greengate Garden Centres: Rooted in Calgary, Growing Community
What they may not know is that greengate Garden Centres has been a family run business that was purchased way back in 1997.
Its hard to believe that 24 years have gone by so fast!
Long-time Calgarians know there's been a garden centre here on Macleod Trail for... well, longer than most of us can remember. But what you might not know is that in 1997, greengate Garden Centres began its story as a family-run business—committed not only to growing plants, but to growing something deeper: connection, care, and community.
Back then, we worked with just 3.5 acres and a skeleton crew. Our loyal customers braved traffic jams and springtime mud just to pick up tomato plants and bedding trays. We didn't have a dock leveler. We didn't have much space. But we had a vision — and we had each other.
Today, we've grown to 7.5 acres and a team that includes some of the very same folks who were with us in the early days. Some have been with us for more than 20+ years. Others have moved on but still stop by to visit, to say hello, to walk the greenhouse aisles in spring.
Over the past 28 years (29 this March!), we've become more than a garden centre — we've become a place for community to gather, grow, and give back. We've partnered with incredible groups like the Calgary Horticultural Society, Master Gardeners of Alberta, the Alberta Regional Lily Society, the Stampede City African Violet Society, and the Calgary Rock & Alpine Society. We host events, speaker nights, shows and classes — from World Water Day to urban homesteading workshops. We never charge for the use of the gardensence Studio. We offer it freely to support our community partners and local educators.
We've always believed that gardening is about reciprocity: what you nurture, nurtures you back. We do our best to run on green energy (thank you, Bullfrog Power), to reduce our footprint, and to donate plants and products to schools, nonprofits, shelters, and groups who grow for good. It's hard to count, but over the years, it adds up.
And you? You've done the same. Every purchase you've made here—every tomato plant, every perennial, every tree - has helped us give something back.
So thank you. For showing up every spring with gloves in your pockets and hope in your plans. For growing with us. For believing that a garden is never just a garden.
We're proud of the journey so far. We can't wait to see what blooms next.
With gratitude,
Your Greengate Family
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