Even though we have a relatively short growing season there are plenty of ways to take full advantage of the sunshiny days in Prince George.
Just ask Laureen Stevenson who grows thousands of flowers gracing multi-tiered planters, a stop-you-in-your-tracks wagon filled with over-flowing blossoms, fountains filled with plants instead of water and a rather cheeky giant flower made, ironically, from flowers.
Stevenson’s been at it since 2000 when she started her landscape company.
“So that's 25 years,” Stevenson said. “And before that my mum and grandma were gardeners and I watched them as a kid and kinda got started that way and then started my Green With Envy Landscaping company.”
She said she started her business because people around here didn’t do flowers or flower beds.
“The guys wanted to mow the lawn and that sort of thing but didn’t want to do the flowers,” Stevenson said.
“And I was more about the flowers and so there were a lot of older people that wanted flowers but they can’t get down on the ground anymore to weed their flower beds so I keep really busy. It’s also my hobby. I love it. It’s funny, you know, I can go work at it all day and then I come home at the end of the day and it’s still what I want to do.”
Stevenson continues to get creative in her own backyard because she has set a standard in creativity that comes with certain expectations from her friends and neighbours.
“So the pressure is on,” Stevenson laughed. “And I enjoy it, too. So in the winter you’ve got magazines to look at for inspiration and seed catalogues and that’s when I make my plans for next summer’s garden.”
The short growing season in the Prince George area limits what you can do, Stevenson added.
“There are some things that we can and can’t have and we need to stick to heartier plants – like petunias - that can take a little bit of frost and we have had really nice Septembers and Octobers lately,” Stevenson said.
“And that’s been really nice.”
Stevenson puts a lot of thought into the flowers she picks depending on where they’re going.
“Once you’ve been in gardening for a while you know which ones you want, ones that look really nice from a distance or which ones are really nice up close,” Stevenson said.
It also depends on where you have them in your yard. Do you want it sitting beside you? Do you want the flowers to cascade over the planter?
“You should also consider flowers that don’t require a lot of deadheading because you don’t want to make it a job,” Stevenson advised.
“You don’t want it to be a chore, you want it to be enjoyable. Somewhere you can lose yourself for a little while. Sometimes you need to escape from the rest of the world even if it’s just for a short time. A lot of people plant too much or plant the wrong thing and then it gets to be a job. A lot of people get discouraged if they do too much and then they won’t do it again next year. So start off small so it’s manageable.”
Stevenson said she cautions people who want to grow vegetables to start off small, too.
Stevenson said she starts a lot of her plants from seed and will also purchase from area greenhouses, including those in Quesnel and Vanderhoof.
“I like to spread it out rather than just go to one place,” Stevenson said.
Stevenson said she pushes the limits and knows we’re in Zone 3.
“But I buy plants suited for Zone 4 because you never know,” Stevenson said. “I’ve managed to hold on to plants for five or six years and then I just try another one.”
And if there is something you love that’s a perennial down south just have expectations that it will be an annual here.
“And enjoy it while you can,” Stevenson said. “So you can still buy whatever you like.”
Stevenson is looking to expand her landscaping business by purchasing a farm she’s got her eye on that would be suitable as a wedding venue and photo opp site.
“What I do now is I will load my wagon in an enclosed trailer and take it to weddings and mostly I’ve done it for friends whose kids are getting married,” Stevenson said.
“So that kind of thing I really enjoy so I am hoping to go a little bit more that way.”
Stevenson said lawn maintenance is getting harder and harder as time goes by so she’s looking to take a different approach.
“So I am looking to do flowers and baskets and weddings and pretty things,” Stevenson said.
“When I go outside it’s such an escape. There’s no troubles out there. I can just focus on the flowers that I’m looking at.”
Stevenson said she knows there's aspects to gardening that are out of our control, like the weather.
“Mother Nature is not always our best friend but just go with it,” Stevenson said.
“I know a lot of people planted early this year and things froze and you just have to cut it back and try again. But a lot of people would just give up. Just do a little research and remember that your soil is number one. If you have good soil you’re good to go.”
Stevenson advises buying what you like. If instructions say the plant needs 6-7 hours of sun a day and you plant it where it only gets three then it will take it a little longer to bloom as it should, she added.
“So just go out and buy it if you like it,” Stevenson advises.
"The garden is somewhere you can be creative in your own way and it’s really rewarding as a job and as a hobby,” Stevenson said.
