Wall Space: Creekside Nursery & Garden Centre

(L–R) Steve Fontaine, operations manager and Sean Trevisanutto, co-owner/president, Creekside Nursery & Garden Centre.

Story and photos by Adrian Lysenko

For Sean Trevisanutto, co-owner and president of Creekside Nursery & Garden Centre, gardening and landscaping isn’t just a business, it’s a family legacy rooted in generations of green thumbs. “My grandfather started Creekside back in 1974, so just over 50 years, and my parents, Dennis and Susan, started Trevisanutto’s [Greenhouses & Landscape Design], in 1996,” he says. “I grew up in the greenhouse and knew my plants right at a young age, so it's second nature to me.”

The Header House, which serves as a work centre for the greenhouses.

Sean started the landscaping division and bought into his parent’s company in 2010, officially joining Creekside and Trevisanutto's together, but says the two still offer different services.

Different varieties of dahlias.

“We do some different annuals, and we focus more on larger perennials at Trevisanutto’s. We have a lot of the smaller stuff at Creekside,” he says. “Creekside has got all the giftware they do at Christmas, which Trevisanutto’s doesn't, and at Trevisanutto’s, we’ve got the larger trees and shrubs.” 

A cement imprint memorializing the family business.

Used for filling trays and flats with soil, this tray or flat filler machine has been in operation for many years at the nursery. “This is gonna be the last year of it,” Sean says. “It’s a testament to technology.”

With between 60 and 80 employees working during the peak season and over 100,000 square feet of greenhouse space, Sean says the family business is a big operation to run with the busiest time being from May to late June. “Every year we fill it up, every year we’re always fighting for space trying to make everything fit,” he says. “It takes time. Like, there’s no break. As soon as we’re done selling here, we start ordering for the next season.”

Various trees and shrubs that Creekside Nursery & Garden Centre offers.

All the hard work aside, Sean loves what he does. “Just meeting the people, all of our customers, they come back every single year, our staff—we have great staff,” he says. “And obviously, being outside is the number one thing.”

Rows of colourful geraniums in a greenhouse.