Rising prices also hit the world of horticulture

Horticultural producers are expecting a season as exceptional as last year. Recent warm temperatures are encouraging customers to rush to garden centers.

We really feel that people have been tired of winter. They want to garden, they want to go outside because they haven’t done that much this winter. So we see a very big craze for everything that surrounds plants, the garden, flowerbedsnotes the owner of the Pépinière Boréalis in Arvida, Mathieu Ouellet.

Mathieu Ouellette from Pépinière Boréalis receives many customers these days.

Photo: Radio-Canada / Catherine Gignac

Due to prolonged winter temperatures, the vegetable planting season had to be delayed by about ten days. Customers will be able to root their plants around May 20 to avoid any risk of frost. Absent that slight delay, the quality should be even higher.

People are going to have even prettier plants. Instead of having very tall plants, they will be stockier, lower, smaller, but strong. The rod will be strong, will be beautifulexplains the owner of Jardins Gobeil in Chicoutimi, Yvon Gobeil.

Growers should have enough plants to meet demand. However, some more popular types of plants are available in limited numbers. Some people have already made their reservation to make sure they get their hands on it.

Yvon Gobeil is the owner of Jardins Gobeil.

Photo: Radio-Canada / Catherine Gignac

There is really a big craze for berries. This is what is most in demand. Anything apple, plum, pear, haskap is extremely popular. People want to book in advance to be sure to have them, because it is certain that for fruit trees we have a little more limitation in terms of quantities. observes Mr. Ouellet.

For his part, Yvon Gobeil notices great popularity for large tomato plants.

Prices on the rise

Nursery and garden owners have not been spared from the rising costs that affect several other sectors. At Jardins Gobeil, it is above all the heating oil bill that has increased.

From the coming March until today the price of heating oil has increased by 160%. It’s crazy, completely crazy. I ask that the Quebec government intervene quickly and quickly with these oil monsters who are strangling all small businesses like ourslaments Mr. Gobeil.

Demand is exploding in horticultural businesses.

Photo: Radio-Canada / Catherine Gignac

For the owner of Pépinière Boréalis, all products from foreign suppliers are increasing considerably.

Fertilizers, pots, heating are extremely expensive. We have price increases of 40 to 45%says Mathieu Ouellet.

The gardening craze does not seem to be weakening.

Photo: Radio-Canada / Catherine Gignac

Horticultural producers were therefore forced to raise their prices. As for Yvon Gobeil, he nevertheless tried to minimize this increase for his clients. Vegetable plants show amounts 6 to 12% higher than last year.

My team and I, we agreed together that we had to recover at least something, part of the costs that we paid, but never, never, as much as what certain supplierssays Mr. Gobeil.

Les Jardins Gobeil offers a wide variety of vegetable plants.

Photo: Radio-Canada / Catherine Gignac