For Height, Drama, and Eye-Catching Interest

By Ava Green

Every well-designed garden needs an anchor, something tall and confident at the back that gives the whole planting a sense of structure and depth. While shrubs and trees often fill that role, perennials can also do the job beautifully. The back row perennials below are sturdy, reliable performers that thrive right here in Norfolk County. Plant them at the back of a border or the centre of an island bed as the backdrop that makes everything around them look better.

False Indigo, Baptisia australis

Baptisia is one of those perennials that gardeners discover and immediately wonder why they waited so long to plant it. In late spring, masses of stems are loaded with sweet pea-shaped flowers in shades of indigo blue, soft yellow, white or purple, and butterflies and bees absolutely love them. Once the blooms fade, the plant takes on a handsome, shrub-like form with blue-green foliage that holds its shape nicely for the rest of the season. While it’s slow to establish, it is extraordinarily long-lived, making it a plant you put in once and enjoy for decades.

Grows 3 ft tall and 3 ft wide | Full sun to partial shade | Blooms late spring to early summer

Hollyhocks, Alcea

Few perennials carry the nostalgic, romantic charm of a Hollyhock in full bloom. Their tall, stately spires are covered in large, papery flowers and are available in an irresistible range of colours from soft pastels to rich burgundies and deep purples, to classic white. They have a way of making a garden feel established in their first season, making them a desirable back-row choice.  

Grows 2-8 ft tall and 1-2 ft wide | Prefers full sun but will tolerate part shade | Blooms in summer 

Joe Pye Weed, Eutrochium or Eupatorium

A native plant that is as ecologically valuable as it is beautiful. Its large, showy clusters of rosy-purple flowers are a magnet for butterflies and pollinators from mid-summer well into fall, long after many other perennials have finished their show. If you want a back-row plant that works hard for wildlife while adding bold colour to the garden, this is an excellent choice. 

Grows 4-6 ft tall and 2-4 ft wide | Prefers part sun and moist soil | Blooms mid-summer to late fall

Russian Sage, Perovskia atriplicifolia or Salvia yangii 

When the garden fills up with yellow and orange blooms in late summer, Russian Sage arrives with a billowy, airy cloud of lavender-blue flower spikes rising above silvery-grey foliage. It catches the light beautifully and adds a softness that few other plants can match. Drought-tolerant once established and virtually pest-free, it is one of the lowest-maintenance perennials you can grow. Compact varieties are also available if space is limited. 

Grows 3-4 ft tall and 3-4 ft wide | Full sun | Blooms mid-summer to fall

Bear’s Breeches, Acanthus Mollis

If you’re looking for a plant that makes a genuine architectural statement, Bear’s Breeches is in a category of its own. Its large, deeply lobed, glossy foliage forms an impressive mound, while dramatic flower spikes shoot three to five feet upward, bearing creamy white snapdragon-like blooms accented with striking reddish-purple bracts. It is bold, sculptural, and unlike almost anything else in the garden. 

Grows 3-5 ft tall and 2-3 ft wide | Full sun to part shade | Blooms June to July

Foxglove, Digitalis 

There is something undeniably enchanting and regal about Foxglove with its tall spires of tubular flowers freckled and spotted on the inside, nodding gently in the breeze. The colour range is also wonderful, from soft creamy whites and pale pinks to rich purples and deep rose. Many varieties self-seed freely, naturalizing happily in the garden over time. One important note: every part of the Foxglove plant is toxic to people and pets, so it is best planted away from areas where children or animals play. In the right spot, however, it is one of the most beautiful back-of-the-border plants available. 

Grows 2-5 ft tall and 2 ft wide | Sun to part shade | Blooms in summer

Goat’s Beard, Aruncus diocus

Despite its stature, this is one of the most graceful and softening plants you can add to a shady border. Large, feathery plumes of creamy white flowers rise above finely divided, elegant foliage, bringing lightness to even the darkest corners of the garden. It is especially effective at softening hard edges, filling bare spots under trees, and providing a lush, natural backdrop for smaller shade-loving plants. Dwarf varieties are available for smaller spaces.

Grows 6 inches (dwarf) to 6 ft  tall and 2-4 ft wide | Partial to full shade | Blooms early to mid-summer

Gardener’s Tip: 

Removing spent blooms before they go to seed, also known as deadheading, encourages many perennials to produce a second flush of flowers later in the season. It takes only a few minutes and can extend your bloom display by weeks. 

Ready to Build Your Back Row?

The team at Eising Garden Centre is here to help you choose the right tall perennials for your space, your soil, and your sun conditions. Stop by and let us help you create a border that looks stunning from front to back, season after season.

Making a Lot ... A Lot More

By Ely Schweyer

This spring, Mary – you may know her as the Perennials Gal at Eising Greenhouses and Garden Centre – invited me over for a garden tour. I knew to expect a good collection of perennials, but this garden also shines with personality and character. Having brought my big camera, I wanted to help Mary show off all her efforts, as this property has undergone some serious changes. If you wish to make your garden unique to you, whilst eco and budget friendly, may this garden tour inspire you!

A Clean Slate

Mary and her husband, Chris, brought their 60’ x 120’ property in July of 1985, which was then “no trees, no lawn, just weeds.”

The lack of trees and the overabundance of Norfolk County clay resulted in drainage issues, which led to the first planted tree drowning, and quickly made mowing a strenuous chore.

The Fix

With her husband driving truck for a construction business, Mary and Chris had access to hauling 17 dump truck loads of sand home to raise the property. Mary says the blue-grey clumps of clay still make their way to the surface – but the drainage issues have subsided!

🖱️ Visit this blog to learn more about soil amendments!

Mary then focused on establishing some native trees on a small budget, and that’s when the community began to grow in her garden. “We have had the best neighbors ever, for 46 years, watched their kids grow, and leave, and come back, and leave - pets come and go - quite the legacy!” With the leaves she collected from her neighbours, Maple Trees volunteered sporadically over the property. Then, after buying a native Carolinian forest seed package at a Toronto garden show, Mary carefully seeded Yellow Birch, White Birch, Wild Crab Apple, and three Sycamores, which now stand tall and proud in her garden. One of my favourites in the little forest was a variegated lilac!

These trees not only provide protection for the house and the many birds but also offer enough shade to maintain a moss-like lawn that requires minimal mowing. The shady canopy offers a coziness adding to the overall quaintness of the garden.

The Perennials Gal’s Perennials

In 1985, the property was surrounded by woodlots; however, all is subject to change. “When we learned of a housing development planned for the forest across the highway from us, I lead crusades to save the native plants that were so abundant there.” The forest may now be gone, but the Trilliums, Mayapples, Violets, Solomon’s Seal, and Ferns are still growing happily and abundantly in Mary’s – and her neighbours’ – gardens. “Over the years I have shared many trunk loads of perennials, many of which were given to me!” Other notable perennials in Mary’s garden are an abundance of Crocus and Forget-Me-Nots, a Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and a Prickly Pear Cactus.

Hardscaping

One of my favourite things in any garden is creative ways to recycle and repurpose, and Mary’s garden does not disappoint!

Immediately, one will notice the unique pathways that intertwine throughout the spaces. Mary collects broken terracotta and ceramic pottery pieces to create footpaths akin to mosaics. The addition of colour is not only visual but provides an audio sensory experience as one moves throughout the garden, “we can always tell when a little animal is coming to visit us sitting out here,” as the pieces gently clink underfoot.

I also must make note of the wine cork pathway to the fairy garden!

The back patio too is tasteful and playful visually, with blue blocks laid interspersed. You’ll be pleased to know that the Dover Arena lives on in Mary’s garden – the repurposed blocks lie on their sides – and the blue? Those came from the men’s washroom!

The Ponds

Two little ponds provide popular watering holes for birds, raccoons, skunks, opossums, and the neighbours' cats, all of which are welcome.

The pond nearest the patio is a fish tote off the Dover Fish Tugs. Mary dug into the clay to set the 4’ x 4’ x 3’ deep tote, knowing she had one chance or she’d never be able to pull the heavy tote out. “We figure that whoever inherits this property will have to dynamite the pond out, it is set in Norfolk County Clay!” The tote pond is home to a family of goldfish, who don’t mind wintering in it with its little waterfall that keeps the water moving. The goldfish weave through Irises, Waterlilies, and Dwarf Hyacinth.

Another small pond sits in the very back of the yard between the trees, visited by many birds and critters.

The Fairy Garden

As a fun ongoing project, Mary recently began a fairy garden – and is it ever quaint! Central to a tree and skirted by a pathway, many of the pieces are thrifted or gifted!

Pots as More Than Just Containers

Mary uses pots to extend where she can grow her favourites; this is an excellent way to create varying heights, breaking up horizon lines and adding interest. The terracotta orange also contrasts beautifully with Mary’s frequent use of blue.

Things that Make it Just Mary and Chris

Vintage and found objects help to ground any space. Mary and Chris have collected rocks, driftwood, shells, “anything that makes a statement, big or small,” bringing unique natural elements into their garden that sync with their interests.

Mary and Chris, founders of Port Dover’s famed Friday the 13th, undoubtedly have a longtime love of motorcycles. In March of 1978, they travelled south to Daytona, Florida, for Bike Week, the largest motorcycle event in the world. There, Mary would earn a ‘raccoon’ nickname from wearing wide-brimmed shades all day in the sun. “Of all the stuffed toys Chris could possibly have owned at that time, he had a little raccoon at his bed side table, I still have it, it would be Number 1 of 3920! Yes, the collection is cataloged, every piece is given a number and recorded. I still collect to this day, but am very selective as to what I buy, as I have so many.” Mary’s raccoon collection is playfully hidden throughout her garden, with little mischievous eyes watching you as you move about. The ornaments help to draw the eye up into the trees and into the shrubs. Mary makes an effort to carefully pack them all up in the fall and bring them out again each spring.

Speaking of spring, this blog will be updated with summer and fall pictures as the garden moves through time!

Mary’s garden is a little ode to a life well cherished; no one thing in it is without purpose or a memory. It is also a great example of reusing and repurposing – gardening does not have to cost an arm and a leg to be great. When you enter the space, you know whose energy is channeled into it, and that is, in my opinion, exactly how to garden!

A Full List of Plants that Grow in Mary’s Garden

Plants that Enjoy Zone 5a and 6b - Provided by Mary

TREES and SHRUBS

• Norway Maple
• Sugar Maple
• Sycamore
• White Birch
• Yellow Birch
• Cedars
• Forsythia
• Burning Bush
• Butterfly Bush
• Kousa Dogwood
• Weeping Cherry
• Sand Cherry
• Pine
• American Oak
• Ginkgo 
• Red Bud
• Annabelle Hydrangia
• Variegated Lilac 
• Wisteria
• Rose of Sharon
• Variegated Euonymus
• Juniper
• Holly Bush
• Wild Crabapple

SPRING BULB PERENNIALS

• Tulips, Daffodil, Hyacinth, Narcissus, Windflower, Snowdrops, Cilia, Crocus, Frittalaria, Grape Hyacinth

FREE SEEDERS

• Forget Me Nots
• Lunaria (Money Tree) 
• Columbine
• Sun drops

GARDEN PERENNIALS

• Hostas (approx 10 species)
• Irises (approx 4 species)
• Tall Phlox: pink, purple, white, coral
• Creeping Phlox
• Candytuft
• Periwinkle
• Lily of the Valley
• Oriental Poppies
• Cranesbill Geranium
• Jacobs Ladder
• Lamnium
• Goutweed
• Lungwort
• Sweet Woodruff 
• Clematis
• Ivy ground cover
• Sedum, creeping 2 Species
• Sedum tall
• Ajuga
• Blue Grass
• Hens and Chickens - 100’s!
• Variegated Solomon’s Seal
• Allium
• Beard Tongue
• Brunaria
• Goats Beard
• Bergenia
• Creeping Thyme

NATIVE PERENNIALS

• Red and white Trillium
• Jack in the Pulpit
• Wild Geranium
• Mayapple
• Wild Violet
• Ferns (approx 6 kinds) 
• Solomon’s Seal
• Euphorbia
• Prickly Pear Cactus

POND PLANTS

• Yellow Iris
• Dwarf Hyacinth
• Water Lily

Be sure to visit Mary in the perennials section at Eising Greenhouse & Garden Centre this summer for many of the mentioned plants – and be sure to make your garden yours! 🪴

By Ava Green

As soon as warm weather and sunshine arrive in Southern Ontario, it’s time to head to the garden centre and pick up all the plants we’ve been dreaming about all winter long! May 24th is generally the date we look forward to — the unofficial marker when frosty mornings are behind us and the promise of summer is ahead. 

By now, cool-weather plants like cabbage, Brussels sprouts, peas, and lettuce should be well established in the vegetable garden. And for everything else, it’s go time!

TIP: Before you start planting, this is the ideal time to amend your soil. Top up your garden beds with fresh topsoil or enrich them with compost to improve soil health, add nutrients, and promote vigorous plant growth. Don’t forget to refresh the soil in your containers as well, with potting mix or compost.

Warm Weather Vegetables

When soil temperatures are consistently 60°F (15°C) or higher, it’s safe to plant all the warm-weather vegetable crops we’ve been waiting for! Plants that thrive in warmer weather include tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, zucchini and corn.

At Eising Garden Centre, you’ll find vegetables in 6-packs, 4” pots, trellised patio containers, patio bowls and hanging baskets - while supplies last, of course!

Herbs also love warm weather, and tender varieties like basil are safe to plant once all danger of frost has passed. Whether you plant herbs directly into the ground or create a potted herb garden near the kitchen door, they’ll add fresh flavour to your meals all season long. A container of herbs also makes a wonderful gift when visiting friends and family for a summer BBQ.

While you’re in the vegetable and herb aisle, keep an eye out for everbearing strawberries in planters and containers of tropical fruits like lemons, limes, and oranges.

Annual Flowers

Winter-weary flower beds can be revived almost instantly with a burst of colourful annuals! If you’re looking for an immediate impact and blooms that last all summer long, annual flowers are the answer.

Whether you plant them in beds, containers, window boxes, or hanging baskets — or choose from one of our gorgeous pre-planted options — just add water and fertilizer, and you’ll be rewarded with a vibrant display that keeps on giving.

Perennials

While perennials may not bloom all summer, many offer extended bloom periods, and by combining different varieties, you can create a succession of flowers that lasts for months. Perennials also provide essential greenery to anchor your garden and enhance the look of your flowering plants.

You can plant perennials from spring through fall, but getting them into the ground now gives them a strong start. From hostas and ornamental grasses to daisies and delphiniums, there’s a perennial for every style of garden — and the best part is, they’ll return each spring like dependable old friends.

Trees, Shrubs and Vines

Often called “the bones” of the garden, trees, shrubs, and climbing vines add essential structure, height, and seasonal interest. Planting them now allows you to design your garden layers thoughtfully, incorporating annuals and perennials around their base.

Spring is also the prime time to purchase and plant fruit trees and fruiting shrubs. At Eising, spring offers the best selection for starting your home orchard. Are you thinking of adding a few edible shrubs? Gooseberries, haskaps, hardy kiwi, rhubarb and raspberries are excellent choices.

Mulch

Okay, it’s not a plant, but this is a reminder to add mulch to your garden beds or containers. After planting, adding a layer of mulch to your garden beds or containers helps retain soil moisture, reduces transplant shock, and suppresses weeds. Even if a few weeds manage to sneak through, mulch makes them easier to pull.

Water Garden Plants

If you have a garden pond, spring is the perfect time to add water plants. Floating plants, such as water hyacinths and water lilies, help shade the pond’s surface, reducing algae blooms. Marginal or bog plants, such as water iris, papyrus, and cattails, also help keep the water healthy and clear by improving oxygen levels and providing habitats for beneficial wildlife.

Time to Grow!

May is one of the most anticipated and exciting months in the garden. Whether you’re dreaming of fresh vegetables, a lush landscape, or a colourful flower display, planting now sets the stage for a beautiful, bountiful season. Visit us at Eising Garden Centre to find everything you need — and let’s get growing!

A well-chosen hedge can do a lot more than just look great—it can give you privacy, act as a windbreak, define garden spaces, reduce noise, or add year-round greenery. Whether you're looking to block out a view, frame your garden, or just create a lush backdrop, hedges are incredibly versatile.

One of the most underappreciated roles of a hedge? It makes everything in front of it—flowers, trees, garden art—look even better. Think of it as a green stage curtain that lets your garden stars shine.

Pretty much any shrub planted in a row can create a hedge, but the right plant depends on what you want it to do. Here are some of our top picks.

Evergreen Hedges - The Classic Green Wall

Cedar 

Cedar is a favourite for a reason. With its dense, year-round green foliage and low-maintenance nature, it's ideal for privacy. Depending on the type, cedars can grow between 9–14 feet tall, forming a living wall that blocks wind, noise, and prying eyes. It also makes a lovely backdrop for all your other plants.

Inkberry Holly

Looking for a Boxwood alternative? Inkberry Holly is a great choice—especially if you're concerned about Boxwood Blight. This broadleaf evergreen keeps its dark, glossy green leaves all year and can grow up to 8 feet tall if left unpruned. It loves full sun, wet soil, and even acidic conditions. You can trim it to keep it neat or let it grow naturally—either way, it makes a fantastic border or garden divider.

Yew

With dense, dark green foliage that stays lush all year-round, Yews make excellent hedges for privacy, property lines, and garden backdrops. They’re incredibly versatile—leave them to grow naturally for a softer look or trim regularly for a crisp, formal shape. Yews respond beautifully to pruning, creating a smooth, tailored finish. Just be sure to wear gloves when handling them, and plant them away from children, pets and livestock, as all parts of this striking plant are toxic.

Deciduous Hedges with Drama and Colour

Bridalwreath Spirea 

Graceful, arching branches that are completely covered in double-white blooms in the Spring make Bridalwreath Spirea a truly stunning hedge plant in the spring. After its spring show, small, glossy green leaves cover this plant until the fall, when its leaves take on beautiful autumn colours.

Bridalwreath Spirea grows to a mature height of 4-9 feet, can tolerate light shade as well as a variety of soil conditions and can be lightly pruned to shape. They are also deer-resistant.

Peking Cotoneaster

Peking Cotoneaster may not be flashy, but there are lots of reasons to love this shrub. Its smooth, dark green leaves create a clean, structured look that works beautifully behind flowering plants or along fences. In fall, the leaves turn a fiery red, and black berries appear, which birds snack on through the winter. Growing 5–7 feet tall, this shrub is also a great choice for wind protection and bird habitat.

Still not sure which plants to choose for your hedge? Stop in to see us at Eising Garden Centre and talk to one of our tree and shrub specialists - Zach, Sandy and Donna, or contact one of our landscape design specialists, Emily or Lucas. We’re here to help!

The promise of Spring signals the season of revitalization, even for your wardrobe. Wouldn’t it be great to open your closet and find clothes that go together and that fit? Also, why is it that just when you find the perfect pair of black pants, there is never anything in the closet that seems to go with them?

Reorganizing your closet so that you can find what you need and know what is missing is easier than you might think. Even if you are already organized and can effortlessly pull an outfit together, this is always a great exercise to freshen things up. A revitalized closet just makes life easier! And organizing each year can be a quick, simple task that is quite enjoyable. Especially when you know there’s a payoff at the end of the job - getting something new to add to the mix!

These simple steps will help you see what items you need to update your closet. Then, when you come in to shop, you will know whether you need something with a burst of colour to freshen things up, like a colour block tee, or one of the great graphic tees at Sassyfras. Or maybe you bought a men’s dryweave shirt from us last year, and one just isn’t enough to use for sports, supper out, and that vacation in Spain. Once you follow this plan, you will know, and it will probably save you money.

If you set an afternoon aside, and do this with a friend - in person or on a video chat - time will fly by. Or, just put on some good music now and let’s get started.

1 - Make a Pile

First take everything out of your closet. Empty out drawers and all the things on the shelves above and below, including those birthday presents you meant to give out last year. Put it all on the bed or the floor, depending on the amount of space needed.

2 - Sort

Grab five boxes, bags or bins and label them as: Keep, Donate, Sell, Other and Trash.

As you pick up each article of clothing from the pile, decide which of the five containers it should go into. It can be a tough thing to do if you hate to part with old favourites. This is when you need that friend to support you and ask questions like “How often do you wear this? Is it still useful to you?” If you’re going it alone, and you’re not sure, just put it in the Other bin for now, along with those birthday gifts from last year.

3 - Clean 

Don’t let this one scare you! It’s an empty closet, so it will go quickly. Give the closet a good vacuum. Wipe down poles, shelves, drawers and the floor. Maybe even add a quick coat of paint. Just make sure that it’s dry before continuing to the next step!

4 - Organize 

Drawing from the Keep pile, start to put these items back into the closet in an organized way - pants in one section, blouses in another, etc. Keep colour in mind as you go so that you can organize items by colour as well. For example, keep all the blue blouses together.

If anything on the shelves was disorganized when you emptied the closet (sweaters, t-shirts, shoes), find containers to gather each of these items into and label them clearly. Even if it’s cardboard boxes with labels written in magic marker for now - you can always find a clear bin later and swap them out if you like.

Once everything that you know you want to keep is back in the closet, take another look in the Other bin. Where those items go may be more clear to you now. If not, put that box into the closet, except those birthday gifts - for heaven’s sake give those away. Or, hang these items up with the hangers facing backwards. If the hangers are still facing backwards in a year, or the Other box still has items in it, it’s time for those things to go!

5 - Remove

Now you’re ready to post the items you’re selling, or put the box in the car to take to a consignment store, along with the box of items that you’re donating.

Take the trash bag out to the curb, pull your shoulders back, and brush your hands together because you’ve done some great work! Doesn’t it feel good?! The final step is your sweet reward.

6 - Revitalize

While a sparkling clean and organized closet does feel good… nothing feels better than a new piece of clothing. It’s time to think about what’s next.

Take a look inside your beautiful closet, and see what you need. It should be so much easier to make a list of items that will revitalise your wardrobe now.

Bring that list with you on your next shopping trip! Of course, Sassyfras is stocked up with lots of great clothing, and ready to help you when Eising Garden Centre reopens on Thursday, March 2 for the 2023 season.

If you would like updates with everything that’s happening at Eising Garden Centre, this is the link to sign up for our fabulous newsletter.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Sassyfras Hours

Beginning March 2, 2023

Monday - Saturday 10am-5pm

Eising Garden Centre

Spring Hours - Beginning March 2, 2023

Monday - Saturday 9am-5pm

Believe it or not, winter is the absolute best time to ponder, dream, and plan your garden and landscape design. Why? Spring is the optimal season to plant and transplant, and with a design in hand, we can hit the ground running once warmer temperatures arrive. Can you plant and transplant throughout the garden season? There are some exceptions, but for the most part the answer is yes. But why not get a head start, and take advantage of having plants established at the start of the growing season? Sure, we have designers sitting by the phone right now on these long, cold winter days but don’t just feel sorry for them - take advantage of the fact that it’s a great time to contact them! Contact details for Eising Garden Centre Landscape Design* are at the end of this post.

You may be asking why you should bother having someone else design your garden? One reason that I have learned the hard way is that it pays off in the long run. I’m probably not the only one who has planted flowers before putting in a patio or walkway, only to rip everything up because of construction, then re-plant all over again. 

Besides saving you money on costly mistakes, here are a couple more things to consider:

1. Curb appeal and property value

When most people think of those two concepts, they think about preparing a home for selling. I’m not referring to that. Every day, when you arrive home from work, or errands, wouldn’t it be great to love the way your home and garden looks when you pull into the driveway? That’s curb appeal and property value for your own benefit! However, if you are planning to sell, investing a bit of money in sprucing up the yard definitely impacts the selling price.

2. Design for living

Because we have a few precious months to enjoy our outdoor spaces, landscaping allows you to make better use of the space available. What do you use your space for? What do you need to incorporate into your plan to include those activities? Will you need to  install a patio, or create a garden, and where should you put them on the property? Maybe you need to create privacy with an evergreen hedge? Landscape design makes sense of all of it. 

Maybe you’re interested in an opportunity to make your garden more environmentally friendly. For example, adding native plants, a birdhouse and birdbath. Perhaps you want to add shade trees to shelter birds, and decrease the need for air conditioning your house in the summer.

3. Structure and a plan are sexier than you think

Lastly, I want to tell you a personal story about my experience hiring a landscape designer. I’m a plant lover and I never considered design. I studied plants, and spent several years joyously collecting all kinds of perennials, shrubs, water and bog plants, and trees. 

My garden was chaotic! But I loved the wild looking patchwork quilt of rare and unusual plants scattered within the confines of borders around my property. I nurtured each individual plant, and when I looked at my garden that’s what I saw, individual plants. Then I hired a landscaper to build a bigger pond for my growing collection of water and bog plants. 

When the time came to build the pond, he moved my plants to make way for all of the construction. Once that was complete, he placed my plant material back following his design. My plants, the same plants I had before the project, looked completely different. There was harmony in the arrangement. 

The overall effect was such an incredible improvement that I could not believe my eyes. It was a whole new garden, and proved the value of good garden design. Hint: it doesn’t involve buying a new, spectacular plant and plunking it into an empty spot, or digging another bed in some random location that gets sunlight. That was my AHA! moment.

Someone who understands plants AND design can take the things on your wish list and make them all come together in a way that just works.

*Eising Garden Centre Landscape Design

Contact Roman Bodnar to set up an appointment: by email here or call 519-428-4607.

Consultation Fee: $175 consultation fee per space (2023 pricing) - for example, the front yard would be considered one space. 

What your consultation includes:

1) A knowledgeable staff member will meet with you at the site of the project for up to 1 hour.

2) Any questions and concerns that the customer has will be reviewed and helpful suggestions will be made to ensure a successful project.

3) A simple 3D visual landscape design will be made, to enable the customer to see the potential of their space.

4) A detailed list will be provided to exhibit the needs, amounts and prices of the materials.

5) A 10% discount will be made available on all plant material in the design within 90 days of the consultation purchase.

Our specialty is soft-scaping: plants, soil and mulch. If the design we create warrants it, we will also utilize some armour stone and other natural stone features. We can’t wait to show you the potential of your property! Don’t delay your planning any longer…contact Eising Garden Centre today.

If you bought a live tree for Christmas, maybe from your friends at Eising, and you’re wondering what to do with it after the holidays, we have 7 ways to recycle or upcycle it. The needles and tinsel may be falling off, and you’re probably ready to give it the “Heave Ho!”, but wait! Check out these ideas first:  

1. Create a wildlife shelter and winter interest

Let's put our Christmas trees to work in our gardens! If you have a bare spot in the yard, moving your Christmas tree outside is a great way to instantly “spruce” it up! You can leave the tree right in the stand, or prop it up on a fence, maybe even add a string of outdoor lights to enjoy on the dark winter nights coming our way. Doing this will give you something pretty to look at for sure, but more importantly, it provides additional shelter for birds and wildlife.

2. Enhance your garden soil

A live Christmas tree is 100% biodegradable. By turning it into mulch or compost it will break down and return stored nutrients back to the soil. Now that’s a win-win! And it’s easier than you may think. If you don’t have a shredder, branches can be chopped up by using good ‘ol pruning shears. Needles are full of nutrients and will also help soil from becoming dense and compacted. Using wood chips, chopped branches, and needles as a mulch is also a great way to help your garden trees stay moist and healthy during the winter. If you’re adding the needles and branches to your compost pile, be sure to add some water and mix it well with the rest of the compost. Another option is to add the chopped branches and needles to a garden path.

3. Protect your plants

There’s still a lot of winter weather ahead of us, and your tree can help protect perennials that are marginally hardy. Simply cut long branches from your Christmas tree using loppers, pruners, or a saw, and lay them over perennial plants to add insulation. The boughs will protect your plants from winter freezes and spring thaws, which could be the difference between losing a plant and seeing it grow again next year.

4. Keep the fresh pine scent

Are the needles on your tree still green? Use gloves or scissors to strip them from the tree, then store the needles in paper bags to use as room fresheners. The needles can retain their scent for months to come.

5. Support for Spring

Branches make lovely natural supports for any plants that need a little propping up - like peonies for example. Once the branches are trimmed off, the trunk can be used to support vines like Morning Glories or pole beans, or by laying it on it’s side as an edge for a garden.

6. Get creative

Crafts like ornaments and coasters are a great way to upcycle a tree trunk. Be sure to let the tree completely dry first or the wood will split when you cut it into 6 to 10 millimeter thick rounds. Then get creative by painting or varnishing and drilling holes in them if you’re making ornaments. They’re attractive, practical, and make great gifts.

7. Donate it, or take it to a recycling centre

If you have no need for recycling your living tree for home use, then look for a local program to donate your tree to. For over a decade, the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton has used donated Christmas trees for various stream restoration projects. More information about their programs can be found on the RBG site. Or, skip the drive to Hamilton and check for your county recycling program. In Norfolk County for example, you must drop your tree off.

What’s not on our list? Burning your tree. You definitely do not want to burn it in your fireplace as it’s creosote content makes for a sticky, sooty fireplace. It’s not recommend that you burn it outdoors either. Coniferous needles contain nitrogen and substances called terpenes which are very toxic when burned, making the smoke unsafe for anyone around your fire pit to breathe. It’s much better to do any of the things listed above, or, if you have your own wooded area or pond, you can also put your tree in either of those places to enhance the natural habitat for woodland animals or fish.