Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Click Here  
   
Canada Blooms Header

Celebrating A Great Festival

Blooms 2018 Popcorn Box & Marquee

Thanks to all our Visitors, Exhibitors, Presenters, Sponsors and Volunteers!

The Canada Blooms 2018 festival was a great success and we certianly couldn't have done it without you. Over 166,000 visitors joined us at the co-located Canada Blooms and National Home Show. Landscape designers and builders, floral artists, Toronto Flower Show competitors and knowledgeable presenters showed a off their creative side with this year's theme 'Let's Go to The Movies'.

FEATURES AND HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED:
• The giant iconic popcorn box with 1500 "popcorn" roses (1200 cream and 300 yellow) from Aldershot Greenhouses.
• The Marquee and Floral Dress. This was a great photo-op for visitors who wanted to get the red carpet feel of a movie premier. The Marquee and decorated floral reels were the concept of our Design, Decor and Ambiance Committee and was designed by Susan Suter. The dress was designed and constructed by Jennifer Harvey. Special thanks to Swan Wedding and Event Decor for the red drapes and Ontario Flower Growers for the flowers.
• Over 30 gardens celebrated the movies, including small space designs featured in NEW Balcony Garden displays, the Oaks Landscape Products 'Do Up the Doorsteps' and 'Do Up the Backsteps'; also the stunning Highway of Heroes garden by Genoscape, the Landscape Ontario fusion garden and the Tetley Tea Garden.
• The Toronto Flower Show presented by the Garden Club of Toronto featured the best in Horticulture and Design, showcasing an impressive number of displays from International competitors coming from Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Italy, United States and Zimbabwe as well as Ikebana Schools and local challengers.
• 8 professional floral artists showcase their interpretation of theme "Let's Go To The Movies"
• Designs from floral presentations on the stage including dresses from the CAFA Couture Floral Fashion Show and the Canada Blooms Designer of the Year Competition.
• The Proven Winners Showcase of 'Must See' for 2018, showcasing a variety of plants that will be a hit for your garden this year, featuring the colour of the year 'purple'.
• The Flower Growers of Ontario Floral Market featured colourful cut flowers and plants.
• Hundreds of FREE lectures and demonstrations on 3 stages: the Unilock Celebrity Stage, the Garden Solutions and Master Gardeners Educational Series presented by Harrowsmith Magazine, and the Marketplace Stage.
The Gardening Experience by Mark's Choice provided children from 5 to 95 the opportunity to learn about soil, planting and seeds/seedlings (courtesy of Mark's Choice, Somerville Seedlings, Ontario Seed Company and Martin Farms).
• The Garden Marketplace was filled with a wide variety of vendors promoting products and services related to gardening, landscaping, garden accents, outdoor living and everything else needed to get the garden season started.
The Wine Lounge at CB, featuring Colio wine and beer and showcasing entertainment by Raindrop and Nicole Lisa Craig (formerly Nicole Coward) and the Isuzu Cafe provided a place to sit and relax and just take in the ambiance of the festival.

Thanks again for a great festival and mark your calendars for next year:
March 8-17, 2019!

Valentine border

Toronto Flower Show

Toronto Flower Show Set Up

“Let’s Go to the Movies” was our theme this year. The sets have been rolled away, Hort entries have found their way back to their homes, designs have been dismantled, but the memories remain. What an exciting show it was, with lots of opportunities for us to interact with the public, to show off our love for Horticulture and our skill with design. The photo competition always had enthusiasts examining the photos and lots of people filled out the ballots to judge a Horticulture class and a Design competition. As usual, the International designers were an engaging and creative group. A huge hit this year were the many hands-on workshops in the Toronto Flower Show for kids and adults. Show visitors seemed to really like the ‘pop-up’ demos of Horticulture and Design. 

Did you see the stunning entry designed by Ursula Eley and created by a crew of volunteers? Did you see the fabulous dresses made from plant material? Did you see the Kokodama balls –  moss-covered earthen balls supporting orchids? Did you see the red doors with their wonderful decorative door décor?  The Toronto Flower Show was alive with activity, and interactions with Show visitors make all the work worthwhile.  We loved the kids’ art class who sketched the Horticultural displays, the children crowding around the activity table, the artists who painted and sketched and talked to show visitors and the visitors who stayed after a Demo was finished to learn more. The Toronto Flower Show represents many, many hours of work and pleasure for our volunteers. Thanks to all of them for making the Show shine, and thanks to all the Show visitors for coming to the Movies!
— Ellen Clark, Toronto Flower Show/Garden Club of Toronto

Click Here for More About The Garden Club of Toronto
Flimstrip Border
Congrats Winners

Garden Builders At Canada Blooms

Garden Builder Winners

This year's garden builders embraced the 'Let's Go To The Movies' theme and the results were fantastic, from outdoor movie theatres, to Oscar parties to gardens inspired by movies like 'Midnight in Paris', 'An Inconvenient Truth', 'Under The Tuscan Sun' and 'Star Trek'. So we would like to congratulate all the designers and builders.

We would like to recognize the winner of the Tony DiGiovanni Garden of the Year (Judge's Choice) Award -- 'Midnight in Paris' by Julie Moore and Modern Landscape Designers. Modern Landscape Designers also won the S.G. Ulbright Award for Outstanding Garden, medium size.

The winner of the Toronto Star's People's Choice Award was '...Never Forgotten' by Joe Genovese and Genoscape for the Highway of Heroes. Genoscape also won the Gordon A. MacEachern Award of Outstanding Garden, large size; best use of bulbs presented by Pioneer Flower Farms and the Premier Tech Award for Best Overall Use of Plant Material.

'Alice' by Greer Design Group won the Do-Up-The-Doorsteps and 'Found Treasure Island' by Skai Leja Landscape Design & Ecoman won the Do-Up-The-Backsteps, both presented by Oaks Landscape Products. And AKa Designs won the best Balcony Garden display.

Thanks again to all the participants, and congratulations to all winners at the Hub International Professional Awards Night at Canada Blooms presented in association with Aviva and Landscape Ontario.

Check Out All The Winners Here

Floral Artists At Canada Blooms

Professional Floral Artists Winners

We challenged the professional floral artists at Canada Blooms to bring their A Game to Floral Alley and Design Battles and we were not disappointed.
Floral Alley, the professional floral artists showcase, was filled with everything from movie interpretations like 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' and 'Memoirs of a Geisha' to premier night red carpet to movie reels and popcorn extravaganzas these professional designers showed just why they deserve the title floral artist.

On opening day, the floral displays were officially judged and the winners received their awards on Professional Florist Day presented by Farm to Canada and Highland Evergreen Supply during the First Floral Artists Awards Night at Canada Blooms organized by Jennifer Harvey and co-hosted with Tanner Zipchen, Cineplex's pre-show host, in celebration of this year's movie theme.

Congratulations to the winners:
The Winner of Best Floral Representation of Show Theme presented by Highland Evergreen Supply: was 'Let's Grow To The Movies' by Julie Drago, Pure Event Design and Peter & Paul's Gifts.

The winner of both Outstanding Use of Artistic Elements (Floral) presented by Farm to Canada and Judge's Choice for Favourite Floral Display was 'Reel Flowers' by Rada Ristich and Brad Higginson of Alma Florist/4165Flower.

The winner of both Best Overall Floral Quality of Workmanship presented by Ontario Flower Growers and Toronto Star People's Choice Award for Favourite Floral Display was 'Memoirs of a Geisha', by Bruno Duarte, Fresh Floral Creations.

Also on Professional Florist Day, an exciting floral battle took place for the title of Canada Blooms Professional Floral Designer of the Year, and the final designs were judged by accredited design professionals and Joseph Delarge of eco|stems was declared the winner, beating out talented artists Julie Drago, Veena Sagoo and Sveta Shvedenkova.

Congratulations all the winners and all the participants of Floral Alley for the beautiful displays:
'Reel Flowers' by Rada Ristich & Brad Higginson, Alma Florist/4165Flower
'Inspired by The Birdcage' by Joseph Delarge, eco|stems
'Memoirs of a Geisha' by Bruno Duarte, Fresh Floral Creations
'Breakfast at Tiffany's' by Jennifer Harvey, Jennifer Harvey
'Premier Night' by Lena Pham, Lena's Floral Designs
'Let's Grow To The Movies' by Julie Drago, Pure Event Design/Peter and Paul's Gifts
'Hollywood Glam' by Araz Adam, Posies Flower Studio
'Pop-Pop-Pop-Corn' by Sveta Shvedenkova, Tim Clark's Flowers

Visitors were also treated to two Pop-Up displays that were designed during the festival:
CAFA Couture Fashion Show'Lady Bird' by Celia Cooper, Primrose & Willow
'Moulin Rouge' by Nicholas Smith, Opening Night Flowers

... as well as a stunning floral fashion show -- CAFA Couture which featured collaborative designs by Inta Taurins, Brad Higginson, Julie Drago, Veena Sagoo, Derrick Foss and Rhonda Jaxa-Aksentowicz

Filmstrip border

Presentations, Demonstrations and Workshops

Presentations, Demonstrations and Workshops

We would like to express our appreciation to a wonderful line up of incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic presenters who took part in the Canada Blooms. This year we heard about everything from how to grow food to celebrating trees, from lawn care to thugs in the garden to gardens from around the world, and so much more. We had demonstrations on pruning, splitting hostas, repotting orchids and springtime containers. We also had a record number of authors join us this year -- Niki Jabbour, Frank Ferragine, Tara Nolan, Bobbie Schwartz, Lorraine Johnson, Emily Murphy, Carol Pasternak and Mark Cullen.

Thanks to all our sponsors Unilock, Harrowsmith Magazine, and special programming from Master Gardeners of Ontario, Toronto Botanical Garden and PRO-MIX, for making Canada Blooms educational series one of the best in the country.

The Mark's Choice Gardening Experience was a huge success with over 2500 seeds and seedlings shared with kids from 5 to 95, while informing them about the do's and don'ts of planting encouraging everyone to start their gardening season off right. We also appreciate the instructors who provided special programming: Master Gardeners of Ontario for their children's workshops, Robert Patterson of the Growing Connection (Create a Pizza Garden/Tea Garden), Lillian Taggart (Spring Floral Centerpiece), Trudy Grantham (Kokedama), Judy Zinni (Fairy Garden), Jacqui Miller (Floral Cakes) and The Veggie Guy, Bob Martin (Growing Veggies for Kids).

We are grateful to Jennifer Harvey and Inta Taurins for helping to coordinate all the Floral Challenges, Bouquet Battles, and CAFA Couture Floral Fashion Show. We would also like to recognize our participants in the Celebrity Flower Arranging Challenge -- Zoomer Media's Marilyn Lightstone, Janice Fedak of Janice Fedak Colour & Design, garden experts Ben Cullen and Denis Flanagan and Cineplex Pre-Show Host Tanner Zipchen who won bragging rights as the Canada Blooms Celebrity Arranger for 2018. Thanks also to emcee Paul Zammit and the hosts from the Garden Club of Toronto.

Photos (top): (t-l) Planting succulents in the Mark's Choice Gardening Experience, (t-r) floral challenge (b-l) Celebrity Flower Arranging with Tanner Zipchen and Marjorie Lenz (b-r) Veggies for kids with the Veggie Guy (below): (l)Floral Centerpiece workshop with Lillian Taggart, (c) Celebrity Flower Arranging with Marilyn Lightstone (r) Floral Cake workshop with Jacqui Miller

Lillian Taggart Workshop
Floral Cake Workshop
Marilyn Lightstone
Education Sponsors
Flimstrip border

Canada Blooms Donates Flowers

Blooms Flower Donation

Canada Blooms and City of Toronto celebrate 11 years of donations.

At a March 20th celebration residents and staff of Bendale Acres joined celebrity gardener Ben Cullen to accept more than 600 plants donated by Canada Blooms and transported by Procter's Cartage.

This is the 11th year that Canada Blooms has donated plants to a long-term care home owned and operated by the City of Toronto. It allows the many plants and flowers from the festival to continue to bring enjoyment to Torontonians.

Each of the 302 residents at Bendale Acres and seniors from the Adult Day Program and Brimley Acres Supportive Housing received a plant. Meals on Wheels volunteers from TransCare will also deliver plants to seniors in the neighbourhood.

"This is a wonderful annual event for all involved," said Mayor John Tory. "This donation is a gift that keeps on giving and I thank Canada Blooms for their continued commitment to the City and its seniors."

"I am so pleased that we have been able to carry on this tradition for over a decade," said Terry Caddo, General Manager of Canada Blooms."Receiving these plants and flowers delights the residents and clients in long-term care homes. It brings me great pleasure to witness the
positive effects of these donations."

Ben Cullen Donating Flowers
Canada Blooms, Councillor Mike Ford and Kipling Acres
Valentine border

TIPS FROM THE PROS
The Benefits Of Container Gardening

Mark and Ben Cullen

Containers are useful in every garden, but particularly where space is limited to a patio or deck. Your ultimate success hinges on proper soil preparation. 

MC Earth Worm CastingsWhen you plant in containers you can change the plants from year to year, as well as from season to season to extend the colour and interest. Containers give you complete control over soil and watering conditions, and they are portable so you can change their location according to the plants’ needs.

Use lightweight soil mixes for containers. We add worm castings to quality container mixes for an added boost. The ideal ratio is one part worm castings for 10 parts container mix.  While many container mixes provide nutrients, earth worm castings provide added microbes, mychroriza and beneficial bacteria that complete the perfect soil.  

MC Container SoilContainers should have last year’s soil removed and placed on the garden. Scrape out the inside of each pot with a stiff brush to remove the soil that is caked on and replace with fresh container mix. Be sure to buy quality stuff. We like Pro Mix, CIL Potting Soil, and, of course, our own Mark’s Choice container mix. Just be sure that you use one of the quality mixes on the market as you do get what you pay for with this product.  Mark’s Choice Worm Castings are exclusive to Home Hardware and available at a great price.
- Mark & Ben Cullen, Mark's Choice/MarkCullen.com

Click Here For More Garden Tips From MarkCullen.com
Filmstrip border

Harrowsmith's Tree Top Haven

Harrowsmith Tree Top Haven

Returning migratory birds have begun to dot the bare branches of the treetops again, signalling that it's true, we've endured another season!

Harrowsmith Spring CoverWhy not treat yourself to a stay at a B&B--the best place to recharge for the months ahead. As soon as the barometer climbs, free time is so quickly swallowed up with pruning, sowing, impromptu BBQs and new DIY projects. Plan your getaway now and grab some new breakfast ideas from the experts--the innkeepers! Here's a guide to the best "Suite Sleeps" in Central and Eastern Canada from our Spring 2018 issue. The editor-in-chief will be practicing what she preaches at The Treetop Haven in Mount Tyron, PEI this week! Pick up a copy on newsstands or visit www.harrowsmithmag.com to subscribe.

Click Here For The Full Suite-Sleeps Story
Filmstrip border

Thanks To The Experts

Ask The Experts

We would like to extend a special thanks to Adrienne Hanbidge and the members of the Master Gardeners of Ontario for all their hard work in helping to create a unique horticultural experience at Canada Blooms.

These friendly & dedicated volunteers are always happy to share their vast knowledge at the two conveniently located Advice Clinic locations, sponsored by Stokes Seeds.  Also, through a variety of presentations & demonstrations during the four-day Master Gardener Speaker Series on the Garden Solutions Stage presented by Harrowsmith.  

Perhaps your child attended one of the many planting workshops run by MG’s and offered at the Mark's Choice Gardening Experience.  Plantings of several different edibles, succulents, and pollinator plants were undertaken.  Also, fun was had at the Grass Seed Head and Seed Bomb workshops with supplies for the latter provided by Garden Jane.  One goal of Master Gardeners is to get the next generation excited about getting their hands in the soil & growing plants, and judging by the smiling faces of workshop participants, it was a resounding success. 

MG’s also participated in the Early Morning Tour program, giving participants an in-depth tour of the show gardens as well as a behind the scenes look at Canada Blooms.  And, just maybe divulging a secret or two.

Thanks to each and every one of the MG’s who volunteered their time and expertise to help visitors discover the joys of gardening, solve horticultural dilemmas & plant problems, and for answering the thousands of questions that were posed over the 10-day period. 

If you would like to know more about the Master Gardeners of Ontario, become a member or request a horticultural speaker for an event, please go to the website:  www.mgoi.ca

_______________________________________________________

Garden Experts Zone: This new feature allowed visitors to sit down and ask in depth questions with a landscape professional. Thanks to Creative Gardens, ExperTrees and a number of other volunteers who helped set visitors on the right landscape path. Also, thanks to the number of floral experts who offered advice on everything from caring for fresh cut flowers to design tips.

Ask a Horticultural Specialist: Members of the Ontario Horticultural Association, North American Native Plant Society, Butchart Gardens, Ontario Invasive Plant Society and LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests) shared their knowledge and answered hundreds of questions.

If you didn't have a chance to take advantage of these experienced garden and landscape experts, florists and horticultural specialists then start planning now for next year!

Filmstrip border

Garden Days 2018

Garden Days

Garden Days Logo


Garden Days, the Annual Celebration of Canada's Garden Culture, will run from Saturday, June 16 to Sunday, June 24


Garden Days is Canada’s country-wide celebration of the vital role of gardens and gardening in our communities and in our lives. National Garden Day is Saturday, June 16, the opening day of Garden Days 2018.

This nine-day program of activities and events is for gardening enthusiasts, families, schools and tourists alike. Garden Days is an opportunity for Canadians to enjoy their own garden, visit or take part in their favourite garden experience, get inspired at their local garden centre or travel to a nearby destination to enjoy their favourite garden.

Register Your Activity
All Canadian gardens, garden centres, horticultural and plant societies, garden clubs, schools, garden-related businesses and communities are invited to organize Garden Days activities or events – between June 16 and 24 – to celebrate public gardens and home gardening.

We invite you to start planning your 2018 Garden Days activity and register it at no charge.


Looking for Garden Days Activities?
Visit the ‘Activities’ link. By June 16th there will be hundreds of Activities from which to choose. Conveniently sorted by province, we know there’ll be numerous Activities you and your family will want to enjoy!

Click For More Information On Garden Days
Valentine border

Through The Garden Gate 2018

2018 Through The Garden Gate

Mark's Choice Through The Garden Gate: Windfields Estates
Saturday, June 9 and Sunday, June 10, 2018 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Mark’s Choice Through the Garden Gate, is Toronto’s largest tour of private gardens. This self-guided tour enables participants to discover these beautiful gardens at their own pace following a map and garden guide containing descriptions of the featured gardens. A complimentary shuttle bus service is available for participants along the garden route.

Knowledgeable Toronto Master Gardeners will be at each garden to answer any questions about the plant materials and design features. There will be opportunities to buy snacks and refreshments along the route. All proceeds from this event support the Toronto Botanical Garden.

The private gardens selected in Windfields Estate are located just north of the Toronto Botanical Garden (Lawrence Avenue East and Leslie Street)

Headquarters: Toronto Botanical Garden, 777 Lawrence Ave. E, Toronto

TICKETS

One-Day Pass: Public $45 / TBG Members $40
Two-Day Pass: Public $65 / TBG Members $60
Students $25 (With ID, One-Day Pass Only)
Tax included. Tickets are limited, advance purchase recommended.
For more information call 416-397-1483 and follow #MCTTGG

Don't forget to enter for a chance to win tickets to MCTTGG, contest closes May 21, 2018.

Click To Find Out More About
Mark's Choice Through The Garden Gate
Click To Enter To Win Tickets To MCTTGG
Filmstrip border

Earth Day Celebration

HOH Earth Day Planting at Sunnybrook

Volunteers plant 250 trees at Sunnybrook to honour Canadian Soldiers for Earth Day.

As part of Earth Day celebrations, on April 22, 2018, the Highway of Heroes Living Tribute enlisted the help of Mayor John Tory, Mark Cullen, volunteers from the Toronto Rotary, veterans and Sunnybrook staff helped to honour the Canadian men and women who both served and sacrificed their lives for their country.

Sunnybrook Health and Sciences Centre is the home of Canada's largest veterans care facility and this tree planting added to the living memorial honouring those who served and gave the ultimate for our freedoms.

Kathleen Wynne at Canada BloomsExciting news for Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign
At Canada Blooms, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced a $1 million donation on behalf of the government of Ontario. This gives a huge push towards the goal of raising $10 million by 2020.

This, in addition to the more than $1.7 million raised from private Canadian sources to date draw the HOH Tribute closer to 30% of their goal.

Click to Find Out About
The Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign
Valentine border

Contests

Win a Copy of Mark Cullen's Book

Looking for great gardening advice?
Enter for a chance to win a copy of Mark Cullen's book The New Canadian Garden from Dundurn Press.

Mark keeps his fingers on the pulse of exciting horticultural trends. His years of experience give him a unique understanding of who today’s gardeners are, what information they require, and how gardening trends are changing people’s expectations. A must-have reference for every home gardener in a Canadian climate!

Visit our Contest page for a chance to enter for your Chance to win a copy of Mark's book.

Click To Enter Contest

Congratulations To Prize Winner

Victoria Prize Package

Visitors at Canada Blooms were asked to vote for their favourite Feature Garden and Floral Display, in the Toronto Star "People's Choice" Award, for an opportunity to win a trip to Victoria, BC. Prize included a two night stay at the Royal Scot Hotel & Suites, airfare and a delightful afternoon tea at the majestic Butchart Gardens and trip to the Royal BC Museum.

Congratulations to winner: Adriana Colavecchia, Burlington, Ontario

Filmstrip border

RECIPE CORNER
Cooking With Tetley

Tetley Tea Recipes

Ingredients
2 tsp (10 mL) fresh gingerroot, minced
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper
6 cups (1.5 L) vegetable broth
2 lb (1 kg) peeled, chopped butternut squash
1 cup (250 mL) peeled chopped sweet potato
1 can (14 oz/400 mL) coconut milk
4 tsp (20 mL) maple syrup
1/3 cup (75 mL) toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
1/4 cup (60 mL) yogurt (optional)

Directions
Heat oil in large saucepan set over medium heat; cook onion, leek, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper for about 5 minutes or until onion starts to soften. Add broth; bring to boil. Stir in butternut squash and sweet potato; reduce heat to medium-low. 
Add tea bags; cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables are soft and tender.  Remove tea bags and discard. Using hand blender, purée until smooth. Stir in coconut milk and maple syrup; return to simmer. Spoon into bowls. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and dollop of yogurt (if using).

Tip: Substitute herbs, such as cilantro or parsley, for pumpkin seeds if desired.
Total time: 40 minutes - Preparation time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 30 minutes 
Serves: 4 to 6

Click Here For More Tetley Tea Recipes
Filmstrip border

PLANT AT A GLANCE
Proven Winners
Hippo Rose Polka Dot Plant

Hippo Rose

The polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya) 'Hippo Rose', produced by Proven Winners, is a bright and beautiful plant, with spotted leaves that stand out, especially next to other plants.  Foliage is the main reason to grow this plants and it has been found to be an easy-to-grow plant for both sunny and shady locations. 

Sure to be a favourite at local nurseries and garden centres this season, the polka dot plants are well suited for indoor use and in temperate to warm zones they can be grown outside.

Growing Conditions:
Light: bright light is best, but when tested in the University of Guelph Trial beds it did well in shade as well. If you prefer more colour then consider some direct sunlight, which should deepen the colours.
Water: keep the soil moist in the summer growing season. If your plant flowers and then goes dormant, reduce water and resume when new growth starts.
Fertilizer: during the growing season, feed weekly with a weak liquid fertilizer that includes micronutrients.
Soil: A light, fast-draining potting soil is perfect.

The ‘Hippo Rose’ was grown and evaluated in the various 2017 trials. It was very popular with visitors who came out to see the trials and in a survey at the University of Guelph, where more than 300 participants were asked to select 3 plants from a group of 21 for use in a mixed container, 'Hippo Rose' was the favourite.

For more information on the ‘Hippo Rose’ Polka Dot plant visit your local garden centre.
Additional Reading visit: www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/polka-dot-plant
www.thespruce.com/grow-hypoestes-phyllostachya-indoors-1902650

Filmstrip border

Revisit The Gardens at Canada Blooms
'Midnight In Paris'

Midnight in Paris Video
Filmstrip border

Saving The World With Seed Balls

Garden Jane Seed Balls

My 8-year-old daughter Chloe came home a few weeks ago and announced she wanted to start a “save the world” club. I invited her to join me in making seed balls to grow in our gardens, and to help spread the word about seed balls to other kids. I told her I’d tell the adults, so here’s the scoop!

Seed balls are made by mixing dry clay, compost, seeds, and water. They were invented by Masanobu Fukuoka, a Japanese farmer, who worked to grow crops naturally with as little intervention and for as much yield as possible. What we’ve learned from Fukuoka and our own experiments is that seed balls are great for:
• vegetable and cover crops            • protecting seeds from birds and squirrels
• nourishing seeds and soil              • lazy gardeners and guerilla gardening
• parties and garden groups             • reducing daily watering in the spring
• fun as an activity for ages 3–99    • ecological restoration of deserts (no kidding!)

At Garden Jane, we’ve found that seed balls work so well for growing seeds — and are such a fun activity for people to do together — that we decided to give gardeners, families, and teachers access to this transformative gardening approach by creating seed ball kits. There are three types of kits available: Mild Salad Mix, Spicy Salad Mix, and Feed the Birds Mix and you can order them online.

Each kit includes food-safe dry red clay, worm compost, instructions, and local organic seeds. A kit makes ~100 seed balls about the size of a nickel. One kit is the right amount for a gardening group, class, club, or birthday party. It also works well for a family wanting to spread some lettuce around their garden or to grow in pots on a windowsill. I give them as host gifts all the time (people love it over a bottle of wine), and Chloe gives seed ball kits away in loot bags at her birthday parties, helping us spread seeds and cut down on birthday waste where we can. Talk about fun!

Learn more about the origin of seed balls and check out The Great Seed Ball Revolution children’s story here (pass it on!). Chloe and I are still making plans to save the world with seed balls and hope you’ll join us in growing them and sharing pictures and stories about how they do in your world on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
- Jane Hayes, Garden Jane

Discover More About Garden Jane
Enter To Win A Garden Jane Seed Ball Kit
Filmstrip border

Upcoming Events

Plant Sale

GEORGETOWN HORTICULTURAL PLANT SALE
Mark your calendars for the Plant Sale and Silent Auction held at the Gellert Community Centre because you won't want to miss it. We'll have Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs, Trees, Containers, Hanging Baskets and Specialty Plants.
NEW NEW NEW: Soil and mulch will now be available for purchase!
There is something for everyone!
Friday, May 11th, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
Gellert Community Centre, 10241 8 Line, Georgetown, ON L7G 4S5
This is an indoor event, so Rain or Shine we're on!

TORONTO BOTANICAL GARDEN PLANT SALE
A thoughtfully curated selection of plants available for sale in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Toronto Master Gardeners will be available to provide a friendly gardening advice.
• Annuals • Container Plants • Edibles & Herbs • Houseplants • Natives • Perennials • Pollinator-friendly plants • Shrubs & Small Trees • Succulents • Vines
Stefan Weber of St. Williams Nursery and Ecology Centre will be on hand with offerings of uncommon specimens and high impact native plants.
Members Only: Thursday, May 10, 12 pm-8 pm
Open to Public: Friday, May 11, 10 am-8 pm, Saturday May 12 & Sunday May 13, 10 am-5 pm
Toronto Botanical Garden, 777 Lawrence Ave. E., Toronto, ON M3C 1P2
FREE PARKING!


CFUWTourA TOWN & COUNTRY GARDEN TOUR
– Don’t miss this!
Eight gardens for you to explore on your self-guided tour. Host gardeners to answer your questions. Includes map, lunch, raffle table and more. 
Sat. July 7th, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm (rain or shine). 
St. Thomas Anglican Church, Belleville. 
Tickets $25 at the door or
visit cfuwbelleville.com/special-events/garden-tour/

GUEPLH HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ANNUAL GARDEN SHOWCASE
Guelph Horticultural Society invites you to our Annual Garden Showcase Tour on July 8, 2018.
This self-drive tour of 7 unique garden spaces takes place rain or shine and offers you a chance to speak with the owners, Master Gardeners, and to enjoy the talent of local artisans and musicians.
Sunday, July 8th, 1 pm to 5:30 pm.
Cost is just $10 for adults, children under 12 are free, no pets please.
For garden locations and more information please visit guelphhort.org

CanadaBlooms.com

Our address is:
7856 Fifth Line South, Milton, ON L9T 2X8

unsubscribe from this list    about us 

Canada Blooms was founded by the Garden Club of Toronto and Landscape Ontario
Garden Club of Toronto Landscape Ontario

Email
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram Instagram Youtube