s landscape sector. By pooling resources and expertise, Landscape Nova Scotia, Landscape New Brunswick/P.E.I., and Landscape Newfoundland and Labrador are working toward a more cohesive and prosperous landscape community in Atlantic Canada. While this collaboration fosters greater efficiency, each association will retain its autonomy regarding branding, finances, Boards, annual general meetings and individual memberships within the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA).Dan Coleman, president of Landscape New Brunswick/P.E.I., said the sharing of resources and retention of autonomy among each respective Atlantic Canada provincial association is a “Win, win, win as far as I’m concerned.” Coleman also added, “We haven’t lost any of our autonomy. We are still Landscape New Brunswick and P.E.I., and will still focus as a Board on issues we have in our provinces.”
A management committee, composed of two representatives from each Atlantic association, will oversee the harmonization process. The committee will manage a joint staffing and administration budget and explore collaboration in education, expanded sponsorship opportunities, events and trade shows within the region.
David Thompson, chair of the management committee, said the harmonization agreement is a significant step toward greater opportunities and efficiencies for the Atlantic associations.
“We’re excited to work together as a region, offering enhanced member services and creating new collaborations that benefit our industry,” Thompson said.
Steve Smith, president of Landscape Nova Scotia, said the development is positive and will lead to even better communication among the east coast associations.
“It brings our three Atlantic CNLA representatives to the table, our three association presidents together, and that alone I think will bring some positive things for all three associations and for the region,” Smith said.
Kevin Nauss, who is Landscape New Brunswick and P.E.I.’s representative of the CNLA Board, said the harmonization is “a no- brainer.” Discussions about a harmonization
of the Atlantic Canada provincial associations have been ongoing since the day he joined the CNLA Board 10 years ago.
While in attendance at HortEast in Moncton, N.B., on Nov. 13, 2024, Nauss reflected on his time on the HortEast planning committee, and how the eastern Canada trade show’s success in growing annually is a testament to collaboration between the Atlantic provincial associations.
“We’re all brothers and sisters here,” Nauss said. “We need each other, and we have so many similarities.”
Jan Loner is now the new Atlantic executive director. The search for additional staff support is underway, and the CNLA office is providing interim assistance.
In memoriam: Stan Kochanoff
Stan Kochanoff, past president of CNLA (1985-1986) and Landscape Nova Scotia, passed away suddenly on November 21, 2024. Kochanoff was also a co-chair of Communities in Bloom in Windsor, Ont., and volunteered as a national-level judge. Just this past summer, Kochanoff led a project for the Green Cities Foundation at Hope Blooms where 100 volunteers planted 20 trees at Uniacke Square at Murray Warrington Park in Halifax, N.S. Born in 1938, Kochanoff continued planning and planting throughout his more than 50 years in the industry until he passed away.
Turn independent garden centres into year-round destinations
BY ANNE KADWELL AND STUART SERVICE
The seasonality of a garden centre business is focused on making the most of the peak growing season to accumulate most of its annual revenue during spring and summer. However, this limited sales window continues to widen as more independent garden centres across Canada discover successful ways to make it economically viable to keep their stores open during the “shoulder season” from September to April.
By creating a year-round destination shopping experience, garden centres are drawing customers in by hosting workshops, expanding product inventory and organizing fun and enterprising community events.
Fashion shows and pet-friendly events
A great example are the many events hosted at Greenland Garden Centre in Sherwood Park, Alta. These include an Indoor Gardening Day in February with seminars and in-store specials, and a Howl-ween Pooch Parade in October, when customers dress up their pets in support of a local animal shelter. And the fashion shows, which started in 2010, continue to be as popular as they are profitable. Greenland currently hosts shows twice a year during the bookends of the gardening season in March and September.
“Both are much anticipated by our customers and sell out quickly every time,” said Patti Ambrock, Greenland’s general manager. “Our fashion buyer Sharon plans specific outfits to be featured and sets aside a portion of clothing inventory to be showcased exclusively at the event. The models are Greenland’s very own staff members who also work on the sales floor after the show.”
Registration fees, as well as raffle draws throughout the evening, go toward a local women’s shelter. Attendees also receive a complimentary glass of wine.
“It has become a fun evening out for so many of our customers that many attend year after year.”
Kiwi’s haunted house
In Spruce Grove, Alta., Kiwi Nurseries Ltd. has also embraced hosting multiple events throughout the year, including an Easter Egg Hunt, Craft Beer Night and Christmas Walk. By far, the biggest draw is Kiwi’s Haunted House. In August, Kiwi staff build a seven-foot-tall skeleton to promote the month-long event. Every weekend in October, the garden centre welcomes between 500 and 1,500 people every night.
“We charge admission, or a donation to the Parkland Food Bank gets you entry,” said Ashleigh Munro, Kiwi Nurseries’ garden centre coordinator. Guests can skip the lines by purchasing a speed pass, which costs three times the price, “and people are quite happy to have that option as well.”
The haunted house starts earlier in the night, when kids under six get in for free. There are no actors in the haunted house creating jump scares, allowing younger families a chance to enjoy a more subtle scare experience.
As it gets darker throughout the night, the atmosphere “gets scarier and scarier.”
Kiwi’s Haunted House is so popular that traffic often backs up on the nearby Yellowhead Highway. The October event has become such a defining part of the business that many customers who drive by in the summer are surprised to discover “that haunted house place” is a huge, 200-acre garden centre and nursery grower that has been in business for 45 years.
Butterflies and exclusive customer events
Jardin Hamel near Quebec City, Que., creates an annual, six-week event called Papillons en Fête. Staff set up a huge, 1,000-square-metre aviary where more than 15,000 butterflies from over 35 species flutter about the plant material. The event is timed to coincide with March Break, and with tickets costing only up to $9, this low-cost wintertime event has become a hit with families.
“This aviary is set up in a tropical style with orchids, flowers and tropical plants, and there are thousands and thousands of butterflies flying freely,” said Francois Parent, co-owner of Jardin Hamel.
Leanne Johnson, president of Canada GardenWorks Ltd., frequently works with businesses in the communities local to her 10 store locations in British Columbia. They host meetings for garden clubs and special holiday events for the clients of realtors.
“We’d invite them to the store, have music, snacks, beverages, and the realtor is there welcoming them and providing them a nice holiday gift,” Johnson said.
They’ve done similar exclusive events for VIP customers to give them a chance to see new merchandise and to feel valued. They’ve also hosted financial institutions to invitation- only parties that include hands-on workshops.
“We just had to provide the expertise and passion,” Johnson added. “That was easy.”
Using wintertime wisely
Art Vanden Enden spent his 44-year career working in, managing and leading independent garden centres in the Greater Toronto Area. Even though a garden centre may not be profitable during the winter months, “the value of retaining experienced employees in a small business is immense,” he said.
“A well-organized, progressive garden centre will use staff resources to paint, to build, to renovate, to train, to invest in all sorts of things that can make your garden centre more attractive and run more efficiently once you get into April and the floodgates open,” Art continued.
“The things you can do to prepare for that are important, and that’s the beauty of January, February and March. If you use the time wisely, you can have significant operational improvements.”
Another reason to stay open in winter is to provide an indoor, tropical oasis where customers can browse amongst water features, fountains and ponds that creates an escape from the dreary weather.
“It allows customers to maybe pick up one, two, three plants and bring a little bit of that colour and sunshine back home with them,” Vanden Enden said, adding that garden centres can be “an oasis at your doorstep in the wintertime for a lot of people.”
Discovering niche events that bring people in is an ongoing process that may require some trial and error, as every garden centre has a demographic that differs from place to place.
“Discovering the type of event that works in your area can only occur by trying something new,” said Robin Godfrey, chair of Garden Centres Canada. “This fall and winter, take a step outside of the box and give workshops and community events a try, as they may end up being a hit.”
Huge GM and Stellantis fleet discounts added to CNLA member benefits
The Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA) is thrilled to announce its popular programs with Stellantis and General Motors are better than ever, offering substantial fleet discount savings to all members.
CNLA members have access to discounts of more than $11,000 off brand new GM and Stellantis trucks, as well as many new vehicles among each company’s respective product lineup.
CNLA has a strong working relationship with Stellantis and GM, and will continue to work with them on building such programs. Keep an eye on the CNLA social media accounts and monthly e-mail membership updates for any developments to vehicle savings, as well as updates about all national member benefit programs.
With the make, model, trim level and year of the vehicle offered by GM or Stellantis, CNLA staff can let you know precisely what discount is being offered. Please reach out to memberservices@cnla-acpp.ca or call 1-888-446- 3499 to discuss the current Stellantis and GM discounts available to CNLA members.