City Gardening » Toronto

5+ Must-see exhibits at Canada Blooms

Lorraine — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 23:07:38 +0000

Medinilla magnifica is the "it" plant of the show.

After spending just about every day last week at Canada Blooms, helping Charlie Dobbin with the plant material, attending two media events and chatting with the garden designers, you’d think I’d be all Bloomed out! Instead, I’m so impressed with this show that I just have to share my absolute favourite gardens, plants and people. So, if you’re visiting Canada Blooms this week, don’t leave the show without seeing…

1. Medinilla magnifica is the “it” plant of the show. Big, blousy pink blooms cascade from deep, dark green tropical foliage. A longtime favourite houseplant of the flower-loving Dutch, Medinilla (think “med-” and “(va)nilla”) is being introduced to Canadians at Canada Blooms. To see it (and an amazing miniature grapevine that produces clusters of grapes — honest!), visit the Ontario Growers booth G17 — or just look up to find pots and pots of them cascading from the pergola that surrounds the booth. Medinilla magnifica is available in three sizes, from $19.99

Perfect Corner of Toronto depicts the rebirth of Roncesvalles Avenue

2. Sweetpea‘s three — count ‘em — three displays. The super-talented Sara Jameson won two awards for her “Perfect Corner of Toronto” garden (Garden 6B), a streetscape of Roncesvalles Avenue that cleverly incorporates street signs, TTC streetcar stops and traffic pylons surrounded by a richly textured carpet of handsome foliage plants. Around the corner, you’ll find her display of found objects, including cake stands showcasing muffin tins and cake pans rescued from Granowska’s bakery when they closed their doors last year. And in the professinal florists exhibit area, Sara has created a glasshouse terrarium banked with moss and old, discarded books and filled with everyday, backyard flowers that any good gardener would recognize.

Terrariums showcase muffin tins at Sweetpeas' display booth.

3. Chock full of plants, books and a new series of weather-resistent terra cotta pots marked with its logo, the Toronto Botanical Garden (booth G8B) offers sooo many temptations you’ll be hard-pressed to choose the ones you want to take home. Whatever you do though, be sure to pick up a copy of Gardens by Design, a special issue of the TBG’s member magazine that celebrates 25 years of gardening with design ideas from the city’s top garden influencers. At $3, it’s a steal (and light enough to tuck away in your Canada Blooms tote bag)!

There's lots to buy at the Toronto Botanical Garden's booth, including signed copies of the season's latest gardening books.

Jonas Spring, in collaboration with Victoria Taylor, transform a concrete jungle into a horticultural art installation.

4. I love surprises. And one of the most delightful of them was discovering the horticultural installation called “Concrete Blooms Burst” created by Victoria Taylor and Jonas Spring. Concrete rubble never looked so good. Colourful flowers, bulbs and grasses spring from the nooks and crannies of this display, which stretches the width of the floor (G27A&B) demonstrating the sheer tenacity of the creative spirit. And look closely at the light fixtures: they’re made of reclaimed galvinized metal sprayed with shotgun pellets that let the light shine through. When you see it, betcha can’t stop smiling!

5. Three colourful suspended umbrellas will lead you to yet another garden that shows the ingenuity of its designer. B sq. Design’s “Plug and Play” features wooden pallets that form walkways, walls and vertical growing spaces planted with lettuces and other leafy green vegetables. I love the two-storey shed, complete with penthouse patio. What a great idea for space-starved city gardens!

Alhtough these were five of my favourite things at Canada Blooms, there’s much more to see, including the Garden Club of Toronto’s stunning floral exhibits, the colourful Taipei garden, the sinuous Reford Gardens exhibit, the Master Gardeners advice clinics and of course a terrific lineup of speakers. (Oh, did I mention I’ll be talking about the gardens of Thailand on Wednesday afternoon? Stop by and say, hi!)

Best of Canada Blooms 2011

Lorraine — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 22:11:00 +0000

For the past four days, I’ve been living and breathing Canada Blooms, first helping out with the set up of the show as part of Director of Horticulture Charlie Dobbin’s team of volunteers, then at the Opening Night Cocktail Party, off to the media preview the next morning and finally, wearing my Master Gardener badge, chatting to the hundreds of visitors who walked through the Toronto Botanical Garden/Royal Ontario Museum garden on Wednesday afternoon. Oh, and in between I managed to stroll through the Marketplace with an eye open to new gardening gadgets and gear (I wasn’t disappointed!).

I was glad to learn that some of my favourite gardens won top awards. Here’s the rundown, straight from the Canada Blooms Show Officials:

Sheridan Nurseries Award for Outstanding Garden, Small Size: BEN HEPPNER GARDEN Premier Landscaping & Design Ltd

S.G. Ulbright Award for Outstanding Garden, Medium Size: ‘A Taste of Zen’ Humber College

Humber College, "A Taste of Zen"

Gordon A. MacEachern Award for Outstanding Garden, Large Size: ‘Earth Tones’ Parklane Nurseries Ltd.

Parklane's award-winning garden, "Earthtones"

Outstanding Interpretation of the Show Theme “Rhythms” Presented by Mark Cullen: ‘Nurture Urban Nature’ Toronto Botanical Gardens & the ROM

Nurture Urban Nature by Royal Ontario Museum and Toronto Botanical Garden

Bridle Path Gardens

Lorraine — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:20:09 +0000

If you attend only one gardening event this year (poor you!), make it the Toronto Botanical Garden’s annual Through the Garden Gate tour — Beyond the Bridle Path, which takes place on two days only: June 20 and 21. It’s not every day you get a chance to ogle the gardens of one the toniest areas of Toronto. Although some are lovingly tended by their owners, many of these very private gardens have been designed by the country’s top landscape architects, including Mark Hartley, Ron Holbrook, Sheila Murrary and Janet Rosenberg.

Get your tickets online before they sell out!

Canada Blooms Day 3

Lorraine — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:57:50 +0000

Is it a bed of heucheras or fallen leaves on a forest floor?

On day three, everything comes together — somehow. My day started out helping plant daffodils and lay mulch in the Bienenstock Natural Playground where kids can have fun learning about soil. There are stations for making birdseed balls, a tree-painting area and a log full of worms (yes, those yucky, icky but wonderful creatures that live in the soil). Kids will love it — parents, chill. Let ‘em have fun!
Next up was primping the huge planters that line the main aisles. My friend Sara and I drove the golf cart from planter to planter, scrubbing them clean and making them glisten. While we worked, the judges arrives promptly at 1 p.m. to evaluate the exhibits in the Floral Hall and each of the feature gardens.
More later when I’m back from the gala!

Canada Blooms Setup

Lorraine — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:24:18 +0000

Zita is one of many volunteers who help make the show happen

Spent the day helping Charlie Dobbin with the set up of Canada Blooms. Helped plant up giant planters filled with bulbs, primulas and gerberas — it felt like spring was here! Here are some fuzzy pictures (not sure if the fog is from the cell phone camera or the dust and exhaust fumes at the Metro Convention Centre!)

Sara tucking in the primulasCharlie and Lindsay take a brief break for the camera

Heather and Charlie -- a dynamic duo!

6 of 10 Ways to Get Through Winter

Lorraine — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 18:42:48 +0000

Niagara's Floral Show House

6. Get thee to a greenhouse!

When it’s frosty outside, it’s a tropical paradise inside a greenhouse or conservatory. Here in Toronto there are several indoor gardens, including Allan Gardens in the heart of the city, the Cloud Forest Conservatory to the west of the downtown core and Centennial Park Conservatory in Etobicoke. Outside of town, one of the hidden gems in Niagara Falls is the Floral Showhouse which I only discovered this past summer. The seasonal shows here are spectacular, and from January to Easter the floral display includes colourful primulas, calceolaria, cyclamen, cineraria, schizanthus, forced bulbs and shrubs. So, banish winter with a walk through a conservatory.

3 of 10 Ways to Get Through Winter

Lorraine — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:10:12 +0000

3. My third favourite way to get through the winter is to go to a gardening lecture. Luckily, I’m spoiled by the Toronto Botanical Garden’s Edwards Lecture series — and this year’s lineup of gardening celebs offers more treats than usual. First up are Scott Ogden and Lauren Springer-Ogden who are speaking on March 4 about Plant-Driven Design. I’ve skimmed through their latest book and am looking forward to hearing what these two plant-a-holics have to say. The season continues with Jack Staub on April 1 who talks about ornamental veggie gardening; the “queen of deadheading” Tracy DiSabato-Aust on April 15; Kevin Lamb on May 13; and Don Shadow on May 26. These events will more than take me through winter and into full-fledged gardening season!

How do you get through the winter? Post your favourite passtimes.