Chickadee Garden Centre

10/03/2026

As we near the end of harvest season, there are many things we can do to prepare our gardens for winter and the next growing season!

-Mulch around newly planted trees, shrubs, perennials, raspberries, and strawberries,

-Add compost to the garden

-Plant garlic and flower bulbs

-And fall is still a great time for planting trees and shrubs (and taking advantage of great sale prices!!)

-Purchasing seeds for next year while our West Coast Seeds are on sale can help save a few $$ as well!

09/26/2026

Here's a quick picture tour of the store. We're starting to see more fall colours as well as summer items on sale!

09/23/2026

Getting ready for next year! A shipment of potting soil has arrived!

09/18/2026

New plants in the store.

09/15/2026

What are you planting this Fall?

09/12/2026

We made a video on the basics of planting a tree.

Thanks to West of Telkwa YouTube channel for making and posting the video. If you would like us to make more instructional videos please comment on the video.

On todays episode we will be planting a tree.Come along for the r...

09/12/2026

Fall Planting Part 3:

Why do we put our trees on sale in the fall if it's such good time for them to be planted? Maybe it's tradition? We've had these trees for about 5 months. We've been watering them almost daily, keeping pests off them, rotating them for sun exposure, picking them up after they blow over in the wind, trimming and maintaining appearance, and now after all that work we put them on sale?! Yup! Its not because we don't want to keep them over winter; in fact, I'd be happy to do that and try sell them next spring. But the reality is, these trees and shrubs are still here for a reason. Over the last 5 months they've been picked over by customers and these are what we have left. Some are leaning, some are missing branches, some have scratches on the bark, some have funny shaped leaves due to late frost, and some have a curved stock. The trees that are left are not "show pieces" this is actually why they are on sale.

So if you want a great deal and don't mind a few blemishes, this is the time to purchase a tree.

And we all know the best time to plant a tree is ten years ago, the second best time is now!

09/11/2026

Planting in the Fall Part 2:

Yesterday's post was about fall planting and root growth; today is about watering and pests. Why do trees need water?
1. Nutrients
2. Evaporation

We all know trees get nutrients from water through their roots, but what does that have to do with fall planting? In the fall, trees need much less nutrients thus much less watering. In fact, trees are taking nutrients from their leaves and feeding their roots. This is why the leaves turn colour and fall off the tree.

What does evaporation have to do with fall planting? Water that is taken through the roots into the tree evaporates through the leaves. The cool weather and shorter days greatly reduces this evaporation. One of the biggest chores of newly planted trees is watering, fall planting really reduces this chore.

What about the next summer and when it gets hot again? A tree that was planted the previous fall will still need watering during hot, drought times but not as much now that the tree has had 8-10 months of root establishment.

09/10/2026

Fall bulbs have arrived!!!

Garlic🧄, Daffodils, Tulips🌷, Allium and more! Our supplier Van Noort Bulbs has really come through this year with large, healthy, solid bulbs!

09/10/2026

We often get asked: Is it too late to plant trees? Our answer: Definitely not! (And this isn't just because we want to sell trees.)

One really big reason for planting in the fall is because the most stressful time for a newly planted tree is the heat of summer. By planting in the fall, you allow more time for the roots to get established before the next summer's heat. Even when the top of the tree is dormant, the roots are still growing and active. So instead of having a month or two to get ready for summer heat when planting in the spring, your tree now has eight to ten months to get established for summer heat.

Tomorrow we will continue with MORE reasons for fall planting and why we put our trees on sale.