MOOSE JAW — As the chill of winter melts away and spring warmth returns, Keon Garden Centre is ready to welcome gardeners with a wide selection of Canadian-sourced and locally chosen plants, expert advice, and all the essentials for a successful growing season.
This year, Keon Garden Centre is placing a special emphasis on Canadian-grown plants, alongside its regular selection of climate-appropriate sun, shade, and native perennials.
“The majority of what we sell is already Canadian, which is wonderful,” said Marcy Duffey, owner of Keon Garden Centre.
“We’re a Nurseryland store… and all our Nurseryland products are made in the West for the West. Our fertilizers, our soils — they’re all formulated for our climate.”
The team has been hard at work preparing for the season, planting over 400 varieties of perennials in recent weeks. Many of its annuals, by comparison, are set to trickle in over the coming weeks as weather conditions improve.
“We grow all our own perennials right here at the greenhouse,” Duffey said. “We’ve been doing that for 30-plus years, so we know what we’re doing when it comes to perennials.”
The sowing process is a well-oiled operation, with the team planting the last perennial roots, bulbs, and rhizomes in a matter of days.
“The whole crew of ladies planted three full greenhouses of perennials in three days over the weekend,” Duffey said in a nod to the hard work and dedication of her staff. “We don’t sell a single perennial that isn’t good and hardy for our climate.”
Keon Garden Centre’s layout is designed to make plant selection easy for customers. Greenhouses are organized by plant needs, with one dedicated to full-sun perennials, another for shade-loving plants, and a third for a mix of native perennials, clematis, and peonies. Keon’s staff are well-versed in plant care, placement, and are ready to help customers choose the right plants for their yard.
In addition to perennials, Keon Garden Centre carries an assortment of trees, shrubs, annuals, and vegetable plants.
“All our seed companies are Canadian — one is from Ontario, and two are from Brandon, Manitoba. Our seed potatoes all come from northern Saskatchewan,” she explained.
Canadian-sourced plants and other products are being marked with a “Grown in Canada” sticker, which the team is now busily distributing throughout the store. If anything isn’t currently sourced from Canada, it’s likely because some products were purchased in advance from routine sources last fall — a policy Duffey is revising this year.
Keon Garden Centre has made a few improvements to its store layout this season.
“We (upgraded to a) new, larger entranceway — it’s just getting finished up now,” Duffey said. “We outgrew our space over the past five years, so we needed a larger entrance and exit.”
The revision includes a new till layout with a dedicated counterspace for landscaping orders. “If you’re coming in to figure out what you need for landscaping — bricks, bulk soils, or aggregates — there’s a counter dedicated to that so you can have your paperwork spread out and the girls can help you figure out what you need.”
Duffey anticipates a high demand for fruit-bearing plants and vegetables this season — a growing trend with roots in the pandemic that continues to be fuelled by the rising cost of living.
“With the cost of groceries, a lot of people are… wanting to grow their own food this year. We can help them figure out how to do that,” she said.
Keon Garden Centre officially reopened on March 17 and is now open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. excluding Sundays. Once the weather improves and the outdoor nursery opens, regular greenhouse hours will resume. The greenhouse will then be open seven days a week with extended hours on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
Keon Garden Centre is located at 1645 Stadacona Street West and can be reached at 306-693-6771. For more information visit KeonGardenCentre.ca or “Keon Garden Centre” on Facebook.
