October 18, 2025
By Anne Kadwell and Stuart Service, Canadian Nursery Landscape Association
For many independent garden centres across Canada, the months between September and March present a unique challenge: how to keep customers engaged when the gardening season slows and temperatures dip. Owners and operators have found creative ways to draw traffic, often transforming their stores into community hubs during the off-season. From seasonal markets to family traditions, these initiatives help bridge the gap between the shoulder season and spring’s return.
At Shelmerdine Second Nature in Manitoba, Matt Bell described a multi-layered approach that keeps momentum going throughout the fall and early winter.
“In the Fall, we hold a Fall Market with more than 60 vendor booths set up in our parking lot,” Bell said. “This is a great opportunity for people who haven’t been introduced to our garden centre to come out, as well as a space for the community to gather over the weekend.”
Maintaining momentum
Before switching over to their full holiday transformation, the home and garden centre hosts a six-week kids’ fair complete with small rides. Later, countless families return for “holiday photos taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus here at Shelmerdine.”
Looking ahead, Bell noted that new winter activities are on the horizon: “Yoga in the Garden, Music in the Garden, and personal or VIP shopping experiences are going to be making an appearance in 2026.”
Food and drink also play a role in drawing customers. Sunshine Greenhouse’s Chinos Bistro, located in Steinbach, Manitoba and run by Dorinda Penner, has proven that a cosy café atmosphere encourages repeat visits.
“Our bistro has a consistent traffic flow and patio season helps bring traffic to the yard,” she said, adding that pumpkin-flavoured lattes and gelato are a big factor in increasing September traffic. “Customers grab a drink or gelato and want to stroll into the greenhouse when it’s cool outside.”
In British Columbia, Grow and Gather in Maple Ridge has found that its koi pond provides a surprising year-round draw.
“We were fortunate that our koi pond, along with several other water features, were existing elements when we purchased Trice Farms more than 14 years ago,” said co-owner Renata Trivieri. “While many of the features have been rebuilt, and the pond has had improvements made to it, it remains a big draw to our regular customers.”
Secret garden
She added that staff have watched customers’ children grow up pond-side over the years, and that students from a nearby high school regularly stop by to ask if they can feed the fish. The feature functions like a “secret garden” Trivieri said, surprising even longtime customers who stumble across it. The pond is stocked with more than 40 koi, many of which were rescued or donated by the community, and has become a touchpoint for conversation, education, and repeat visits. The pond also allows for demonstrations of some of the garden centre’s more advanced pond equipment, and a living example to help answer customer questions about koi health and care.
“While the feature doesn’t directly create sales, it does create interest and causes folks to drop in just for a wander.”
At Gardenworks locations across the province, Leanne Johnson mixes retail strategy and event programming. Their “impressive bulb selection for fall planting” sets the stage for autumn, while the “Art of Autumn Event” offers contests, seminars, and terrarium workshops to engage customers. The holiday season is another highlight, featuring mingle and shop events, pet photos with Santa, and holiday workshops.
For TERRA Greenhouses, variety is key. John Hawley from TERRA Hamilton explained that merchandise diversification has been central: “Currently, we are telling a fashion, toy, artificial, and very strong sustainable, local fragrance and food story through our newly acquired Kind Matter brand.”
To maintain customer engagement in the depths of winter, TERRA Hamilton hosts markets from mid-January until just before Easter. Some of TERRA’s five locations run a winter market with over 40 local vendors each Saturday, “making the store a weekly destination and keeping us top-of-mind until Spring transitions.”
TERRA’s senior retail operations manager, Phil DiFlorio, added that affordability and variety are equally important.
Getting in the off-season spirit
“With most customers being price conscious, we have been running daily door crashers year-round to entice people to buy and, more importantly, come out and visit one of our locations.” He added that their workshops span both horticultural topics, like growing herbs indoors, and lifestyle activities such as jewellery making and yoga.
On the East Coast, Cedarcrest Gardens has built a strong reputation for blending seasonal experiences with community events. Heather Saunders outlined a packed off-season calendar: “In October, we are having a fall festival and are inviting some food trucks to come and set up for the day. In November, we offer workshops to make our 12” outdoor winter planters. We are always fully booked with a waiting list.”
Their Christmas open house adds festive spirit with “specials, draws, treats, hot apple cider and sometimes entertainment,” while “Pet Pics with Santa” has become a charitable tradition, raising funds for a local animal rescue. Even in midwinter, Cedarcrest hosts more than 30 vendors with a weekly farmers’ market.
From koi ponds and bistros to fall markets, holiday traditions, and winter workshops, garden centres like Shelmerdine, Sunshine Greenhouses, Grow and Gather, Gardenworks, TERRA, and Cedarcrest are drawing visitors year-round. These initiatives keep traffic steady, strengthen community ties, and position garden centres as destinations even when gardens lie dormant.
Read more from the CNLA in Greenhouse Canada here.
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