Seven years ago I began my journey as a cottage owner north of Huntsville, Ontario. At the time I did not know that I had been bitten by the gardening bug, a very insidious disease. Once the disease takes hold victims feel a compulsion to spend much of their free time digging in the dirt and using their money to buy plants and seeds.
The previous home owners had a minimalist approach to landscaping, and I saw an opportunity to increase my breadth of gardening given my new found acreage.
I quickly learned that growing in the upper limits of zone 4 is much more challenging then in the Greater Toronto Area. In my first years I had a lot of die off. When gardening in Northern Ontario you have to contend with a shorter growing season, harsher weather, animals, and you have to be more diligent in sourcing the right plant materials for your garden.
I quickly came to the realization that the larger retailers carry limited nursery stock that thrive in northern gardens. For that reason, I turned to mail order as a way to get the plants, seeds and trees that I wanted. I have tried various companies over the years, but this season I ordered plant material from 3 nurseries, listed below.
Treetime.ca (www.TreeTime.ca)
Located in Edmonton, Alberta Tree Time is a Western Canadian company that specializes in selling prairie hardy tree and shrub seedlings.
Pros:
- Ordering is very easy as the website
- Website identification of which plants are sold out
- Online chat line which can assist you with any problems you may encounter.
- Various discounts which you could take advantage of
- Website allows you the opportunity to select from a variety of shipping dates
- Shipping costs were reasonable, and all plants were received in good condition
- Plugs had appropriate moisture content and properly packaged for shipment across the country.
- Good search engine to find products on their website
Cons:
- Would like to see more varieties of fruits and berries
Hardy Fruit Tree Nursery (http://www.hardyfruittrees.ca)
Located in Saint-Julienne Quebec., their focus is on propagating, growing and selling fruit trees that are adapted to the northern climate. They grow all their own trees
Pros:
- Trees are grown naturally without herbicides, fungicides or chemical fertilizers.
- Excellent selection of hardy fruit trees and berries
- Great information on pollination and hardiness zones, and plant characteristics
- Good reference information on pruning, planting etc.
- Easy to use checkout system
- Quick delivery, everything well packaged
Cons:
- Website could be streamlined to identify sold out plants easier, avoiding wasted time looking at products only to find out they are not available
- Limited quantities of more popular products at times.
T & T seeds (http://www.ttseeds.com)
T & T seeds is located in Headingley, Manitoba, and are in their 72nd year of operation. They specialize in early season garden seeds and nursery stock for the home gardener.
Pros:
- Good selection of fruit, trees, berries, bulbs, seeds, and accessories
- Good selection of cold hardy fruits and berries
- Easy to order with good customer service
Cons:
- Website design and layout
- Improved product information on nursery stock would be beneficial
Over the last few years I have planted a variety of berries, fruit trees and deciduous trees on my property. The fruit trees have not started producing yet but I am hopeful that I will begin to reap the bounty of my efforts soon. The berries I planted produce a nice supply and variety of berries throughout the year.
I am hopeful that the nursery stock I planted this year from the 3 mentioned suppliers will grow well over the coming year. My biggest regret is that I am limited in acreage and that I cannot continue endlessly try new varieties of fruits and trees in my garden. I will however experiment over the next few years with a few other suppliers which I have had not yet had the pleasure to try yet, such as Green Barn Nursery, Whiffletreefarm and Nursery and Veseys seeds.
Happy Gardening.
Thank you for you review! We are always looking for ways to improve and maintain a healthy and vibrant gardening culture in Canada. You will be happy to know that a new website will launch in 2017 at T&T Seeds!
Happy Gardening ⚘
Thanks for your comment. I have ordered from you a few times and always pleased with your service. Look forward to seeing the new website
Great review! I will save it for future!