Stay Planted

By Grace Bauer

Winter plant sales at a local greenhouse are in full bloom.

Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens in Kingsville carries a wide range of plants and the snowy winter weather does not stop people from buying them. In fact, it may encourage them, according to Thomas Dick, a Colasanti’s employee.

Canadians love their plants. Ornamental product sales (including greenhouse flowers and plants, nursery products, and sod products) totalled $2.3 billion in 2016, according to Statistics Canada.

“Plants are probably what Colasanti’s is most known for, but we’ve started branching off into other things as well,” said Dick, who has worked in Colasanti’s plant section for more than four years.

He said Christmas is their busiest season, but they tend to sell more plants just after Christmas.

“After people take down their Christmas trees and decorations they see that their house is empty and they look for something to fill it with,” said Dick. “Also with the snow, you’re kind of stuck inside… people want to get something to pick up their spirits.”

According to Dick, the gloomy winter weather definitely pulls people into Colasanti’s and can be a big money-maker for them.

“It makes us feel like it’s more like spring,” said Mia Alford, who shopped for house plants at Colasanti’s with her family.

Dick said one of the many reasons people buy house plants is to use them as a natural air filtration system.

NASA has a list of some of the best plants for natural air filtration in your home. The Peace Lily and Bamboo Palm are two plants on the list.

“We have a big selection of clean air plants. NASA has had this study out for a while about different plants that take out different toxins from the air. Formaldehyde and benzene are some examples,” said Dick.

Dick also said they will soon be preparing for summer by getting all of their bedding plants in around the end of April.