There will be no spring bloom for Canadian Gardening magazine or CanadianGardening.com, with owner TVA publications saying the title will cease publication in March after 26 years.
TVA Publications did not respond to interview requests, but in a statement to MastheadOnline.com said it was focusing on its strongest brands and will allocate staff and resources to continue strengthening its position.
Described by TVA as “a truly multi-platform brand,” Canadian Gardening is published six times a year and boasts a combined print and digital readership of 1.89 million readers, according to the most recent report from Vividata.
Its online media kit lists its principal target as women 50+, with more than half of its readership (54.3%) coming from Ontario. It claims a digital reach of 663,000 as well as 12,500 Facebook fans and 8,600 Twitter followers.
Canadian Gardening’s advertiser index lists Breyers Ice Cream, Club House, Home Hardware, Quaker Oats and Scott’s Canada.
In 2007, the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors named it magazine of the year in the large circulation category.
In November, TVA announced the closure of six magazines including Décormag and Le Lundi saying it would focus on its strongest brands – a group that includes 7 Jours, Coup de Pouce, Canadian Living and Style at Home.
Canadian Gardening launched in 1990 and was owned by Avid Media before the company was purchased by Transcontinental Media in 2004 in a transaction that also included Outdoor Canada, Canadian Home and Country and Canadian Workshop.
Transcontinental shut down Canadian Home and Country in 2009, while Canadian Home Workshop (then owned by Blue Ant Media’s Cottage Life Media division) was shuttered in 2013.
The announcement follows a December report from New York-based periodical database MediaFinder.com indicating North American magazine closures slowed in 2015. The report listed just two Canadian closures that year, most notably the technology and business title Backbone.
