Author: Andrea Heembrock

Andrea works as Anything Grows Head of Marketing and Team Builder, and like everyone else at the store, she loves plants! Though she has many years of experience with plants, she gains a great deal of knowledge from her husband, Ty, who has been in the gardening industry for over two decades.

Bug Series: How to Deal with Aphids

What most people don’t realize is that these pesky little insects come in many different sizes and colours. Most commonly in Alberta, you’ll see green, yellow, black, or brown aphids. Described as “juicy-looking” bugs, these soft-shelled insects are literally just that – slow, plump, and sweet to eat (for their predators, that is). Why They’re […]

Spring & Summer Outdoor Watering Guide

We get a lot of questions from well-intentioned gardeners down here at the greenhouse –  vivid descriptions of ‘problem plants’, pictures of sad shrubs, and even bags full of fallen flora will often accompany these advice-seekers, and HANDS DOWN, the most common cause of death-and-disease for outdoor plant care is: wait for it… Not. Enough. […]

Top 10 Tough Perennials for Alberta Gardens

A backyard garden space can be elevated to the next level with hardy perennials for Alberta and it’s difficult climate. Perennials are plants that come back year after year. While annual flowering baskets and planters can bring instant colour and pizzaz – perennials build structure and interest in the shoulder seasons as well. The two […]

Plant List: Plants Deer Choose Last

Deer – one of the most challenging garden pests to control. While some gardener’s have found success using deterrents like PlantSkydd or Bobbex, those solutions require diligence, and they come with their own downside (um, no one loves the smell). For a more ‘natural’ approach, many gardener’s choose to design their yards with trees and […]

10 Gorgeous Plants to Grow for Bees and Pollinators!

Looking for Plants to Grow for Bees? Bringing bees, butterflies and other pollinators to our garden strengthens our local eco-systems and is just a down right enjoyable experience later in the season! Watching bees hum around our garden is like receiving a compliment on our work from Mother Nature herself. If you’d like to grow […]

Bug Series: How to Deal With Birch Leaf Miner

Ah yes, the enemy of the Birch Tree! These crafty little larvae are originally native to Europe, but migrated to certain parts of Canada sometime in the mid-1900’s. Most entomologists agree that it’s not reasonable to expect the eradication of Birch Leaf Miner here in Canada, but many of our own native species have adapted […]

Plants for Your Shady Spots

It’s a common gardening frustration: “Nothing will grow there!” If you have a north facing yard, an awkward shady corner, or a side-bed that gets almost no sun, you probably know the feeling. You’ve tried plant after plant. Some of them die right away. Some of them show promise for a little while, but eventually […]

QuickGuide: Starting Your Seeds Indoors

Alberta is not known for having an extensive growing season… which can make it difficult to grow some vegetables, herbs, flowers, or other garden plants from seed to maturity! With only 3-5 months of decent weather to grow in (depending on the year), most gardeners ’round here need to get creative. A quick and easy […]

How to ‘Chit’, Plant, and Grow Potatoes

Quick Bookmarks: How to Chit Potatoes What does it mean to ‘Chit’ your potatoes? Chitting is a very easy step you can take to give your seed potatoes a leg up for our short growing season. While not absolutely necessary to see success in growing your potatoes, we do recommend it – Here is how […]