Peter Cantley ~ VP Floral & Garden, Loblaws {Interview}

 

I would like to introduce you to Peter Cantley, he is the Vice President Floral & Garden, Loblaws Companies Limited. I recently had the fun and unique opportunity to ask Peter a few gardening related interview questions and I want to share them here with you!

 What is your background and how long have you been with Loblaws?

I’ve been in the floral/gardening business pretty much all my life, as my family owned a small flower shop/greenhouse operation in Northwestern Ontario. I will have been with Loblaw for 29 years this coming fall.

 Do you supply all your garden centres across Canada with the same plants or do you focus on plants that grow well in the different planting zones?

We’re about 85% – 90% the same plants coast to coast. We do make changes in various regions to accommodate the different zones.

 What qualifications are looked for when hiring the staff at the various garden centres? 

We are fortunate to have many of our colleagues return year after year and most of these folks have become very knowledgeable in gardening. Because we need a fairly large number of colleagues, we often fill the roles with young people eager to learn although whose experience in gardening is fairly limited. However, many do learn quickly and become quite experienced and are great assets for our seasonal business.

Are you happy with how the garden centres are managed and maintained?

Having just traveled in the Maritimes just last week, visiting about a dozen of our garden centres from Moncton through to Halifax, I was quite pleased with the way our garden centres were being managed and maintained. The plants looked fresh and are well organized. We have deliveries of fresh annuals typically 2 to 4 times a week in many of our Maritimes’ stores, which means there’s always nice, greenhouse fresh product available.

 How do you decide on “Exclusive to Us” plants such as the “PC Shrimp Braid” from this season and “Blue Muffin” shrub from a few years back? 

We source product globally and have it grown locally. We travel to shows in Europe and every year, visit the Spring Trials in California as well as visiting breeders in other parts of the US and Canada. These global breeders partner with us to bring their latest introductions to the gardening public. Since we’ve built up great relationships with many of them over the past 20 years, they trust us to do a great job in promoting their introductions, especially through our President’s Choice Insider’s Report. We decide on selections based on uniqueness, adaptability to success in the home garden and affordability.

 What is your favourite part of your job?

I especially love travelling around the world, sourcing new products and working with our local growers to bring these plants to consumers across Canada.

 What is your favourite plant of all time? 

It’s tough to narrow it down to one plant! However, in my garden I do have quite a few Hakonechloa Macra ‘Aureola’.  It’s a beautiful variegated mounding grass that is a highlight in my garden in Toronto.

What is your favourite shrub or evergreen of all time?

 I love boxwood. I have many Buxus ‘Green Velvet’ in my front and back yard. I have used them to delineate areas of my back garden, creating a great backdrop to other plants and flowers, and in my front garden, I have 3 very large ones (ball shaped, about 3-4 ft across) that form a sort of very informal hedge, separating the front yard from the sidewalk.

How often should you fertilize and water your recently purchased plants and what type of fertilizer should you use?

In the greenhouse, annuals are fertilized pretty much every time they are watered. The biggest mistake that many home gardeners make is to not think about fertilizing (especially hanging baskets or premade planters). As you can imagine, plants without proper nutrition begin to go downhill after a few weeks. With that in mind, we developed our new President’s Choice Magic Grow Hanging Basket and Planter Once-a-Season Plant Food. It is especially developed for baskets and planters. It is a slow release fertilizer that needs only to be sprinkled on the top of the soil at the beginning of the season, just once. Then every time you water, it releases nutrients into the soil to keep the baskets and planters fertilized (just like they were at the greenhouse)

Is it safe to fertilize herbs and vegetables?

Yes, herbs and vegetables are actually quite heavy feeders. You can use either an organic fertilizer or a synthetic one.

  What colour combinations work well together?

I like to suggest that people rely on the “colour wheel” to guide them if they are unsure of how colours will work together. Harmonious colour schemes are: Complementary (using any two colours directly opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as blue and orange); Analogous (using colours that are adjacent to each other on the colour wheel – use at least two, but no more than 5 consecutive colours on the wheel, for example: Yellow-green, green, blue-green, blue and blue-violet) and Monochromatic (using any tint, tone or shade of just one colour). There are other combinations from the colour wheel, but these are the most common. You can find a colour wheel on the web if you don’t have one.

 What is the proper way to prepare our garden beds for planting?

Existing garden beds need regular amending so that the nutrients used up by the plants are replenished. Compost or composted manures are one of the easiest ways to amend garden soil, mixing it in to the top 3 to 4 inches of existing soil.

 What is the most challenging garden area to find plants for – full sun, partial sun or full shade?

Full shade is definitely the most challenging garden area to find plants for, especially if you are looking for perennials or flowering shrubs. I’m speaking from experience, because much of my garden in Toronto is very shaded from large trees. Of course, I have a lot of Hostas and many of them have fabulous variegation of the leaves, which brightens up the shade. But finding perennials with bloom colour for shade gardens is a real challenge. However, planting some colourful annuals, like Begonias – (I like the Dragone Series, because they tolerate very deep shade) will really brighten up the shade garden.

Awesome answers with lots of interesting suggestions and great ideas, thank you Peter!