merchandiser

grower

garden center manager

conseiller pépinière

seasonal associate

Van Belle Nursery Inc.

I was initially excited to join Van Belle Nursery for a seasonal role at the garden centre. Unfortunately, my experience was negatively impacted by poor on-site management. Despite clearly providing my availability, I had to repeat myself four times as I was continually scheduled and asked to work on days I worked another job. My manager wasn’t giving me a shift until two weeks into the eight-week season, which felt unreasonable for such a short-term position. I ended up quitting before the centre even opened. Ironically, the schedule issue was eventually resolved once the manager’s supervisor stepped in — not realizing I had already quit — so I returned briefly. When I arrived for my first shift, there was no direction on where to go or who to report to, which left me lost and confused for the first few minutes.

Once I got started, it became clear the setup made basic tasks harder than they needed to be. There was no secure place to store personal belongings — just an open shelf, outdoors and exposed. The equipment was inefficient: the hoses weren’t long enough to reach all plants, the spray heads couldn’t cover the back rows, and there was only one ladder shared among staff who had to water in the morning. This made watering physically demanding and inefficient. There were no clearly scheduled breaks and no identifiable team lead when the manager was away. Ultimately, the supervisor had to step in due to how disorganized things were, but by then it was too late. I do well in structured, well-led environments, and this experience just didn’t provide that. The job could be a great fit for someone placed at a better-managed location — but be prepared to advocate for yourself if leadership falls short.

This is a great environment to work in, a phenomenal team that encouraged one another. This team lived through their core values!

Do it now - When there was a problem, no one waited for someone else to fix it. Regardless of your position, you did your best to figure it out.

Respect People - Probably the hardest to do, especially with a stressful seasonal business, but Van Belle for the most part held short accounts, and respected others

Find a Better way - Van Belle and their team never said never, there was always a better way to do things.

Always positive - In the industry that Van Belle is in, it is seasonal, and weather can really hurt the sales, but despite any issue, each Van Belle Teammate was always positive

Best Effort - Van Belle may not have always had the most educated workers, but everyone who worked there put forth their BEST effort every day.

Van Belle is a fast growing, fun, hardworking and exciting environment.  What other business can you say, their goal is to make the environment beautiful...and get paid for it.

The Travel is tough on the family, and personal relationships, which is maybe the main thing that I can say is a tough part of this position. 

That being said, Van Belle truly provides the tools, and the coaching to help you be successful.

At work, it was either hot and excruciating or cold and miserable, accompanied by a lack of shelter and terrible management; there was always something wrong with the equipment. For one, the hoses are always short or barely reach the end, and there is no step ladder, so the plants at the very back can't be watered unless you break your back doing the simplest tasks that would have been easy if the company invested in equipment. While I did learn about plants and how to do cashiering and other activities, I could never perform at my best because this place had the leadership of a ghost executioner who had manager/s that only show up just to send someone home on a whim, and you always feel like your next on the chopping block. During statutory holidays, they would send one or two people home so they don't have to pay them double for the full-shift. They would cut corners, cut hours, cut anything to save as much money as they could. In my previous job, I did well, and that was because of good leadership. In Vanbelle, your only leader is your bossiest co-worker because they know how things were run last year. 

Van Belle has been one of those places where you genuinely learn how a business works from the inside out. Because of the open-book management style, you’re not just doing your job...you actually understand the numbers, the strategy, and how your role connects to the bigger picture. That’s rare.

It’s a large company, but it doesn’t feel corporate in a cold way. People care about each other here. Leadership is approachable, ideas are welcomed, and if you want to bring something forward, you’re encouraged to do it.

I’ve grown both personally and professionally during my time here. You’re trusted to take ownership, try new things, and advance if you’re willing to step up. It’s not your typical work culture...in a good way.

If you’re someone who wants to learn, contribute, and feel supported while doing it, it’s a great place to be.

One of the most employee friendly companies I've worked for. I started may career here and took a break for some time to to life circumstances and the company has been more than willing to help m going above and beyond. There are many stories like that here. The management doesn't work in layers but works with it's people and is clearly open door. The kind of togetherness that's shared at all levels, is truly commendable. There is ample scope for growth, stability and safe and fun work environment. The business involved every employee in understanding their value in the financial status of the company and kept all of us involved in how we contributed to the overall business. This is unique and made us proud to own our portion of the business function.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Working outdoors. Hrlping customers with my knowledge of outdoor plants and care.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Cold weather csn be challenging with thunderstorms, hail, strong winds.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Work enviroment is challenging at times with nrw hires.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
HelpUnloading plants when thru arrive. Keeping garden center full
With product and answeing questions grom customers.

Canadians cannot afford to work here or any other agriculture jobs.  The system is set up this way so that they can ship workers from central and south America to be treated like donkeys, in less than favorable working conditions.
Overtime was forced at straight time pay, industry standards. During the high season days were as long as 16 hrs, for me the white one, they were longer for the latinos.  The company thought it was awesome. The workers had little to no time off and they were housed on Van Belle properties in overcrowded houses.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The manager is very nice and helpful. The product is high quality and sells fast.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Not stressful at all working with plants

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very good  staff and management helpful and knowledgeable 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Fronting plants and dead heading bringing new racks out watering plants removing dead  or broken product

I enjoyed working at Van Belle Nursery. It is a company where employees are valued and genuinely cared for.  It is a company where we are empowered and appreciated for our contributions. Unfortunately, I had to move to another country, but I hope to rejoin the company again. I've had great memories.

The work environment is generally supportive, and there are good opportunities to learn and collaborate with colleagues.

However, I believe the compensation could be more competitive compared to industry standards. Additionally, there seem to be very limited opportunities for promotion, which can affect long-term career growth.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Merchandiser 3 salaries reported	$19.50 per hour
Grower 1 salary reported	$27.00 per hour
Garden center manager 5 salaries reported	$26.50 per hour
Conseiller pépinière 2 salaries reported	$17.85 per hour
Seasonal associate 8 salaries reported	$19.50 per hour

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