Fertile ground for collaboration

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/03/2025 (561 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Chad Labbe was 16 when he began working as a cart boy 26 years ago at Shelmerdine Garden Centre.

Today, at 48, Labbe is now an owner of Shelmerdine which is consistently recognized by Garden Centre Magazine as one of the top 100 independent garden centres in North America.

Nicole Bent, a familiar face at Shelmerdine (located at 7800 Roblin Blvd. in Headingley) for the past 20 years, is no longer an owner.

“Nicole has retired from Shelmerdine and has sold her shares to me and Matt Bell,” said Labbe.

Bell, 36, who has just been named as co-owner of Shelmerdine, is also the founder and owner of Geller’s Design Build Landscape, Winnipeg’s largest residential landscape company. Geller’s is relocating its horticulture, in-ground pool and maintenance divisions to Shelmerdine.

“Nicole and I are still co-owners of Arboria, which is Shelmerdine’s interiorscape company,” said Labbe. Arboria, a plant-care and design firm, will continue to operate out of the greenhouses at Shelmerdine.

So how did this new partnership between Labbe and Bell come about?

It all began with Labbe reaching out to Bell to discuss ways to grow Arboria into the exterior-maintenance sector. As it turned out, Bell was interested in chatting about how to get Geller’s into the interior-maintenance sector. So they met in the atrium at Earls Polo Park in September and talked over Diet Cokes about how they could learn from each other.

“We actually had no idea at the time where this would go,” said Bell. But also, said Labbe, Bell wasn’t aware Bent was preparing to exit the garden centre side of the business. “I filled him in on that aspect and that’s where the conversation really started,” said Labbe.

Their new partnership will diversify the range of services both are able to offer clients. Geller’s is an award-winning landscape-design company, with a significant horticulture and design division that will now be available to all of Shelmerdine’s customers, said Bell.

“We’ll have an onsite office at Shelmerdine,” he said. “Our goal is that our design experts will be able to speak quite quickly to customers about plant and shrub installation services and garden designs.”

Together, Labbe and Bell plan to redefine the future direction for Shelmerdine and give it a fresh identity. But the new bond is about more than simply expansion. “The ownership of Shelmerdine has changed, yes, but ‘evolved’ is a better way to put it,” said Labbe.

According to Labbe, big-box stores are always getting better at what they do and now offer a broader spectrum of plant products than they once did.

“(They are branching into) what used to be reserved for the independent garden centre” Labbe said. “So, the independent garden centre needs to continue to grow and evolve. We want to get back to being an event- and knowledge-focused store. Our customers want world-class products, world-class service and they want to be able to learn, grow and move forward.”

Shelmerdine plans once again to offer seminars and workshops. “COVID took a lot of that traction away,” said Labbe.

“Container-gardening seminars were one of our sell-out features,” said Deanne Walstrom, general manager of operations, who has worked at Shelmerdine for 26 years. “There are so many new gardeners and we have the staff with the knowledge and experience to guide the seminars and workshops we plan to offer.”

They will also host workshops on how to design your yard. “Shelmerdine has excellent staff with knowledge and expertise of plants, but how do you plan and design your yard?” said Bell. “Geller’s landscape designers have the experience to talk about all aspects of design.”

Beginning in 2026, Shelmerdine also has plans to offer bulk aggregates (raw materials such as gravel, sand and crushed stone) along with paving stones and building supplies. “We’ll be able to offer our customers not only the plants and other materials they need to be able to complete their outdoor living space,” said Bell, “but also provide them with the knowledge to guide their purchases.”

To learn more about what new gardeners are looking for, Labbe and Bell recently visited Red River College Polytechnic to talk with students.

“Most of the students live in apartments and smaller spaces and they had so many great questions about indoor plants,” said Lynn Tran, Shelmerdine’s chief marketing and people officer. “We plan to offer some workshops for people who don’t have traditional yards but are interested in planting and gardening.”

There’s another juicy tidbit the folks at Shelmerdine are excited about — a truckload of fresh citrus plants from Florida that arrived last week. “We beat the 25 per cent tariffs, so we are very excited about that,” said Walstrom. “We don’t know what the future looks like for the next truckload, but we’re very happy we have these citrus plants here now.”

Step into Shelmerdine’s greenhouse and the heady fragrance of citrus flowers will be the first thing to greet you. There are rows upon rows of potted citrus plants including different types of lemons and limes, as well as Calamondin oranges and Ray Ruby grapefruit. Can’t make up your mind about which one to grow? Try the Cocktail Tree which produces both Meyer lemons and Key limes.

They also have also mulberry, avocado, olive and fig trees, and novelty Coco Loco coconut palms which have fast-growing green sprouts that emerge from a very large nut. Choose from a range of sizes — including one-, three- and five-gallon pots, and hefty 15- and 30-gallon pots.

“Delivery is a service we offer,” said Walstrom. “We’ll bring them right indoors for you.”

There are even olive seedlings in four-inch pots, but make sure to hurry in, as they are selling fast.

The citrus plants are ever-bearing and their fruit production is already evident. It’s exciting to see clusters of full-size lemons growing on trees in February.

The indoor and patio citrus plants are called Snowbird Citrus because they are sensitive to cold. “The citrus plants will thrive outside in their pots in the summer months but they need to spend the winter indoors,” said Walstrom. The brightest location in your home is ideal. “A south- or west-facing window away from any drafts is going to be the best. A grow light will give you the best response. Citrus plants prefer higher humidity, so placing a gravel tray next to them or misting regularly will keep your plants healthy.”

Walstrom, who has a wealth of knowledge about caring for all types of plants, recommends misting citrus plants once every two weeks. She likes to use a Mossify Mistr. “Or bring the plant into the shower with you on a monthly basis,” she says. “That helps to eradicate any potential pests such as spider mites.”

In spring, once temperatures outside are a constant 15 C, citrus and fruit plants can go outdoors. “Move your plant into the shade first and then gradually move it into a sunny location,” said Walstrom.

Dragon-fruit plants were slated to arrive in a shipment last week. Shelmerdine plans to have plenty of other surprises and fresh inspiration in store for you this year.

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