President's Choice(R) 2010 Lawn & Garden Insider's Report(R) "springs" into
action

Featuring a number of new and exciting flowers and plants - proudly grown in Canada

BRAMPTON, ON, May 13 /CNW/ - Spring has officially sprung along with the President's Choice(R) 2010 Lawn & Garden Insider's Report(R). This year's Insider's Report is full of products and easy gardening solutions at prices Canadians have come to expect from the President's Choice brand. Stunning perennials, hearty vegetable plants, innovative garden accessories and much more can be found in Loblaw banner stores' Garden Centres, open across the country within the month of May until the end of August. All plants and flowers featured in the President's Choice Insider's Report are proudly grown in Canada.

"When we search the world for emerging trends, we take some of our local growers with us," says Peter Cantley, vice-president, floral and garden category, Loblaw Companies Limited. "We have worked with some of our growers over multi-generations and we value their expertise - they know what grows well in Canadian soil and climate zones. As a result, our customers are among the first to try the latest offerings, while planting with confidence."

Our resident garden guru, Cantley has searched the world to bring Canadians some amazing on-trend products exclusive to the President's Choice brand.

Here are some highlights from the 2010 Lawn & Garden Insider's Report:

    
    Ready, set, garden!
        -  Canada's Next Top Planter: All too often the pots containing pre-
           planted arrangements are lacklustre. Not so with the NEW MUST TRY!
           PC Gigantico(R) Helix Collection, which offers designer-looking
           pots featuring stunning colour co-ordinated annuals. We make
           gardening easy and do the work for you

    Trendspotting
        -  Cast off those cast-iron planters! Our exclusive NEW! PC Frost
           Proof Planter is sleek and sophisticated and stands up to Canadian
           winters (so you can keep it outdoors year-round). It's lighter
           than iron and more affordable
        -  Hot new gardening décor looks are wood and copper: The NEW! PC
           Copper and Woodtone Collection of fibreglass planters have all of
           the rich elegance and splendour to effortlessly dress up an
           entranceway, porch or deck. They look equally as nice with blooms
           spilling over the edges as they do with small shrubbery

    Innovative new products
        -  Turn your gardening world upside down: The NEW! PC Upside Down
           Vegetable Planter has holes in the bottom allowing plants to grow
           down and out, making it easy to grow vegetables almost anywhere
           there's sunshine - with no staking, tying or weeding
        -  Plant the pot! Four of the more popular shrubs assortments are now
           available in NEW! PC Biodegradable Coir Pots, so the entire thing
           can simply be planted in the ground. There's no waste, no plastic
           and no doubt that it's the right thing to do!

    Exciting and exclusive to Loblaw
        -  Cool Clematis: Loblaw has worked with renowned clematis breeder
           Raymond Evison for more than 15 years, and this year's top two
           selections are his absolute favourites from all over the world.
           The NEW! PC Josephine(TM) Clematis and NEW! PC Crystal
           Fountain(TM) Clematis have stunning blooms that reach up to five
           inches in diameter and are perfect for small urban gardens
        -  These blooms are made for walking: Here's the perfect solution for
           patios, pathways and rock gardens with plenty of foot traffic. The
           NEW! Stepables Garden Solutions are a tough, yet super-pretty
           ground cover to help solve problem spots, are easy to maintain and
           earth-friendly
    

"When shopping at our Garden Centres, you're getting the very latest in colour, texture, weather tolerance and ease of maintenance," adds Cantley. "We take pride in bringing our customers unique and hard-to-find varieties and an assortment that lets you get really creative. And in true Loblaw tradition, they're very affordable!"

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Loblaw is proud to continue its commitment to respect the environment with the Loblaw Garden Centre Recycled Pot Program. In 2008, Loblaw established Canada's first national recycling program for gardeners. To date, the program has recycled an incredible 1.2 million pounds of plastic pots and flats not accepted by the Blue Box program.

Last year, the Loblaw successfully encouraged Canadian gardeners to "go green" by offering a $5 coupon toward a Garden Centre purchase when a minimum of 25 plastic pots or flats were returned. The offer was so successful - with more than 12,500 Canadian gardeners redeeming more than $60,000 worth of coupons - that the program will continue in 2010.

Get interactive

All of these products, ideas and more can also be found in the interactive online version of the Lawn & Garden Insider's Report at www.pc.ca, where some of Canada's best gardening solutions come to life. Also at pc.ca, get the latest tips and tricks from the new President's Choice new garden blogger, Lorraine Flanigan, who will be posting regularly throughout the gardening season with helpful hints to create dream gardens.

The Lawn & Garden Insider's Report is available in-store on the following dates:

    
    -   Southern Ontario, B.C. Lower Mainland, South/Western Quebec up to
        Montreal: May 14
    -   Northern Ontario (Sudbury and North), West (Prairies) and B.C.
        Interior: May 21
    -   Atlantic, North/East Quebec: May 28
    -   Select Northwest Territories: June 5
    -   Newfoundland: June 11
    

President's Choice products are available at Loblaws, Zehrs, Zehrs Great Food, Fortinos, Loblaw Superstore, Real Canadian Superstore, Atlantic Superstore, SaveEasy, Freshmart, Maxi, Maxi & Cie, No Frills, Provigo, Extra Foods and more. Product pricing and availability may vary by banner and region. For more information, visit www.pc.ca.

About Loblaw Companies Limited

Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited, is Canada's largest food distributor and a leading provider of drugstore, general merchandise and financial products and services. Loblaw is one of the largest private sector employers in Canada. With more than 1,000 corporate and franchised stores from coast to coast, Loblaw and its franchisees employ over 138,000 full-time and part-time employees. Through its portfolio of store formats, Loblaw is committed to providing Canadians with a wide, growing and successful range of products and services to meet the everyday household demands of Canadian consumers. Loblaw is known for the quality, innovation and value of its food offering. It offers Canada's strongest control (private) label program, including the unique President's Choice(R), no name(R) and Joe Fresh Style(R) brands. In addition, the Company makes available to consumers President's Choice Financial(R) services and offers the PC(R) points loyalty program.

Product samples, Lawn & Garden regional Insider's Reports and high-resolution images are available.

For further information: or to arrange an interview with Peter Cantley, please contact: [email protected], Loblaw Companies Limited, [phone]; Andrea Craig, Hill & Knowlton Canada, [email protected], [phone]