On Earth Day 2023, Tanya Olsen and the staff at Royal City Nursery welcomed excited customers to their newly expanded nursery and garden centre for their “Earth Day Birthday”. Their location at the junction of Hwy 24 and Kossuth Road is part of a network of local agri-tourism businesses between Guelph and Cambridge which includes , Strom’s Farm, Mosborough Country Market and Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory
Royal City Nursery has been nurturing their customers' love of plants and trees in Guelph for 61 years. At its current location the garden centre sits on 5.5 acres and recently added a large new retail building. Owner Tanya Olsen is thrilled with the new space. “The new building allows Royal City Nursery to expand our year-round offerings and to really focus on gardening and the impact of the green industry during the winter months,” she says.
They have something to interest all gardening enthusiasts at every step.
Expanding the Ability To Grow Locally
The new building has allowed Royal City Nursery’s retail operations to move out of the greenhouse, which can now be dedicated to growing more of their own perennials and annuals on site.
The new, 5000 square foot, climate-controlled retail building was constructed using a steel structure with poly-laminated timber frame. By not using traditional-growth trees, it allowed them to reduce their carbon footprint by about 30 percent, compared with traditional concrete and steel building. It also includes an additional 2500 sq. ft. tropical greenhouse area.
With the expansion, they have plans to grow as many as 25,000 perennial plugs in the coming years. They are excited about growing local, and also having greater inventory control. Olsen says, “It’s the ability to have product available. During the pandemic we were dealing with supply chain issues. That will now be eliminated by growing our own plants.” Olsen’s grandfather, who started the business, was a master horticulturalist. “This offers us an opportunity to revisit our roots.”
A full-service garden centre with experienced staff
Customers will find not only annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs and evergreens, but also a great selection of water plants. “We’re one of the few greenhouses in the area that swells pond plants, such as water lilies,” explains Olsen. They also sell a wide range of ancillary products such as fertilizers, soils, ceramic pots and even fruits and vegetables. “We’ve seen an increased interest in people growing their own food, a trend that took off during the pandemic.”
Royal City Nursery is really four businesses under one umbrella. Along with the retail garden centre and the production greenhouse, there is a lesser-known landscaping design/build side of the business and a fashion boutique.
The boutique, Tsuga, grew out of need. “Our customers were having a hard time finding what they wanted in malls and chain stores. Our boutique lines are carefully selected & curated for long-lasting, classic styles''. The boutique is also an aspect of the business that keeps them busy all year round.
Christmas at Royal City Nursery
Another aspect of the business that gets somewhat overshadowed during the growing season is their Christmas offerings. “Royal City Nursery is one of the single largest Christmas decor retailers in the area” says Olsen.
Not only do they carry a vast array of indoor and outdoor decor to suit a variety of styles, they will help customers achieve maximum enjoyment by offering several popular Christmas workshops. “I’m so excited about the coming Christmas season because we’ll have a much larger space available and will also be able to expand the number of workshops offered. Christmas is a natural extension of what we do and what our customers are looking for.”
Tanya Olsen is inviting everyone to see their new expanded building and the various shopping experiences they have to offer.
Royal City Nursery is located at 6838 Wellington Road 124, halfway between Guelph and Cambridge, just north of the Kossuth Road roundabout.