I love gardening and I love nurseries, almost as much as I love my dogs. So what is better than taking my dogs TO the nursery!
Spring is around the corner and getting ready for gardening season is on the list. I love sneaking a peak at the planters that come out at this time of year in the garden centers. Even if you are not a gardener, just enjoy a taste of spring!
Sheridan Nursery and Vandermeer Nursery are two amazing garden centers that love dogs! This for me, is fantastic, as my dogs are not used to being home alone (I work from home and don’t do much without them) and I have a tendency to stay there for quite a while looking around.
We visited:
Sheridan Nursery
There are seven locations within the Greater Toronto Area, but my favorite is Whitby. I have been a patron there since I first moved to Whitby years ago. It soon became my mom’s favorite as well when she moved closer to us.
The nursery is obviously the biggest draw but know that they also have a fantastic selection of clothes (I have some fantastic outfits!) and it is a wonderful place to pick up a gift, or décor for the house.
The garden center is the best part of Sheridan Nursery. The main part of the store has house plants and trees (my house is full!) and the greenhouse area has all the necessities for your garden from potted plants, to hoses to garden décor. The outside area has an array of roses, shrubs and trees. This place is clearly a landscapers dream.
All the staff are so knowledgeable but I have to admit that I have a favorite staff member. Her name is Sue. She is fantastic and has known both of my dogs since they were little puppies. Sheridan makes my dogs feel not only are they allowed there, but they are welcomed. The have treats at the cash and they have lots of water bowls to quench their thirst.
I highly recommend you take your pup to Sheridan the next time you feel like heading to a garden center. Take a look at the gifts, the clothes, grab some spring flowers for the house in honor of the spring coming!
Vandermeer Nursery
This nursery has an amazing story and was created from the ground up by the Vandermeer’s. Mr. Adrian Vandermeer grew vegetables, tomatoes and grapes, with his father which they sold locally in Holland. This ignited his passion for growing. When he was 20 years old he traveled to Canada. His journey had started by learning English and saving money for his future endeavors.
When he was 28 years old he went home and married his sweetheart and they came back to Canada bought land in Ajax, ON and started building what we know now as Vandermeer Nursery. To read his whole story, click here for the Vandermeer website.
Vandermeer has every flower, tree, vegetable one could think of. It has the most wonderful environment you can imagine, it is like walking through the secret garden. I love to just take it all in when I am there. Visiting the turtles and the fish is a must. The turtles are Maze and my favorite to see.
We, of course, were not able to leave without adding another house plant to our always growing collection.
Not all greenhouses welcome dogs. There are two more greenhouses in Durham Region that have a strict NO DOG policy, so make sure you call before you try to bring in your dog.
Happy Spring!
