After more than four decades of shaping Manitoba’s horticulture industry, Michel Touchette has received one of the province’s highest professional honours.
Michel Touchette (right) receives the Life Membership Award from the Manitoba Nursery Landscape Association on Feb. 19, recognizing more than four decades of leadership and innovation in Manitoba’s horticulture industry
On Feb. 19, Touchette was presented with a Life Membership Award from the Manitoba Nursery Landscape Association (MBNLA), recognizing his decades-long commitment, leadership and innovation within the nursery and landscape sector.
“It’s recognition for the commitment and effort that I did for the association,” Touchette said.
The award acknowledges individuals who have made lasting contributions to Manitoba’s horticulture industry — and for Touchette, that impact stretches back to a summer job in Carman nearly five decades ago.
In the summer of 1978, Touchette arrived in Carman for what was meant to be a temporary position at Aubin Nurseries. Raised between two dairy farms in the Ottawa region, he had just completed his third year of horticulture studies at the University of Guelph when he accepted the summer role.
“I must have impressed somebody,” he said with a laugh.
After graduating in 1979, he returned to Aubin Nurseries and spent roughly five years working in Carman. Those formative prairie years laid the foundation for a career that would influence growers across Manitoba and beyond.
Touchette first became involved with the MBNLA around 1980 and was elected president in 1982. His leadership later extended to the national stage through the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, though he says he consistently advocated for Manitoba growers and their unique challenges.
Those challenges are significant. Manitoba sits largely in plant hardiness zones three and four, where plants must endure harsh winters and short growing seasons. At the same time, local growers compete with producers in milder climates such as British Columbia, where longer seasons allow plants to mature more quickly and profitably.
Throughout his career, Touchette worked to strengthen Manitoba’s competitive edge. He was involved in introducing new plant varieties, including the Parkland Pillar birch, after spotting a narrow mutation in a grower’s field in Red Deer and recognizing its potential value. After negotiating with the grower, the tree was introduced into wider distribution.
He also contributed to efforts to preserve the genetics of hardy roses developed at the Morden Research Station — work that ensured prairie-adapted varieties would not be lost.
Over the decades, Touchette has witnessed — and helped guide — significant operational changes in the industry. Early in his career, many plants were harvested bare-root and shipped to garden centres, where staff potted them for sale. Today, most plants are grown in containers from the beginning. Winter protection methods have evolved as well, with growers now using insulated blankets secured by sandbags to help plants survive Manitoba’s extreme cold.
He notes that adaptation remains essential, particularly as climate patterns shift. Manitoba’s fluctuating spring temperatures and short growing season demand careful planning. Growers must also anticipate consumer demand years in advance — sometimes nearly a decade for certain trees and plant varieties — without certainty about future market trends.
“You may love to grow plants, but you still have to be profitable,” Touchette said.
Although he began a gradual retirement in 2020, Touchette remains connected to the industry, continuing to share his experience and knowledge.
For him, the Life Membership Award is not just a personal milestone, but recognition of a career that began in Carman and grew into a province-wide legacy.
His honour was presented alongside four Awards of Excellence — the association’s highest project distinction — and 16 Awards of Merit recognizing high-quality residential and commercial landscape work across Manitoba.
“This year’s Award of Excellence projects represent the very best of our industry,” said MBNLA president Jeff Southam. “They demonstrate not only technical excellence and creativity, but also a deep respect for the environment and for how people live, gather and connect with outdoor spaces.”
2026 Awards of Excellence recipients
In Residential Construction and Installation, Livingstone Landscaping Ltd. was recognized for R-5 Meadow Retreat, praised for seamlessly integrating refined outdoor living with the surrounding prairie landscape.
Geller’s Design | Build | Landscape received two Awards of Excellence. The Wescana project was honoured for bold vision and sophisticated spatial planning, while Riverside Versailles was recognized in the Private Residence Maintenance category for exceptional coordination between design intent and long-term performance.
Alternative Group earned the Garden Centre Award for Alternative Choice Garden Centre, recognized for its holistic operations model, innovative programming, sustainability initiatives and community engagement.
Awards of Merit recipients
Sixteen additional projects received Awards of Merit:
• Deck City — Tangle Ridge
• Livingstone Landscaping Ltd. — Modern Recreation and Relaxation
• Geller’s Design | Build | Landscape — D’Arcy Drive
• Geller’s Design | Build | Landscape — Dorchester
• Geller’s Design | Build | Landscape — Beachside
• Geller’s Design | Build | Landscape — McNulty 2
• Geller’s Design | Build | Landscape — Cloutier
• Geller’s Design | Build | Landscape — McCreary
• Spruce Acres Landscaping Inc. — The Sandford Project
• Geller’s Design | Build | Landscape — Chatsworth
• Classic Landscapes — Cedarcroft
• Classic Landscapes — Cassowary II
• Skyview Landscaping — Lake of the Woods Luxe Retreat
• Alternative Landscaping — Klar-So Nordic Spa (Commercial Installation)
• Skyview Landscaping — South East’s Hidden Gem (Landscape Design)
• Geller’s Design | Build | Landscape — Linden Estates (Multi-Unit Residence Maintenance)
The association acknowledged Toromont Cat as the 2026 Awards of Excellence sponsor.
For Touchette, however, the recognition was deeply personal — a career that began in Carman in 1978 and ultimately shaped Manitoba’s green industry for more than 40 years.
