Brian Minter

Advisor and Chief Plant Person

Master gardener, BC’s go-to garden expert, radio host, and garden columnist Brian Minter is Inside Green’s resident plant expert. He 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 and an Honorary Doctorate of Technology, and was inducted into the Gardening Writers Association’s Hall of Fame. He is President of Minter Gardens, and President and General Manager of Minter Country Garden Store.

What plant are you stewarding?

Millions, seriously! We start, grow, and nurture stuff all the time! My favourites are the rarest and the most unusual. Probably a papaya.

What drew you to Inside Green?

A sense of wellness and well-being and a comfort level of being around plants. It brings you up and they really need your help to grow, mature and to be a great plant!

What do you do for Inside Green?

I’m the plant guy. Anything that is very difficult or very off the wall is kind of where I have interest. If it’s easy, why would you do it? It’s a seamless flow between indoors and outdoors.

Do you have a significant plant in your life?

Millions! Depends on the time of year. Every season has a particular plant.

What are your plants for the future?

I would like to see us develop a plant that is very easy to care for, has fragrance, has flowers, produces fruit, and grows in almost any location. Why not?

Do you sing to your plant?

I think they would die! But in our greenhouses in our garden store we have upbeat soothing music, so we put them in an environment where the music waves bathe them.

Describe your dream plant.

It has the ability to clean the air, make us feel good, is benefit to other things in this world, and sequesters carbon. I like the ones that do the most.

What’s the secret your plant knows about you?

Tough love!