The GOODS from Phoenix Perennials

Richmond, BC | Phoenix Perennials is excited to be offering 27 different workshops this spring on topics such as living walls, design strategies for small spaces, creative succulent containers, backyard beekeeping, Japanese string gardens, how to support pollinators, herbal teas, edible containers, herbs for international cooking, and cocktail gardening with famed bartender David Wolowidnyk from West Restaurant.

“We love our workshops and our customers do too,” says Phoenix Perennials owner, Gary Lewis. “Gardening is about constant learning. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, there is always more to learn about the art and science of plants and horticulture. Our workshops are also really fun. Cocktail gardening is one of my favourites with Vancouver’s most famous bartender, David Wolowidnyk, showing us how to mix cocktails with ingredients you can grow in your garden. Of course, you get to taste the cocktails throughout the workshop!”

In addition to learning there are also opportunities for creativity. “Painting with Succulents” is a workshop on creating beautiful living wall panels using succulent hen and chicks (Sempervivum) as the “paint”. “Creative Succulent Containers” uses succulents to plant up cool and unorthodox vessels to adorn garden and balcony. And then there are the workshops “Containers to Die For” and “Edible Containers to Die for” which focus on creating beautiful containers that will not only impress you with your own design skills but impress all your friends when they come by for a visit.

“A new workshop this year will teach the art of Kokedama otherwise known as Japanese string gardens. We’ll get to create hanging spheres of growing plants that will look so cool on balconies, patios and in the garden,” says Lewis.

Phoenix is also offering their Gardening 101 series of free workshops for beginner and intermediate gardeners including “Success with Tomatoes”, “Top Plant Performers for the West Coast Garden”, “Backyard Bee Keeping” with Bob Fisher from West Coast Bee Supplies and “Maples” with Doug Justice from UBC Botanical Garden.

“We think it’s really important to give new gardeners a great start in their new hobby. Gardening can be quite easy but there are some things to learn and some pitfalls to avoid. New gardeners who have attended some of our Gardening 101 series workshops are excited about how much more confident they feel about diving in to make their spaces more beautiful and more tasty! In all there are 13 Gardening 101 workshops this spring.”

If the Gardening 101 series is designed to get new gardeners going strong in their new hobby, the Young Sprouts Kids series is designed to create new gardeners from scratch with four free workshops to get kids excited about gardening and nature.

“We’ll be doing sessions on seeds, soil and all the creatures that live there, plants and all their parts, and how to attract and support animals, birds, and beneficial insects in the garden.”

For more information and to register online visit www.phoenixperennials.com.

DETAILS

3380 No. 6 Rd. | Richmond, BC | V6V 1P5
Phone & Fax: 604-270-4133 | Email: [email protected]
Web: www.phoenixperennials.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest

GALLERY

The People

Gary Lewis, Owner

About Phoenix Perennials

Phoenix Perennials is an award-winning, cutting edge retail and mail order plant nursery in Richmond, BC (on the farmland near IKEA) that offers one of the largest and most diverse selections of perennials, shrubs, trees, vines, succulents, and edibles in Canada with over 4000 different plants each year. They grow the majority of their own perennials from plants sourced from around the world including Japan, India, Europe, South Africa, the US, and Canada and bring in their other plants from the region’s best growers.

Whether you have a large garden or a small balcony, whether you are into ornamental gardening or growing your own food, Phoenix Perennials has everything you need to create your own distinctive, beautiful, and productive space.

Their inspiring garden centre on No. 6 Road in Richmond is a plant mecca that draws gardeners from around Greater Vancouver, the province of BC, and beyond.

In addition to specialties in perennials, maples, shade plants, and rare and unusual plants, Phoenix Perennials is proud of their selection of edibles from classic herbs, veggies, and fruits including upwards of 50 different kinds of heirloom and cool modern tomatoes to cutting edge and unusual edibles, citrus, olives, goji berries, BrazelBerries, and grafted veggies like Mighty Matos and ‘Ketchup ‘n’ Fries’ “tomtatoes”.

Phoenix Perennials is also dedicated to continuous learning and hosts numerous workshops each year on subjects such as creative succulent and perennial containers, living walls, cocktail gardening, gardening for teas and infusions, herb and veggie gardening for international culinary capers, gardening with subtropical and unusual fruits and more.

They offer a free Gardening 101 series designed for beginner and intermediate gardeners on topics such as Pruning for Dummies, Foundations of a Healthy Garden, Strategies for Balconies & Small Spaces, Beekeeping, Mastering the Basics of Perennials, Success with Tomatoes, Supporting Pollinators and much more. They also offer a free Young Sprouts Kids Club with workshops that combine horticulture, botany, and arts and crafts to teach kids about the wonderful world of plants.

Not only do they host numerous workshops through the season, they also hold many special events including the Hellebore Hurrah!, The Great Easter Plant Hunt, May Maple Mania, and The Heirloom Tomato Festival complete with tomato fruit displays and tomato tastings.

Phoenix Perennials publishes a twice-monthly e-newsletter with articles about plants, news of sales and special events, and lots of pretty pictures plus occasional alerts on 14 different topics including edibles, shade plants, fragrant plants, hot new plants, and maples and woody plants. You can also engage with them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest (links above).

Phoenix Perennials offers two services of note. Their in-nursery design service can help do-it-yourselfers design and execute the outdoor spaces of their dreams. And their mail order division brings their cool selection of plants within reach of Canadian gardeners from coast to coast to coast.

In 2015 Phoenix Perennials was chosen as one of Today’s Garden Center magazine’s Top 100 Revolutionary Garden Centers in North America. In 2014 Phoenix Perennials owner Gary Lewis was selected as one of Canada’s Top 10 Horticultural Professionals Under 40 by Greenhouse Canada magazine. In 2012 and 2013 Phoenix Perennials won the category of “Growing Gardeners”, part of the Canadian Garden Centre of the Year Awards.

Accolades

“Gary Lewis is the owner of Phoenix Perennials and Specialty Plants Nursery in Richmond and one of Canada’s most knowledgeable plant experts with a deep and special interest in rare and unusual herbaceous perennials.His cottage-garden nursery on No. 6 Road in Richmond is one of Canada’s top perennial nurseries, carrying more than 4,000 different garden plants. This is perhaps why it is sometimes referred to by the loyal following of gardeners who shop there as a “candy store” of plant treasures.” — Steve Whysall, Vancouver Sun, In the Garden Podcast.

“I should be barred from two places: all-you-can-eat buffets and Phoenix Perennials.” — Julie from Richmond

“You have the most healthy, gorgeous and interesting plants. It’s so different than everywhere else!” — Sandy from White Rock, BC

“Gary Lewis is the king of perennials.” — Jeff DeJong, radio host, Gardening 101, CFAX AM 1070, Victoria, BC

“The premiere nursery of BC!” — Barry Belec, Garden Designer