This past Friday I had the privilege of attending breakfast at Kitchener City Hall for the kick off of International Women's Week. A special thank-you to Dawn Bauert from BMO for inviting me as her guest. The highlight of the breakfast was listening to Susan Brown tell her story....though she thought no one would care to hear. I am so glad to have heard her story; it was truly inspiring to be able to recognize that we, like everyone in our community can help someone else have a positive and defining moment in their lives. The morning event will be telecast on Rogers Cable 20 on March 8th at 2pm....I strongly recommend taking a late lunch and viewing. I just wanted to share a few of Susan's Life Lessons:

• Treat everyone equally, give them respect and the benefit of the doubt, and help them be successful in what they want to do.
• Don't let yourself be surrounded by people who diminish your self esteem or make you feel bad.
• Open yourself up to be able to take advantage of what others bring you.
• Be willing to take risks, even those that may create upheaval in your life.
• Don't be afraid to work hard and live frugally.
• Don't worry about things you can't control, focus your attention on what you can.
• If you're afraid of something, that's the very reason you should do it!

Thank you Susan for your story and Life Lessons.  

Tuesday, March 6th is the Regional Skills Canada Competition for Landscape & Horticulture. Rob began this industry driven competition 6 years ago through Landscape Ontario and now works with the school boards in both Waterloo and Wellington Counties. Event Details: 12 High School Teams will meet in Elmira at Premier Equipment (Elmira Farm Service) in the drive shed, bright and early by 8:30am. Competition will begin at 9am and the students have until around 2pm to take the landscape drawing and transform it into a 10'x10' landscape. Permacon has graciously sponsored the stone the students will be using. Winners from this competition will move on to represent their respective school boards in the Provincial Competition being held at RIM park April 30-May2, 2012.

Want to see what happens at a competition? The competition runs from 9-2pm and is open to the public. Come by and see what the high school students have learned.

March 23-25 at the Home & Garden Show at the Auditorium we will be showcasing a living wall on the patio, specifically, the SMARTWALL as shown above.

"Smartwall is an art piece that can be customized into various textures and colors. Whether this artwork is green or has seasonal colours Smartwall gives you choice and flexibility for a look that will comfort and impress. Imagine a living wall where you create whatever you please by mixing and matching plants into one of a kind murals. Smartwall is self watering and plant material can be easily replaced. It's a smart solution for bringing low maintenance natural beauty into almost any location."

I loved the Smartwall instantly the moment I first saw it. I imagined colour, fresh herbs for the kitchen (great for restaurants too), an improved air quality and total relaxation....just how are you to stay mad or frustrated savouring the colours from the plants (scented plants are an option too). Just choose your cabinet colour and voila, an instant Welcoming Green Space in the Office, Living room, Dining room, or Gathering Space.

Most people find this funny....but I tend to kill all houseplants. I definitely do not have a green thumb for interior plants. The smartwall is just that, smart.....it has a section in the bottom of the cabinet that holds the watering system; no more over or under watering. It is compact, taking up space along a wall only 4 feet wide, 7.5 feet high and 16 inches deep. It holds over 100 plants!   I just imagined a Holiday wall with shades of green and red, Halloween or Oktoberfest with shades of oranges, Fresh Herbs, Spring pastels and my favourite: Birthday commentaries ... you can arrange the plants to spell 4 or 40 quite easily and make that birthday co-worker or family member feel special. Plants don't live forever, so when you need to replace a plant, just take it out and put in a new one.

Simple...... Space Saving...... Attractive..... Decorative...... Environmentally Friendly...... Improved Air Quality and most of all Economical.  

Orders placed before March 31st will receive a $50.00 gift card for Sheridan Nurseries.

Special Pricing till March 31st:  (Plants not included) Expect 4 weeks for delivery. 

Contact us for pricing.