If you want to know about gardening, landscaping, and trees of all shapes and sizes, Cindy Cluett, the owner of Beyond the House in Russell is the person to talk to.   Courtesy Photo

RUSSELL – It is fair to say that the past winter was a bit unusual. There wasn’t that much snow, and we had a few mild days mixed in, but even so, that probably doesn’t dampen the desire to see the arrival of spring and everything the new season of rebirth brings with it.

If you have gardening in mind or are planning a bit of landscaping to improve the curb appeal of your home, you might want to make a stop at Beyond the House, located at 144 Craig St. in Russell, Ontario.

Cindy Cluett is the owner of Beyond the House, which is far more than just a garden centre. In addition to anything you might need to fulfill your garden or landscaping needs, they also carry an extensive selection of beautiful indoor plants and giftware, regularly offer workshops and classes and are extremely supportive of the local arts community. It is a place where it is difficult to not feel the creative juices flowing.

After earning a business degree and having built a career, Cluett took time to raise a family. She also decided she wanted to do something different, so she started taking courses in horticulture, and everything started to develop from there.

Cluett has been at her current location for the past 12 years, but initially she was at Barry’s Home Hardware, first as an employee in their garden centre but then renting the space and running the garden centre as her own business, Beyond the House. Many of her customers, and some of her employees have been with her since that time.

Because of the change in weather patterns, Cluett says we are about three weeks ahead of where we would usually be, and that has got many garden afficionados anxious to get going. While it is possible to do that, she cautions that you will be adding the responsibility of caring for some plants if the weather turns colder again.

“Things like annuals, if you put them in too early and they’re tender, and they get hit by frost, that’s a big investment,” said Cluett. “So, people ask me, it’s like, can I plant this now? And it’s like, well, I’m not going to say you can’t, but you’re going to have the extra work of taking care of it. This year has been so funny. It’s a little frightening, to say the least.”

It is the perfect time of year though for one type of planting, and it is something that Cluett recommends strongly. “Everyone should plant trees. Now is the perfect time to plant trees.”

Planting trees while they are dormant, according to Cluett, makes things so much easier. “The biggest thing is like you can pick your tree from the garden centre and you get to see its form because it’s not cluttered with leaves. We can help you decide on what ultimate shape you need, the size of a tree and all that stuff.”

Cluett says that it is important to understand the purpose of the tree. “Are you trying to screen your next door neighbour, do you just want to create some shade for your patio or what-not and then, you know, from there we decide okay, which shape a tree do you need and then we can narrow it down to the species and the cultivars so we you know, we can help you make that selection but right now is ideal to pick a tree because you get to see the whole branch structure.”

It makes her sad, Cluett adds when people choose a tree just for their immediate purpose. “In my mind, I get very sad when customers come in and tell me, well, I’m leaving in five years, it doesn’t matter if it’s going to be too big. I would much rather see a tree planted for a lifetime.

“It’s a matter of planning,” she adds. “It’s a matter of looking up, looking around, and you know, were there hydro wires there, what kind of exposure do you have? What kind of drainage does she have? Some trees are okay with wet feet, but if it’s wet area, don’t plant a fruit tree there.”

With trees, as with everything they sell, you aren’t only buying a product at Beyond the House, you are buying the knowledge and experience that will help you get the most you can, whether it is plants for inside the home, garden needs, or a tree that could easily outlive the person who plants it. It is that value added benefit that makes a place like Beyond the House such a treasure, and the reason why so many people keep coming back year after year.

Beyond the House is open from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and on weekends from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. You can visit their website at beyondthehouse.ca, contact them through email at info@beyondthehouse.ca or give them a call at 613-445-5214.

Stop by for a visit, there’s always something new, and you won’t be disappointed.

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