Growing intensity

Colin Rémillard is obsessed with the weather.

When he and his family opened Winnipeg gardener’s staple Jardins St-Léon Gardens for the 2026 season on Wednesday, it came after weeks of chilly weather. But with staff itching to go — and customers waiting — they decided to open the doors after a “mad dash” to bring in produce and tag every product in the store one day earlier.

“Everything seemed to roll fairly well. We’re in good shape. It’s going to be a colder spring, that’s just reality,” Rémillard said from the garden centre Friday.

“We’ve had really nice springs for the past one or two years. We always remember only one year in the past, so we think this is unusual, but it is pretty normal to have this amount of cold.”

The weather will impact the flow of produce as well, he said — strawberries, for example, should be ready by early July, unlike last year, when they were ready to sell in June.

“Some people had already planted a bunch of seeds in their garden by this time last year,” he said. “This year, I would tell people to slow down a little bit.”

Rémillard is part of the second generation of the family business. His parents started Jardins St-Léon Gardens in 1979, and Rémillard, along with two siblings and a cousin, purchased it in 2016.

He describes the work in all kinds of ways: fun, stressful, fulfilling, nerve-wracking. The weather can drastically impact the business day-to-day, and other factors, like wildfires and the tangible impacts of climate change, play a role, too.

But, to Rémillard, it’s important work — and he’s excited to see the community that waits for its doors to open every year.

“We’re feeding people. It’s a very noble profession, it’s very easy for us to justify working this hard,” he said. “If we don’t do it, it’s gonna be harder for people to support local farmers, so we might as well hustle and lock in.”

The unseasonable chill hadn’t stopped shoppers Friday morning, who packed the garden centre at 419 St Mary’s Rd.

Some were buying plants to keep indoors until the weather grows warmer or keeping planters outdoors during the day and bringing them indoors at night, when temperatures are still hitting below 0 C.

Jenna Alward was picking up basil plants to use on pizza Friday night, but the avid gardener said the recent weather meant she would be waiting before picking up seeds for her favourite vegetables.

“We’re gonna grab some herbs today, and then hold off on vegetables till a bit later in the season,” she said. “We’ll definitely be back for tomatoes, but we just moved into a new home last fall, so we’ve got to do a ton of gardening this year. We’ll be back for many things, I’m sure.”

Kale, lettuce and other leafy greens were on customer Roger Hirooka’s shopping list. He’s excited to put the compost he’s accumulated all winter to good use.

“I will see what the (weather) patterns will be for the next weeks,” he said. “We’ll probably keep them inside until it’s safe, but that didn’t affect my plans, to be honest.”

At Jensen’s Nursery in Oak Bluff, owner Susan Jensen said she’s had to convince eager gardeners to hold off on planting outdoors. There’s still some frost on the ground and some of the trees the business sell are still frozen inside their pots.

“We are definitely behind what we were last year at this point,” she said. “And we suggest to customers: anything that’s been growing inside a greenhouse shouldn’t go outside yet.”

It hasn’t impacted business much, which she said was similar to last year, which was much more balmy. She said customers are coming by for specialty items that sell fast, like tropical plants, Boston ferns and canna flowers.

Jensen’s Nursery opened in 1966, and Jensen herself has been part of the family business for more than 35 years. This year’s weather isn’t anything new to her, but she hopes warmer days are ahead.

“A nice, steady warming would be perfect,” she said.

The next seven days are forecast with temperatures ranging from 6 C to 17 C, according to Environment Canada, but the overnight forecast is for sub-0 C throughout the week.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca