Here is what’s germinating at Canada Blooms
Today is Day 2 of the greatest garden festival in Canada. Are you up for it?
But let me caution you: the scent of fresh flowers, the oxygen from an abundance of greenery and the aroma of several hundred tonnes of clean dirt might make your head spin a little, after months of winter garden slumber.
Canada Blooms opened yesterday, alongside the National Home Show, to great fanfare. This year — the garden festival’s 21st — also celebrates our country’s 150th birthday. Head to the Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place for a taste of what spring will bring. A snapshot of what you can expect: Canadian Shield: No, not the rock — the rose. This amazing new bloom is making its first appearance at Canada Blooms. It features a rich, rose-red colour and, like Canadians, it is very winter hardy. It matures to about a metre wide and high.
Branded and marketed in Ontario by Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, the Canadian Shield rose is the first of Vineland’s 49th Parallel Collection to be released. More than 20 Canadian nurseries have grown 50,000 specimens of this rose for sale this coming spring. You can see about 150 of them in bloom right now at the show. Canada 150 ceramic vases: The horticultural history of Canada comes to life through the artistry of photographer Elaine Waisglass. Using photos of historic and precious vases, she imposes onto them images of fresh flowers to create painter-like photographs. Flanking Waisglass’s art are pictures of horticulture dating back 150 years to 1867 and many of these same flowers — such as anemones, hydrangeas, clematis, peonies and roses — are still grown in Canada today. Unique! Wine garden: Not your typical “garden,” this one is always a hit at Canada Blooms — especially with the after 3 p.m. crowd. Look for the 3,000-square-foot Lechuza Wine Garden featuring a $10,000 putting green (yes, you can really sink a putt), live entertainment, a relaxed setting. And, of course, wine. Master Gardeners’ Speakers Series: Two stages feature back-toback presentations most days during the 10 days of Canada Blooms. Look for the Unilock Celebrity Stage and the Hortus TV Garden Solutions Stage presented by Harrowsmith. Topics and speakers (including me on five separate occasions) can be found at canadablooms.com. Shop: Garden Marketplace is an excellent place to find unusual plants, bulbs and seeds plus garden supplies, gardening gear and garden decor items to beat the band. Check out the Toronto Botanical Gardens bee display and get your copy of my new book The New Canadian Garden signed by the author. Pick Ontario flowers: Wade into a floor display of cut flowers and potted flowering plants. Even if you don’t buy anything — you will — I know that it will make you wish spring would just hurry up and get here. Win a trip to B.C.: The Toronto Star, Butchart Gardens, CVS Sightseeing, the Oswego Hotel and Tourism Victoria offer a chance for you to win an amazing trip to Victoria — and of course Canada’s most famous gardens of all, Butchart. Go to the Toronto Star booth to fill in a ballot. Flower competitions: Here is where the Garden Club of Toronto hosts the best floral exhibits and competition in the country. Magnificent flower presentations at Canada Blooms include entries from regional, national and international competitors. Some are amateur and others feature professional designs — decide which you like best, and see what the judges thought on judgment day.
To get the most from your Canada Blooms experience: Bring a camera Wear walking shoes — the garden and flower festival alone is six acres, plus the National Home Show.
Go for the entertainment: There are more than 200 hours of onstage seminars and demonstrations. Check the program to determine what you want to hear and plan your day around these experiences.
Bring the kids. There’s lots for them here.
Want to avoid peak traffic times? Come early (doors open at 10 a.m.) or come mid- to late-afternoon and enjoy the evening (doors close at 8 p.m. Monday to Wednesday; 9 p.m. Thursday to Saturday; and 6 p.m. on Sunday).
The quietest time, and the best time to get a good look at the 17 feature gardens, is between 10 a.m. and noon, and again between 4 p.m. and closing.
Thank a volunteer. Canada Blooms is a not-for-profit organization and it takes more than 1,200 volunteers to stage this event. Virtually all the gardens are installed by members of Landscape Ontario. If you enjoy the experience — and I guarantee you will — be sure to thank someone. Chances are they’re not being paid to be there. They just love what they do. Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, Order of Canada recipient, author and broadcaster. Get his free monthly newsletter at markcullen.com. Look for his new bestseller, The New Canadian Garden, published by Dundurn Press. Follow him on Twitter @MarkCullen4 and Facebook.