Vandermeer Nursery & Garden Centre
The Vandermeer’s family nursery has been a staple in Ajax for more than 60 years. What started as a small operation in 1961 has blossomed (pun intended) into one of the largest garden centres in the Region, with thousands of plants (think annuals and perennials and more) grown in their greenhouses each season. Customers appreciate the family’s dedication to sustainability and green practices, including limited pesticide use, biological pest controls, plastic pot recycling, water conservation and ensuring their plants are kept pollinator-friendly.
20 Harwood Avenue South, Ajax, Ont.
Rekker’s Garden Centre
Family owned and operated for more than 55 years, Rekker’s is the ultimate garden destination for the avid grower and planter, as well as for those who are interested in getting into the hobby. Open March to December, customers can find a wide variety of high-quality, direct-from-the-grower hanging baskets, perennials, shrubs, flowering tropicals, houseplants, vegetable and fruit roots and bulbs and more. Visit for seasonal favourites when it comes to plants (think Easter lilies and Christmas poinsettias), but also for gardening tools, pottery, fountains and other home accents.
2727 Courtice Road, Courtice, Ont.
Baltimore Valley Garden Centre
This local Northumberland County garden centre has a cool inception story —
its founder and owner, John Moore, was a fourth-generation tobacco farmer.
(Moore’s father moved to the area to farm tobacco in the 1950s. By the late 1980s, the industry was in decline and the farm was sold soon after.) Wanting to stay in the farming business, Moore sold organic vegetables at a roadside stand, and later bought a live-bait location that he named Baltimore Valley Produce and Garden Centre. Today, there’s not only a wide variety of trees, shrubs, fruit and edibles,
but there are also design consultants available who can help you plan your space.
45 King Street East, Oshawa, Ont.
Photo Credit: (top) iStock/vlada_maestro; (middle) iStock/zamrznutitonovi; (bottom) Courtesy Baltimore Valley Garden Centre.
