<h1>Welcome to<br />
The Big Greenhouse</h1>

<p>We are a greenhouse and garden center located 10 mins west of Edmonton in the city of Spruce Grove, Alberta. Our &ldquo;growing&rdquo; greenhouses produce 75% of our live products offered for sale. We currently grow in three locations in the Spruce Grove area.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><a class="btn" href="https://thebiggreenhouse.ca/about-us">More about us</a> <a class="btn" href="https://thebiggreenhouse.ca/location/the-big-greenhouse">Contact or visit us</a></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Find out <strong>how to prune your hydrangeas</strong> with our simple guide.</p>

<p>With their large flowerheads and striking foliage, hydrangeas are an excellent choice for shady borders, offering structure and stunning late summer hues. Proper pruning ensures hydrangeas bloom reliably year after year. Discover how to prune your hydrangeas with our straightforward guide.</p>

<h2>Identifying Your Hydrangea</h2>

<p>Hydrangeas come in diverse types, each with unique pruning needs. Before reaching for your pruning shears, it&#39;s crucial to identify your hydrangea. The simplest way is by their flower type. If uncertain, allow it to grow for a season before pruning.</p>

<p><img alt="How to prune hydrangeas" src="https://staging.tuincentrumvoorbeeld.nl/files/files/how-to-prune-hydrangeas-4-1200x500-64ecb1af96c94.jpg" title="How to prune hydrangeas" /></p>

<h2>Hydrangea Types</h2>

<p>Most garden hydrangeas fall into these categories:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Hydrangea macrophylla: Compact, bushy shrubs known as mophead or lacecap hydrangeas, characterized by their flowerheads. Mophead hydrangeas boast round flowerheads with small flowers, typically pink or blue based on soil pH (white varieties remain unchanged). Lacecap hydrangeas feature flat flowerheads with a ring of petals around tiny flowers&#39; center.</li>
	<li>Hydrangea paniculata: A deciduous shrub with elongated, conical flowerheads on arching stems, with some varieties shifting colors as they mature.</li>
	<li>Hydrangea arborescens: A larger shrub displaying immense round flowerheads, often in white. Hydrangea &#39;Annabelle&#39; is a well-known Hydrangea arborescens variety.</li>
	<li>Hydrangea quercifolia (oakleaf hydrangea): A medium-sized shrub with elongated conical flowerheads and bold lobed leaves turning red in autumn.</li>
	<li>Hydrangea anomala sp. petiolaris (climbing hydrangea): A self-clinging deciduous climber with lacecap flowers and autumnal yellow leaves.</li>
</ul>

<h2>How to Prune Hydrangeas</h2>

<p><img alt="How to prune hydrangeas" src="https://staging.tuincentrumvoorbeeld.nl/files/files/how-to-prune-hydrangeas-5-1200x500-64ecb1c83c57e.jpg" title="How to prune hydrangeas" /></p>

<ul>
	<li>Pruning Hydrangea macrophylla: Avoid deadheading mophead hydrangeas in autumn. Let dried flowerheads remain through winter for frost protection. In early spring, prune by cutting back last year&#39;s flowered stems to the first pair of strong buds below the old flowerhead. Trim one or two old stems to the base for new growth and more blooms. Lacecap hydrangeas can be deadheaded after flowering, cutting back to the second pair of leaves beneath the flowerhead. Trim one or two old stems in spring.</li>
	<li>Pruning Hydrangea paniculata and Hydrangea arborescens: Spring pruning involves cutting back last year&#39;s growth to healthy buds lower on the stems. Hard pruning around 25cm above ground yields a compact shrub, while pruning to approximately 60cm height produces a taller plant.</li>
	<li>Pruning Hydrangea quercifolia: Spring pruning eliminates deadwood and trims overlong stems.</li>
	<li>Pruning Hydrangea anomala sp. petiolaris: Post-flowering pruning trims overlong shoots. As most flowers emerge atop the plant, avoid excessive pruning in this area.</li>
</ul>

<p>From flowering shrubs to vibrant perennials, our center offers plants for every garden. Visit us today to infuse your garden with autumnal colors!</p>

How to prune hydrangeas

<p>Here&rsquo;s the lowdown on <strong>why pollinators are important</strong> and how to help them.</p>

<p>The sight of a flowering plant covered in busily buzzing bees brings joy to any gardener&#39;s heart, and for good reason! Pollinators are essential to the health of our planet, so we need to do all we can to look after them. Here&#39;s the lowdown on <strong>why pollinators are important and how to help them</strong>.</p>

<h2>Why we need pollinators</h2>

<p>Pollinators are a vital part of our food system. Without them, we wouldn&#39;t have most of the vegetables and fruit that we eat. This includes things like zucchinis, pumpkins, beans, peas, apples, pears, cherries, and strawberries &ndash; the list is almost endless. Many plants can&#39;t produce seeds without being pollinated, so without pollinators, there would soon be nothing to eat!</p>

<h2>What is pollination?</h2>

<p>Before a plant can produce fruit, it needs to be pollinated. This means that pollen has to be transferred from the male part of the flower (the anther) to the female part (the stamen). Some plants, such as sweetcorn, are pollinated by the wind, which blows pollen from anthers to stamens, but most of the plants we eat are pollinated by insects that visit the flowers to collect sweet, energy-rich nectar for food. While getting to the nectar in the heart of the flower, the insects pick up pollen on their bodies, and this gets transferred to the stamens of the next flower they visit, thus pollinating the flower, which can then start to develop into a fruit.</p>

<p><img alt="Bees pollitating" src="https://staging.tuincentrumvoorbeeld.nl/files/files/bees-pollitating-1200x500-64c8d755ea867.jpg" title="Bees pollitating" /></p>

<p>Plants to attract pollinators You can do your bit to help pollinators by planting pollinator-friendly flowers. In return, these helpful insects will boost your harvest by pollinating your fruit and vegetables! Single flowers (those with just one layer of petals) with open centers are better for pollinators than very full double flowers with masses of petals, as it&#39;s easier for the pollinators to reach the nectar at their centers. There&#39;s also evidence to suggest that bees are especially attracted to blue flowers, which tend to be rich in nectar. Umbellifers &ndash; plants with flat flowerheads &ndash; are very popular with pollinators, and they also attract other beneficial insects like hoverflies and ladybugs, which help to control aphids.</p>

<p><img alt="Plants to attract pollinators" src="https://staging.tuincentrumvoorbeeld.nl/files/files/plants-to-attract-pollinators-1200x500-64c8ad1c1d8d6.jpg" title="Plants to attract pollinators" /></p>

<p>Here are a few of the many pollinator-friendly plants that will bring butterflies and bees to your garden:</p>

<ul>
	<li>
	<p>Dahlia &#39;Bishop of York&#39; &ndash; golden yellow flowers and purple-green leaves.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Leucanthemum x superbum &#39;Snowcap&#39; (shasta daisy) &ndash; masses of daisy-like white flowers all summer.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Echinacea purpurea &#39;Magnus&#39; (coneflower) &ndash; rich red-pink flowers with striking orange-red centers.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) &ndash; fragrant purple flower spikes and aromatic grey-green leaves.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Geranium &#39;Rozanne&#39; &ndash; abundant blue flowers for months in summer.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Coriander &ndash; flattened flowerheads of tiny white flowers, especially popular with honeybees.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Ammi majus (Bishop&#39;s flower) &ndash; a gorgeous annual with lacy domes of white flowers on long stems.</p>
	</li>
</ul>

<p>Want to bring more pollinators to your garden? Visit our center, where we have a fantastic range of pollinator-friendly plants to suit every taste!</p>

Why pollinators are so important

<p>We&rsquo;ve put together our top tips on gardening more sustainably, making the best use of our natural resources and avoiding<strong>&nbsp;waste</strong>.</p>

<p>For many of us, gardening is a way to connect with the natural world, so we want to be sure that when we&rsquo;re gardening, we&rsquo;re not harming that world. To help, we&rsquo;ve put together our top tips on how to garden more sustainably, make the best use of our natural resources, and avoid waste.</p>

<h2>How to save water in the garden</h2>

<p>Water is one of our most precious resources, and it&rsquo;s also vital to the health of our gardens. Here are a few ways to minimize water waste while still giving your plants what they need to grow.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Install a water butt to collect rainwater and use this to water your plants whenever possible. As well as saving our precious water supplies, rainwater is often better for plants than tap water, especially in hard water areas.</li>
	<li>Put away your hosepipe and use a watering can to water your plants. This allows you to get every drop of water to where it needs to be, with minimal waste.</li>
	<li>Fix leaky hoses and dripping taps straight away.</li>
	<li>Water the garden in the morning or evening to reduce water loss through evaporation.</li>
	<li>Place a plant tray under your pots so that the roots can soak in the water from the bottom.</li>
	<li>Mulch your beds with a thick (5cm/2in) layer of garden compost or well-rotted farmyard manure in spring or fall. This improves soil structure and helps lighter soils to retain moisture, meaning you need to water less often.</li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="Plant tray to save water" src="https://staging.tuincentrumvoorbeeld.nl/files/files/plant-tray-to-save-water-1200x500-64b7f49dc8c33.jpg" title="Plant tray to save water" /></p>

<h2>Make your own compost</h2>

<p>Making your compost not only benefits your soil, it also helps reduce carbon emissions from transporting garden waste. If you don&rsquo;t have space for a big compost heap, get a green waste bin from your local council and start composting!</p>

<ul>
	<li>Aim for a 50/50 mix of soft green waste (like grass cuttings, stems, and leaves) and brown waste (like shredded woody stems and cardboard).</li>
	<li>Don&rsquo;t compost perennial weeds like bindweed or brambles in a home compost heap or bin, as the temperature doesn&rsquo;t get high enough to kill them off, and you could end up just spreading them back onto your garden!</li>
	<li>Pile up fall leaves separately to make leaf mold, one of the best soil conditioners there is.</li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="Make your own compost" src="https://staging.tuincentrumvoorbeeld.nl/files/files/make-your-own-compost-1200x500-64b7f526b7968.jpg" title="Make your own compost" /></p>

<h2>Re-use and recycle plastic</h2>

<p>Disposing of plastic pots and old compost bags has long been a problem for gardeners, but thankfully, solutions are now available!</p>

<ul>
	<li>Many of the larger supermarkets have recycling collection points for plastic bags, so wash out those old bags and find your local collection point.</li>
	<li>Garden centers often offer collection points for old plastic plant pots. Unfortunately, black plastic pots can&rsquo;t yet be recycled, so try to choose colored pots when buying plants.</li>
	<li>Wash out your old plastic pots and use them for potting on seedlings.</li>
	<li>Re-use old compost bags as grow bags for vegetables such as tomatoes or peppers.</li>
</ul>

<p>From peat-free compost to organic vegetable seeds, you&rsquo;ll find everything you need for your garden in our center. Come in and see what&rsquo;s in store!</p>

Gardening with natural resources in mind

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Check the opening hours, promotions and product range of The Big Greenhouse in Spruce Grove Alberta.

The Big Greenhouse in Spruce Grove Alberta

The Big Greenhouse, Spruce Grove Alberta

Visit The Big Greenhouse in Spruce Grove Alberta. Check the opening hours, promotions and product range.

Welcome to The Big Greenhouse

Visit Us

Perennials

The Big Greenhouse - Product range

Hanging baskets

Indoor plants

Annuals

Trees & Shrubs

Perennials

Cement Garden Decor

The Big Greenhouse news

How to prune hydrangeas

Why pollinators are so important

Gardening with natural resources in mind

Instagram

Welcome to
The Big Greenhouse