Colleen Zacharias

Gardening columnist

Colleen Zacharias writes about many aspects of gardening including trends, plant recommendations, and how-to information that is uniquely relevant to Prairie gardeners. She has written a column for the Winnipeg Free Press since 2010 and, more recently, launched Winnipeg Gardener, a monthly newsletter. (Sign up to receive it below.)

Colleen explores gardening and horticulture through the lens of different perspectives shared by gardeners, nursery growers, plant breeders, landscape professionals, and community organizations. She is passionate about highlighting the invaluable role that gardening plays in Manitoba and the people who are making a positive difference with every seed and stem they grow and nurture.

Colleen grew up in Winnipeg, but also lived in a small rural community for four years when she was a teen, an experience that opened her eyes to farm life and the wide-open spaces of southern Manitoba.

She is a graduate of the Prairie Horticulture Certificate Program at the University of Manitoba as well as a certified master gardener. Colleen has been involved in Manitoba’s gardening scene for many years and has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations. She is a founding member and past co-chair of the Manitoba Master Gardener Association.

In 2019, Colleen was invited by the Western United States Agriculture Trade Association to accompany the first Canadian Nursery Inbound Mission to Alaska, Washington State, and Hawaii to visit and write about peony farms, orchards, and plant nurseries.

Colleen lives in south Winnipeg where she maintains a large and diverse front yard garden and backyard garden. She has a special interest in perennials, trees, greening communities, owls, and a weakness for hydrangeas. It is her firm belief that gardeners have the power to change things for the better.