About The Country Basket Garden Centre

35 years ago..

Our family-owned and operated business first saw it's roots over thirty-five years ago when Harry and Mary Bongers and their 3 small children (Paul, Andrew and Carol), moved to 10008 Lundy's Lane. A vegetable garden was planted and a bountiful harvest resulted. As a matter of fact, too bountiful! At the tender age of 9, Paul saw an opportunity to make some pocket money and set up a picnic table on the side of Lundy's Lane to sell the extra vegetables his family had grown.

Success!

Success breeds success and the next year Paul convinced his father to build a small covered fruit stand from which to sell his wares. The spot became quite well known and while Paul was at school, his mother watched the shop. The fresh vegetables were so popular that the famous "fruit truck" was soon making it's rounds through local campgrounds to provide the campers with fresh local produce. Soon after small hoop houses were built and annual bedding plants were grown to sell alongside the vegetables. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Paul and Pam

When Paul and his new bride Pam took over the small, family-owned farmer’s market and garden centre in 1995, they built their first large greenhouse to replace a number of small hoop houses and The Country Basket Garden Centre has been growing steadily ever since. The Country Basket now has a total of 10 greenhouses to grow a wide assortment of plants, with a total square footage of 70,500 of which 50,000 square feet are open to the public. As the business grew to encompass all areas of the gardening industry, it was decided to discontinue the farm market portion and focus on home gardening which is becoming the #1 hobby in Canada. With the rise of "staycations", Niagarans have made The Country Basket a destination location for everything gardening. Paul and Pam had no idea that 15 years later the market would grow into the garden centre it is today. One that provides the Niagara Peninsula with a huge selection of flowers and plants. Their goal has always been to provide the very best quality plant material possible at a reasonable price, while maintaining the highest level of customer service anywhere.

'We make sure that every customer that walks through our doors is greeted with a hello', says Paul. 'We are always around to assist or give advice to our customers'. Another courtesy, which the Bongers provide, is carry-out service. 'This is especially valuable for seniors and parents with small children. Customer service is and always will be the most important service we give. It is our way of saying thank you to all our loyal customers through the past many years. We are totally customer-oriented', says Paul.