– by Doreen Marion Gee –
How do most people celebrate a new milestone, a dream job, getting married, having a baby or just feeling happy about life in general? They buy flowers! Those pretty and fragrant treats brighten our homes and our lives. Plants and bushes decorate our houses and living rooms, giving us oxygen and feeding our senses. Marigold Nurseries has brought joy, pleasure, solace and comfort to people on the Saanich Peninsula for 70 years. They are a very valuable and important part of this community.
The largest garden centre on Vancouver Island with 18 greenhouses, Saanichton’s Marigold Nurseries has good reason to celebrate 70 years of successful business next month. They have been infusing happiness into people’s lives since 1944, when Les Smith founded his nursery empire on the corner of Snowdrop Avenue and Marigold Road in the Glanford area of Victoria. Les started by growing bedding plants, still the nursery’s main focus, and the successful nursery moved to its Lochside location in Saanichton in 1963. Eventually adding retail sales to the originally wholesale enterprise, Marigold is a virtual cornucopia of everything that a gardener needs: shrubs, fruit trees, fertilizers, seeds, bulbs, tools, bedding plants, veggies and sparkling garden ornaments. Flower and plant lovers step into heaven at Marigold Nurseries, a colourful paradise of mixed containers, hanging baskets, garden mums, pansies and violas, herbs and primulas – plus exquisite orchids and roses to tease your partner’s romantic desires.
Brooke Smith is as cheery and pleasant as the rainbow of plants around her. Les Smith’s granddaughter, she is one of five owners of the long-standing nursery, along with her parents and siblings. As well as the rapture of gorgeous flowers, Marigold Nurseries is very serious about making people happy: “Our goal is to dish out the best service we can to everybody. We have an amazing crew. Great service is how we stay in business.” They meet and greet customers, make them feel important with a “how are ya,” answer their questions honestly and give them expert advice. My sunny host is passionate about the calibre of their products: “We have good quality plants, great growing techniques and we stand behind it all.” An atmopshere of fun and play complements the eye-candy: “We welcome people with a smile and a joke and keep the energy high.” Brooke is a natural comedian: “Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes!”
Marigold’s kind humanitarian work in the community is an itegral part of their legacy: “We are huge contributors to many foundations and organizations.” The business is a strong loyal supporter and sponsor of the Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation – donating to them for decades, financially and with their products. Each Christmas, they donate a poinsettia to every Extended Care patient in Saanich Peninsula Hospital. “It warms their hearts and ours.” They support local sports teams like the Marigold Nursery Rebels, donate bedding plants and hanging baskets to school and team fundraisers and offer free tours to schools and daycare centres.
In 2009, Marigold’s new Duncan location “opened with rave reviews” – four generations of the Smith family are also celebrating five years of thriving business at their newest location. The staff at Marigold Nurseries simply like to make people feel happy and good – thereby assuring them that they are special and that somebody cares. That is probably why they have been around for 70 years.
For more information, visit www.marigoldnurseries.com.
