Brian Minter

Brian Minter began sharing his passion for plants with British Columbia’s gardeners when, in 1970, he and his wife Faye purchased Country Garden Store, a garden shop that had been part of Chilliwack’s community since 1957.

Brian, a University of British Columbia graduate (BA) and Master Gardener, quickly became BC’s go-to garden expert through his experience at both the garden centre and the display gardens. As such, He has hosted countless radio and television shows, is a frequent gardening columnist and is the author of Canadian Best Seller, ‘Brian Minter’s New Gardening Guide – Fresh Approaches for Canadian Gardeners’.

A recipient of the ‘Order of Canada’, the ‘Order of British Columbia’, an ‘Honorary Doctorate of Technology’, and many other awards, Brian is well known from his magazine and syndicated newspaper columns and TV and radio programs. Brian is in demand as a speaker by industry and gardening groups alike. Brian has sat on the boards of many community organizations including past Chancellor of the University of the Fraser Valley. Brian received an Award of Merit from the Perennial Plant Association in recognition of outstanding contributions to the perennial industry and was also inducted into the Gardening Writers Association’s Hall of Fame ‘in recognition of a lifetime of exceptional work and spirit promoting gardening and garden communications to the public.’ He currently writes garden-inspired articles for The Vancouver Sun and several Black Press papers in the Fraser Valley and is on CBC Radio (BC Almanac) every other Friday at 12:30pm.

In 1977, the Minters discovered a piece of land nestled beneath Mt. Cheam and by 1980, that passion for plants was transformed into 32-acre, world-famous Minter Gardens. After many enjoyable years, the Minter family made the decision to close the Gardens in the fall of 2013 and to focus their energies on Minter Country Garden Store, which is still growing strong!