The garden industry is an area of pride for the Minters, and it is something that they enjoy sharing with others. Faye Minter created the overall layout of Country Garden Store, with a vision for improving upon the shopping experience of their customers. The latest technology was also used, with the garden centre being designed to appeal to both people and plants. Hot water in-floor heating maintains a comfortable temperature year round with different temperature zones for different areas.

The pride and joy of Country Garden is the Prins Dutch Venlo style glass greenhouse. A computer monitors all the irrigation and fertilization with an ebb and flow system. Rolling benches make maximum use of available space. Energy curtains, hot water bench heating and venting are all computer controlled to save energy and labour. The energy curtains open to let light in on cloudy days, close to provide shade on sunny days and close at night to hold in the heat. Vents open to cool on hot days and half of the roof opens up in the cooler plastic houses. The original greenhouses from this property and the older style greenhouses from the Hope River Road location were all saved and reconstructed with energy efficient double-poly and roll up sides. These have the potential to be converted to an ebb and flow bench water system since the in-ground infrastructure is in place.

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Brian Minter's Picks for 2009
In Brian Minter's many travels to trade shows, plant trials, short courses, and through his many connections to the world's top breeders and growers of garden plants, he runs across some astonishing plants. The best, he collects to trial and grow at Minter Gardens or his nursery, and the top performers become available to you through Country Garden Store.

Click here to learn all about his picks for this year.

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Great Plants to Check out
Each year, the world's authorities on plants come up with their picks of the year. Here are just a selection:

	Eggplant F1 'Hansel' Best described as a miniature eggplant, ‘Hansel’ is a smaller-sized plant with finger-sized clusters of fruit. They mature early, about 55 days from transplanting into warm soil. If the 3-inch fruit clusters are left on the plant, they grow in size, but remain tender and non-bitter, unlike other eggplant. If you prefer to garden in containers, ‘Hansel’ is highly recommended for your shopping list. All American Selections 2008 Award Winner.
	Osteospermum F1 'Asti White' The flowers will remain open under cloudy conditions, unlike other daisy flowers originating from South Africa, which close. Gardeners have the choice of growing from seed or purchasing plants depending upon their resources. ‘Asti White’ plants will bloom and recover from a slight frost. These plants can be placed in the spring or fall garden, weeks earlier than other tender annuals. All American Selections 2008 Award Winner.
	Viola F1 'Skippy XL Plum-Gold' Sunny gold faces charm people gazing at ‘Skippy XL Plum-Gold.’ The flowers are uniquely designed with plum shades surrounding the golden centers (face), which contain radiating black lines affectionately called whiskers. The blooms are small, about 1-1/2 inches, but are not to be underrated. The number of blooms produced more than makes up for the size. All American Selections 2008 Award Winner.
	Geranium 'Rosanne' The Perennial Plant Association has awarded the title of Perennial Plant of the Year® to Geranium ‘Rozanne’. Donald and Rozanne Waterer discovered this strong performing hardy geranium in their garden in Somerset, England in 1989. It has 2 ½ inch, iridescent violet-blue, saucer-shaped flowers with purple-violet veins and radiant white centers. Bloom time is from late spring to mid fall. Perennial Plant Association 2008 Perennial of the Year.
	Calendula officinalis This sunny annual is a welcome addition to any garden. A small plant to about 20", its petals are edible and are commonly sprinkled over summer salads or baked into sweet butter cookies. Also known as "pot marigold". International Herb Association 2008 Herb of the Year.
	Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears' This popular hosta makes a very tight miniature mound of very thick, rounded, mouse-like, blue-green leaves. It has lavender flowers on very short scapes in July. Perfect for a trough or container, it is tough enough to impress in the garden. Very thick substance and a delightful clumper.  A must have! American Hosta Growers Association 2008 Hosta of the Year.
	Rosa 'Mardi Gras' Blended yellow, orange and pink floribunda.  Mild peppery perfume and rich red new growth. From Jackson & Perkins. All American Rose Selections 2008 Rose of the Year.
	Wollemi Pine ‘The Wollemi Pine is one of the world's oldest and rarest plants dating back to the time of the dinosaurs. With less than 100 adult trees known to exist in the wild, the Wollemi Pine is now the focus of extensive research to safeguard its survival. You can now assist in the conservation effort by growing your own Wollemi Pine and  becoming part of one of the most dramatic comebacks in natural history!’ We have a number of Wollemi Pines in store, so visit us soon to grow a little history! Not in the neighbourhood? Please contact us for shipping details.

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