About Us

Marigold Nurseries in Saanich, BC serves the Victoria, BC area with 70,000 square feet of greenhouses and 15,000 square feet of retail space under cover. Ray Smith says “Our focus is on service. We have everything for the gardener, plus advice to ensure successful growing for our customers.” 

Marigold Nurseries is a full-service operation with perennials, shrubs, cut flowers, patio furniture, arbors, fountain and statuary. We offer a complete line of Annuals; Perennials; Plants and Containers; Trees; Flowering Shrubs and Hedging; Garden Ornaments; Garden Furniture; House and Office indoor plants; Fountains; Statuary; Fish Ponds and (in season) Fish…and a knowledgeable staff to answer all your questions.

History of Marigold

Marigold Nurseries was started by Les Smith in 1944 on the corner of Snowdrop Avenue and Marigold Road in the Glanford area. Les grew up in the Mount Doug area of Victoria where he was raised on a flower farm. He began by growing bedding plants and that still remains the nursery's main focus. Les learned all he knew through on the job experience. When new buildings encroached on the Glanford area, Les moved the nursery and his family to the current location on Lochside Drive in 1963.

Marigold Nurseries was strictly wholesale until the early '70s, when the business branched into retail. The current retail store was built in the early '80s. Les's son Ray and his brother Len started working with their dad full time when they graduated high school. In 2001, Len retired and Ray is now running the business with his three children Brooke, Rayanne and Randy, who work at the nursery full time, involved in the day-to-day operations of the business.

Brooke has two children, Cyprus born March 29, 2004, and Kaydance, born Sept. 9, 2005. Both are seen in the nursery's TV commercials and also "help out" at the store. We are proud to have had four generations of the Smith family involved in the business. In the 1996 snowstorm we lost seven greenhouses resulting in $500,000 in damage. We rebuilt them all and were up and running for the spring of 1997.

We celebrated our diamond anniversary in July 2004 and are still enthusiastic about providing our customers with top-quality products and services in our seventh decade in business in Greater Victoria.