ATHABASCA — Spring is a universal symbol for renewal for obvious reasons — the grass is getting greener, trees and shrubs are preparing to bud, and the local and highly-lauded Birchmeadow Greenhouses are open for yet another season.
Lois Robocon, International Society of Arboriculture-certified arborist and owner of Birch Meadow, said this year is business as usual. But the start of the 2024 season marks 40 years in operation for the greenhouse, and in a May 2 interview with Town and Country This Week, she reflected on how this season differs from her first.
“I was terrified, hands down, 100 per cent,” said Robocon. “For those first few years, it was trial and error — but I’ll be honest, there was a lot of error … you can garden for the next 100 years, you’ll never kill as many plants as I have in my lifetime.”
“But that’s how you learn,” she added with a chuckle.
Working off information housed in a small pamphlet on hobby greenhouses from Alberta Agriculture and knowledge from an aunt with experience in the industry, she stepped into a world that would evolve into a thriving business over the years.
The driving force behind her decision to jump into the industry in 1984 was a desire to have a home-based business. With three young children at home and a love for everything outdoors, it was a natural choice.
Through working with returning customers over the decades, Robocon can now identify clients purely by their products of choice: she can identify who pots, planters, and favourite products belong to by sight, and can even tell where each planter sits on a property by its contents.
“Lots of my clientele have been here for 30 years, even 30 years plus. Obviously, it makes you feel good,” she said. “I feel like I’ve created some really fantastic gardeners out there with the knowledge I’ve shared with them.”
Home-grown
Birchmeadow, located 22 km northwest of town, not far from the Athabasca Colony, is situated near Robocon’s roots. She grew up not far from where she established the greenhouse and said the proximity to family and the natural beauty of the area kept her here; but serving the community is what drives her to continue.
“We look after the town, and all the time I’m approached by people (saying), ‘Thank you for what you do, whether you know it or not we appreciate everything,’ and I hear this so much that to me it’s an obligation now.
“How do you not do it? I think I would disappoint a lot of people,” she added.
With a roster of 12 seasonal staff, Birchmeadow creates and cares for displays in Legal, Wabasca, Red Earth, Slave Lake, Keyano College, and more.
“I have the most wonderful staff in the world,” said Robocon. “Most of them have been here at least two years, some of them have been here for fifteen years.”
Milestone in the making
While she anticipates her 40th season to be filled with less trial and error than her first, Robocon said growing her knowledge base is a perennial effort.
“After 40 years, you want every year to be better than the year before, in everything — in your crop, in your retail, how you train your staff,” said Robocon. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m still learning from year to year, that never stops, ever.”
The seasoned gardener said despite the concerns of drought and dry weather this summer, she isn’t concerned her business will be affected by the lack of moisture.
“I’ve seen it before, many times,” said Robocon. “I’ve seen years where we had to buy water for the greenhouse because the water table was so low — it’s not like that, we’ve got lots this year.”
At 65, Robocon said she’s often asked how long she intends to keep the greenhouse open. “I don’t have any plans of quitting anytime real soon,” she said.
“To me, growing is second nature, I don’t even think about it.”
