Plants, flowers, people. It’s that easy for Wendy Manahan when you ask her why she wanted to open her own greenhouse for the local community.
Manahan has been around and involved in the business for most of her life and wants to offer Canmore the best she can for not only product, but also education, information and support.
“I wanted to build a greenhouse where people feel welcome and warm and can have a coffee, while bonding with plants and nature,” said Manahan. “There’s been some hiccups because I’ve never built before... and now we’re so close – it’s really getting exciting.
“Then the flood happened and I was really blessed, there have been so many positive things happening that it’s starting to get really good.”
Manahan’s plan for the newly constructed greenhouse, located in Lincoln Park, is to be a community destination for those who are seeking help and education on horticulture as much as buying their plants and supplies. The new venture is also going to be a family affair, with Manahan’s son on board to pitch in on the life-long pursuit.
“My son is now working for me, which makes me happy. He lost his home in the flood and wanted to go up north to work and make a million dollars, but thought, ‘mom’s been dreaming about this forever and I can see it now happening,’ so he’s on board and I’m happy,” said Manahan.
She is still having some work completed, such as electrical and stucco work, “But it will go forward and we’ll be opening in December,” said Manahan. “So we’ll have Christmas products, poinsettias and fresh cedar, holly, Christmas decorations and tropical plants.”
She is hoping to be open by mid-December or the end of the holiday month at the latest, with a good amount of tropical plant offerings to go with holiday selections related to the Christmas season.
“I’m going to offer a place where you can sit among the tropicals and pretend you’re in Mexico,” said Manahan. “I have a buyer who is out of the States and I’m getting on board to have different selections. I want to have the tropicals and I have a broker who has run a huge greenhouse/garden centre in North Carolina. Now the laws are getting better, so he can broker across the border.
“So there are lots of plants that would still grow indoors here, so it would be a little bit different than what’s available now.”
When asked what Manahan wants to see in her own store, compared to other greenhouses she’s been in over the years, she says, “African violets – all kinds of different African violets, African violet soil, fertilizer, a book; and someone to come in on Sunday and we’ll all have coffee and she’ll tell you which window to put it in, how to water it, what to do if you get mealy bugs and what pot to put it in.
“All the little tricks, because if you buy an African violet this week and it dies because you forgot to water it or you put it in the sun and it burnt then you will never buy another African violet again and I don’t want that to happen,” said Manahan.
“But if I tell you take this plant and don’t put it in the direct sun and only water it on your coffee day and turn it every now and then so it grows symmetrical, you will become successful.”
