PEMBROKE Garden centres and nurseries in the Ottawa Valley are seeing a major upswing when it comes to interest in gardening this spring. At Sunset Nursery in Pembroke, Greenhouse Manager Alastair Hugli says he’s never seen it this busy in 15 years. It’s crazy, says Hugli. We’ve had people calling in ready to garden and raring to go when there was still snow on the ground. Hugli says the high demand in plants and garden supplies is a result of a number of different factors. Some gardeners have started their own vegetable gardens to avoid excess trips to the grocery store, while home sellers are also attempting to pretty up their properties in the midst of the hot real estate market.