Artistic Landscape Designs has turned an industrial lot with discarded tires into a gardeners’ oasis, now offering free classes in a new workshop space and Canadian-made artisan works in the boutique.
The upgraded digs are “more than a stop-and-shop, but a nice and inviting experience,” said boutique manager Elise Schmitz.
The Schmitz family, which runs the business, wants to make Artistic Landscape Designs “a refuge from your daily hectic life,” she said.
Upcoming activities include yoga and Pilates classes in the gardens. On Saturdays at 10-11 a.m., perennials manager Robert Wolodarski will offer a series of complimentary seminars in the Ginko Room workshop space. Additional design courses will be offered by Artistic Landscape’s other certified designers.
The new indoor-outdoor boutique features an art gallery on the mezzanine with paintings, photographs, and sculptures by local Ontario artists. And if you’re looking for a unique gift, they also offer a variety of made-in-Canada giftware such as hand-blown glass, wood carvings, and items in clay, iron rod, and more.
If shoppers have something in mind that isn’t in the boutique, Schmitz said she is more than happy to track it down and have it shipped.
Mayor Jim Watson was on hand for the grand opening ceremony for the renovated space, commenting that Artistic Landscape has taken an eyesore lot, complete with abandoned appliances, and turned it into something beautiful.
Now with the third generation of the Schmitz family about to take the reins of the family business that began in 1955, and which is now Ottawa’s largest gardening and landscaping centre, the Artistic Landscape vision continues to blossom.
Visit www.artisticlandscape.on.ca or call (613) 733-8220 for more information.
