Figaro's Garden
1896 Victoria Drive V5N 4K2 Vancouver, BC, Canada

The #applebloom is ON @copleycommunityorchard Here is my annual plug for this treasure in the heart of #eastvan near the Nanaimo sky train station. I am so proud of this always evolving, community food growing land that I dreamed up and have helped steward for the past 9 years. We are always looking for more folks to grow and learn with us. #fruittrees #localfruit #communitylearning

The most popular question we get, especially at this time of year is when can I plant my tomatoes? We suggest to wait until nighttime lows stay consistently above 9-10 degrees C. The local forecast says this might be a while as lows are hovering around 7 and a fair bit of rain ahead. There is no rush, don’t try to get a early start, your lil babies will suffer. #growyourown

Some plants just don’t mind growing in between a rock and a hard place Have y’all seen the plant life coming up through the cracks on the sea wall in false creek? Spring is an exciting time when our grey city undergoes its annual colour-filled transformation. #rockgarden #plantsmakeeverythingbetter

It’s a good day to appreciate bulb season without the intense shadows from the sun. So glad I planted these indigenous beauties in my garden last year. #camassialeichtlinii #dodecatheonhendersonii #plantsmakeeverythingbetter

Guess who turned 27 yesterday? #plantsmakeeverythingbetter #locallove #eastvan #eastvaninstitution

When is the last time your secateurs were sharpened? Probably quite some time ago! The joy of gardening is even more joyful (and safe) when you are using sharp tools. To this end, we are excited to be partnering with mobile sharpening expert Scott Macrae from @sharpenupvancouver. On Earth Day next week, you can drop off your garden tools at Scott’s mobile sharpening truck parked in front of the shop for some restoration, honing, and polishing- proceeds will be donated to @wil...dernews and their Protecting Old Growth campaign We will be open for drop-off of your garden tools from 10:00am - 4:00pm on Thursday, April 22, to the Sharpen Up Truck stationed in front of Figaro’s. Items we will sharpen: secateurs, loppers, flower scissors, hedge shears, garden spades, and anything else garden related INSTRUCTIONS * Ensure your items are packaged safely in a bag, and include your name and cell phone number (for pick up text). In case of a long queue, pickup details will be provided at the time of drop-off * Items dropped off after 4 pm will not be completed. * Please DM us if you cannot bring them on April 22 as we may be able to take them in the shop on the April 21. * Sharpen-Up will text you once your items are ready for pickup. You can collect your items from that point until the time indicated in the text * All forms of payment are accepted and settled at time of pickup * Depending on demand, we will try to get all your items done, however in the interest of fairness if there are many orders / items or specialized requirements etc, Sharpen-Up may limit the number of items per order, so a priority list is preferred

Our outdoor spaces have become an essential extension of our homes, and the pandemic has made this more apparent than ever. For some, garden care can be a nagging chore. Or perhaps life has become too busy to manage all of your home care tasks. With our new Garden Maintenance Service Figaro's is here to help, temporarily or long-term, so that you can enjoy your garden and not be overwhelmed by it. Click the link in our bio to learn more about our Garden Maintenance service as well as all of the other services we provide to raise up your garden game. #figarosgarden #vancouvergardens

Get your garden off to a great start this year by having Figaro’s spring clean maintenance team do their thing. We are now offering one-off or regular maintenance services for your residential, strata or commercial landscapes. Click the link in our bio to learn more about our Garden Maintenance service as well as all of the other services we provide to raise up your garden game. #figarosgarden #vancouvergardens

Every person has the ability to become a great gardener. Observation, experimentation, determination and passion are the only prerequisites and with a bit of coaching, Figaro’s can help you learn how to get the best out of your garden spaces and discover that there really is no such thing as a black thumb. Click the link in our bio to learn more about our Garden Coaching service as well as all of the other services we provide to raise up your garden game. #figarosgarden #gardencoaching #greenthumb #vancouvergardens

There is a huge difference between teaching someone and helping them to learn. At Figaro’s, the goal of our Garden Coaching service is to not be the experts but rather to facilitate life long horticulture learning. Click the link in our bio to learn more about our Garden Coaching service as well as all of the other services we provide to raise up your garden game. #figarosgarden #gardencoaching #greenthumb #vancouvergardens

Don’t be left in the dark when it comes to designing your outdoor spaces. Click our profile to see how our design service works as well as all the other ways we can help you in your gardening journey. #gardendesign #sedumblackjack #landscapevancouver

You step into garden and nothing feels...right. Let Figaro’s help you design an engaging, outdoor garden retreat that you can hang out in THIS summer! (Or tag those that you think could use a hand). Click on profile for more info on all of our garden services #gardendesign #vancouverlandscaping

T5s are great if you want to start a flat of tomatoes but as supplemental light for houseplants in your living room with a Herman Miller sofa and Danish teak coffee table?! No thanks. To this end, we are thrilled to be the first reseller in B.C. of the amazing product line from @soltech_solutions We have been looking for years to source a high quality grow light suitable for modern decor. Soltech has been on our radar for a while and we finally reached out to see if they wer...e looking for a stockist partner in the province. Their CEO Paul responded right away and just 5 days later, the well packaged products arrived at our shop, impressing all of us with their design and quality. Featured here (in my stairwell) is the Aspect, a modern pendant fixture that has a warm white spectrum easy on the eye and highly favourable for these aroids. I thought my skylight was going to be sufficient for the plants but our light meter was showing otherwise. With all this cloud and rain, the already low light levels were sinking lower. I now have a grow light solution that doesn’t compromise on aesthetics. I am excited to test out the Aspect and over the next couple of weeks will be sharing my experiences with it.

A day to press and hang out with

Sunlight magic in the forest on #cypressmountain yesterday. The snow and #tsugaheterophylla were all , this one in particular. #treesareawesome #outsideisbetter

Flowers AND fruit at the same time? One of the many reasons to bring #arbutusunedo into your garden space. Citrus is the only other genus I know that accomplishes this. Are there any others that you know? This one was perched up high on some cliffs at #whytecliffpark. There are two of them there that are looking divine right now. My kids can attest to the fact that the fruit, while edible, would not rate high on the tasty scale. No matter because the Portuguese and Greeks make a fiery fruit brandy from local plants called #medronho with close to 50% alcohol by volume. Has anyone out there tried it? Anyway, just another reason that #plantsmakeeverythingbetter

My obligatory fab #fallfoliage favourite images taken the past few days. Get outside this weekend and enjoy the and the . #plantsmakeeverythingbetter #treesarelife

Great to revisit this Chinatown install. Cannas reaching 8 feet! Definitely achieved the #tropicalvibes client was after. He said hummingbirds have been feeding on the canna flowers the past 6 weeks. Amazing given that he is on the 18th floor. #canna #musabasjoo #trachycarpusfortunei #chamaeropshumilis #phormium @greentheorydesign

The sunset at McSpadden Park today was pretty fantastic. The trees were aglow with magic. A hopeful ending to a beautiful fall day, one of serious and with Biden victory coupled with the new Covid restrictions in Metro Vancouver. #treesaremagic #eastvan

Needing to take regular days off during Covid for childcare/spending time with my plant nerd co-pilot, Willa, has been so enjoyable. My default adventure spot is @vandusengarden, one of our family’s main places of worship (Spanish Banks being another). A membership there is an essential tool to remain in tune with seasonal changes in the plant world. There are so many amazing things to see and learn at all times of the year. Hot chocolate with whipped cream adds to the enjoyment factor. #plantsmakeeverythingbetter #plantsformentalhealth #outsideisbetter #natureplay

Shop looking seriously full right now, just in time for the weekend. Open 11-5 Sat/Sun, closed Monday so we can prep our turkeys. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!#plantsmakeeverythingbetter

Sometimes it pays to leave things till the last minute. If you’re looking for a safe activity to do at home for Halloween we have several pumpkins left just waiting for you to take it home and carve it up - and they’re all 25% off!

I don’t know about you but I am feeling like this winter is going to be a long haul. So much world unrest and looming 6 months of Vancouver cloudcover. One stop gap is to #plantmentalhealth and bring more photosynthesis/joy into our home spaces. Excited to see how my skylight vine project is going to play out. #indoorgreening #plantsarefun #interiorwilding #skylightgardens #trellisexperiment #3dwoodmaps #rhaphidophoratetrasperma #anthuriumcrystallinum #plantsmakeeverythingbetter

Love farmers and supporting local? Consider contributing to the @bcecoseedcoop and their crowdfunding project with #wayblaze to see the co-op expand. We love stocking their local seed grown by local farmers! #morebcecoseedplease

Fantastic fog & light in the west end last night, particularly around the #burrardbridge The palm trees’ silhouettes were surreal. The vast majority of palms planted in the city are the hardy #trachycarpusfortunei which grows at altitudes up to 2400m in southern China. What’s your take - love em or hate em? Would this space look better with a #pseudotsugamenziesii ? My younger self would have been unequivocally opposed to the palms but plant perspectives change over time and that’s a good thing. #treesarelife #plantsmakeeverythingbetter

Some highlights of a quiet walk through the Stanley Park Rose Garden, still in summer splendour. #begonia #rudbeckiachimchiminee #cannabengaltiger #rudbeckiacherrybrandy #thujaplicata #plantsmakeeverythingbetter

It’s a guaranteed good day when you can plant a tree. Doubly special when it’s an equinox and a 5 cm, beautiful #cornuskousa from @erni_plants Fall is the best time for planting trees. treesareawesome #frontyardrenovation #plantsmakeeverythingbetter

Had the pleasure of spending 3 days in the subalpine at #strathconapark with my 11 year old daughter, Alev. The landscape is so magical with numerous mountain lakes and many of the trees in fine, natural, bonsai form. My favourite was this #tsugamertensiana. The poor draining soil and harsh, high elevation climate help create a miniature garden/meadow extravaganza. #plantsmakeeverythingbetter #getoutside

#rooftopgarden Banana Tree with #eastvan crow commute back to Burnaby #plantsmakeeverythingbetter

For our website launch, we reached out to the people that started this whole amazing neighborhood garden shop thing. We wanted to give credit to the Figaro’s pioneers -Michelle Davidson, the visionary and entrepreneur of the group. And Sue and Christine Scotnicki - the keen gardeners who had the horticultural knowledge. Michelle lived on east 3rd, a tenant of James Barber, just steps away from the shop. Sue bought the house and was approached by Michelle who felt the area c...ould use a community garden shop. Michelle was a keen opera fan and had just seen The Marriage of Figaro when the business was being planned. Several action scenes in the opera take place in a garden and the idea of the name stuck. It was cemented by a guy in the neighborhood who would regularly bike by and sing out Figaro Figaro Figaro. They inherited a huge mess of a storefront and turned it into what is now a thriving community institution. The image here is the shop in spring painted by one of the loyal Figaros customers. In it are all 3 of the owners plus a key staff at the time, Rob Mills. It captures the community spirit of the place at the time. We try to follow in its footsteps. How can you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been? #plantsmakeeverythingbetter #eastvan

In planning for our new website we dug into the history of the space and uncovered a few gems like this 1980 photo of the Friendly Grocery which operated in some form for over 30 years, from the mid 50’s to the late 80’s. No shortage of pop here . It was one of the many grocery/convenience stores that dotted the Vancouver landscape and are becoming extinct. I can imagine people would have come here to grab their milk and bread and candy for the day instead of getting in a car for a bulk Costco run. The same type of neighbourly experience we try to uphold with every customer that walks through our door, whether they are a master gardener or have never planted a seed in their life. I tried to get in touch with the person that posted this on FB a few years ago. If you have any info, please get in touch with us.

After a year of planning, we are finally ready to launch our new website today. Check it out! Thanks to @plaidbuffalocreative for working with us, manifesting our vision into the interweb world. They came in to rescue us during the beginning of Covid, always finding the best programming solution during the lockdown. So grateful for all the creativity and hard work since. And to @riseandshinecreative for pretty much everything graphic design related. We’d be lost without... your style advice/policing and the ongoing, always available sounding board for our silly ideas. If you need web and/or graphic communication support, hire these folks. They get it, are fun to work with, and know what they are doing. #plantsmakeeverythingbetter