Canada Blooms is excited to announce that we will be promoting six landscape designers that will focus specifically on gardening in a 10’ x 6’ space and taking varied growing conditions into account.

Martha Uniacke Breen from her article “Here’s how to grow some green on the balcony” in the National Post tells us “Just because you live in a condo doesn’t mean you have to give up gardening. Whether you want to grow vegetables or your favourite flowers, create an outdoor room for specific functions…or just want to look out at something other than a bald concrete box, there’s a lot you can do to create your own private skybound oasis.” Martha spoke with Allan Kling of Urban Garden and Paul Zammit, Nancy Eaton director of horticulture at the Toronto Botanical Garden who had some suggestions for thinking about greening up your balcony.
• Consult your condo board so you know the rules about what you can and can’t do.
• Consider how much time you are prepared to spend gardening and be realistic.
• What are the conditions – windy, cold, dry, sunny (for how long each day). Toronto is rated Zone 6 but higher up can be 3 or 4 (equivalent to Northern Alberta)
• Plant the space as a whole, not just the planters
• Choose the type and position of containers (remember the elements, and any weight restrictions – for the condo and you personally).
• Visit your local garden centre to discover what can be grown in your area.
Read the full article "Here's how to grow some green on your balcony" to get all Allan Kling and Paul Zammit’s suggestions.

If you are a design/builder interested in creating a balcony oasis at Canada Blooms please contact Horticultural Director David Turnbull at davidturnbull@canadablooms.com for details.

~ Photo: David Taylor, tayloronhistory.com

The Toronto Flower Show schedule will be available in the next few weeks, so you might want to consider entering in the many open classes available. If you are thinking about a horticultural entry, we have a helpful checklist of things to contemplate in order to achieving a winning entry.

Consider the following:
Form - the species' or cultivars' normal form or ideal shape. It must be true to the type of flower or plant and should be at its normal shape at the peak of maturity. If multiple blooms have been called for, they should all be as close as possible to the same stage of maturity.
Colour - the natural colour for the plant's type. Judges are looking for perfection in purity, clarity and brilliance. Plants should not be dull, flat, fading or browning.
Size - that which closely resembles the variety or type being judged. Size is judged along with proportion and scale. For example, miniature roses should show daintiness.
Stem and Foliage - the stem is a major supporting plant structure and must be in proportion to the flowers, bud and leaves of its variety and species; it must carry the bloom with strength and stiffness and must not show weakness or immaturity. Foliage must be attached and not damaged or discoloured, and free of pests/disease.
Stage of Development - all exhibits should be at their peak of maturity.
Uniformity - specimens in an entry of a given cultivar should be as uniform as possible in size, form, colour and stage of development.
Substance - an entry must look fresh and turgid, demonstrating lasting quality.
Grooming and Condition - pots should be clean, the earth loosened and fresh looking; all damaged, dead or off-colour leaves and flowers should be removed. The entry must be free of dirt, debris, pollen and nay other foreign material. Flowers and foliage should show evidence of good culture.
Foreign Substances - unless it's stated in the schedule, no wiring, oiling, spraying and artificial colouring is allowed in competition.
˜ courtesy of Garden Club of Toronto Member Mary Jean Potter

~ Photos: Ursula Eley

How do they do it? Fall Garden Mums!

Have you noticed perennial garden chrysanthemums are springing up for sale at garden centres and home improvement stores everywhere? You may find this strange because in the stores they are full of buds and blooms but in your home garden they are green, green, green! Perennial chrysanthemums are called fall garden mums because they typically bloom in fall! Chrysanthemums are daylight sensitive plants setting buds and blooms based on shorter daylight hours and cool nights. So how are they blooming in stores now? Greenhouse growers like my family greenhouses (Bradford Greenhouses) tuck chrysanthemums in at night in midsummer! Seriously from July thru to late August greenhouse growers pull black out shades over greenhouses where mums are grown. This controls the amount of daylight a chrysanthemum will see and tricks them into setting flower buds and blooming way earlier than those in your garden. So those beautiful blooming chrysanthemums you see in stores now have been tricked into thinking its fall!! Just one thing greenhouse growers do to make your garden blooming great all season long!!
˜ Frankie :)

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Spring time is always an exciting time of year, full of possibilities and potential: What flowers to plant in the garden? In what arrangement? And what colours? And, what theme should one choose? The latter is particularly fun, in keeping with the Canada Blooms 2018 theme of “Let’s Go To The Movies”! So, for this festival, Floral Designer Justine De Bouvier, of Fleurishes by JuJu, thought to shake things up a bit and give Hollywood, and the visitors of the Canada Blooms Show, something to remember! Being a floral artist, Justine naturally selected Salvador Dalí's, “Un Chien Andalou”, as her guiding design theme for this show! When there are no limits to the imagination, there will be no limits to the possibilities of floral design!

In designing her unexpected and stunning floral arrangements, Justine adheres to the following skeleton of principles, irrespective of whether it is for the garden or a container arrangement:
• Ensure the colours follow a harmonious colour scheme, such as, designing with a complementary colour scheme - that is, colours located directly opposite each other on the colour spectrum, as blue and yellow are
• Provide visual interest by varying the texture of the botanicals selected for the garden or container arrangement - contrasting textures create visual interest
• Play with space by varying the height of the flowers used in the garden or container arrangements - to move and carry the eye around the design
• Incorporate or use unexpected design elements or vessels
• Step back and look at the garden or container arrangement as a whole and, add or subtract anything that affects the overall harmonious flow of the arrangement.

Beyond these basic principles, anything is possible! Drop in to one of Justine’s demos at the show to learn how to apply these principles and elevate your botanical designs to a whole new level. Alternately, stop by our booth (number H349) to see, firsthand, our principles of botanical design. Hope to see you there!

~ Photo: A Floral Arrangement inspired by Dalí Atomicus, by Justine De Bouvier, of Fleurishes by JuJu

Susan Littlefield, horticultural editor for the National Gardening Association says “Summer's end is no reason to stop enjoying garden fresh salads. Many kinds of greens grow well in the cooler days of fall and are less likely to bolt, or go to seed, giving you an extended harvest. Even in cold winter climates, if you give your greens some frost protection with a cold frame, row cover, or low tunnel, you may be able to keep up the harvest until late fall or even winter. Plus this is a great chance to broaden your culinary horizons by growing some of the more unusual and less familiar hardy greens. So get planting and go green this fall!”

Lettuce: This is a great fall crop because it grows well when soil temperatures are cool and daylegths are getting shorter. But you may encounter poor germination due to soil temperatures
Spinach: Spinach relishes the cooler weather, and decreasing daylengths don't trigger bolting. In cold winter areas, sow seeds about 8 weeks before hard frosts.
Arugula: Unlike spring-planted arugula, a fall crop won't bolt as readily and become bitter and unpalatable. Sow seeds every couple of weeks from late summer until about a month before hard frost.
Corn Salad: Also known as mache, this mild-tasting green is extremely hardy, so make successive sowings every 2 weeks up until around the time of the first frost date.
Mustard: In late summer to mid fall, plant either in a cold frame or directly in the garden.
Kale: This hardy crop shrugs off frosty weather. To harvest at full maturity, sow seeds about 10-12 weeks before fall frost.
Read full article "Lettuce Grow Fall Salad Greens" from Garden.org

Increasingly homeowners are turning to river rock as part of their decorative landscaping. River rock has a number of practical uses, and once properly installed it requires the least amount of maintenance of any ground cover and is a permanent landscape solution. River rock resists runoff, works as a heat shield and provides nutrients to the soil.

River rock looks best when set among plants and mulches and a grouping of various sized colourful boulders can provide a natural year round focal point in your garden. Homeowners with small yards are replacing lawns with river rock and creating attractive gardens with no watering or cutting.

Here are a few tips if you are considering decorative rock:
• A flat area is ideal for any sized river rock from pea gravel to large rocks but larger 3-4” rocks are best for sloped areas as they resist runoff.
• Remove dirt or soil 2-3” below the border in the area where you wish to apply rock to ensure rocks don’t spill over the border.
• Always use landscape fabric. Really! You will get weeds if you don’t and in time it won't look nice or drain as well.
• Granite river rock is recommended for ponds and water features to promote healthy water.
• Bury 20% of boulders in the ground making them seem as if they rolled in ages ago.
• The elements will eventually removes the granite fines from the rocks to reveal the colours, texture, patterns and shine.

Canada Blooms is proud to announce the addition of Maynooth Granite as an official sponsor of the 2018 festival. In 2017, Maynooth Granite's unique Algonquin granite river rock was prominently displayed in Genoscapes’ Secret Path Garden as well as other gardens with compelling results. Maynooth Granite River Rock is sold at Sheridan Nurseries, select Home Hardware stores, Beaver Valley Stone and at 75 independent dealers across Ontario.

For complete article click here.

Guess what?
Even though we've just celebrated Canada Day, we get to continue to explore and brag about our country for the rest of the year! How many experiences have you checked off of the Harrowsmith Spring 2017 150 Things to Do in 10 Provinces, 3 territories and 3 oceans in 365 days list?

There are festivals of all sorts happening in tiny towns this summer and fall. From antique wooden boat shows, barn quilt tours to lavender festivals to pow-wows. Be sure to tell us where you end up on our Facebook and Twitter pages!

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HOH Volunteers visited Sunnybrook Health Sciences & Veterans' Centre recently to help plant new trees. This will support the facility's five year goal to increase their tree canopy to 40%! Sunnybrook residents and Veterans joined the volunteers for the dedication of a special ceremonial tree planted in the garden outside the resident centre.
"To honour and remember those who served our country...this is why we are here and why we do the work that we do." Scott Bryk, Highway of Heroes Executive Director.

If you would like to help the Highway of Heroes Living Tribute, consider joining the RUN FOR REMEMBRANCE taking place Sunday, October 22, 2017. Runners of all ages and skill levels are welcome, click below for more details.

Revisit the Canada Blooms 2017!
Royal Stone and Aquaspa Pools created the 'Garden of Celebration' which was inspired by our Canada culture. They created an oasis that displayed everything Canadiana and to celebrate Canada’s 150 years birthday. If you looked you could find significant symbols that represent Canada in several areas of the garden.

Winner of a Copy of Mark Cullen's 'The New Canadian Garden'
Janice McAdam, Windsor, ON

Winners of a Year Subscription to The Gardener Magazine
Daryl Moad, Winnepeg, MB
John Mowbray, Toronto, ON

Check back to our Contest page regulary for new contests.

Whether you are looking to restructure, restyle or reorganize, the Toronto Fall Home Show, September 15-17, is your solution for everything you need to shape your space!

Get insight from top notch designers, renovators and organizers through complimentary one-on-one consultations and discover innovative solutions to your storage issues. Plus! Hear from Frank Ferragine on indoor plant trends, HGTV Home to Win celebrity experts like Jo Alcorn & Carson Arthur presented by Gladiator® GarageWorks, and shop great deals from 300+ retailers and service providers!

Here is a Special Offer for our Canada Blooms friends, $5 off admission (on Adult tickets only) when you buy your tickets online – enter promo code “BLOOMS”.

Congratulations to Geraldine Kirch, Oakville, ON & David Stempowski each winners of a 4 pack of Tickets to the Toronto Fall Home Show.

The 2017 Central Ontario Orchid Society Orchid Show and Sale
Don't miss this year's annual COOS Orchid Show and Sale!
Orchids are one of the largest families of flowering plants in the world, with up to 26,000 accepted species across 880 genera: more than double the number of bird species, and more than four times the number of mammal species globally. In addition, there are millions of hybrids!  Orchids can be found on all continents except Antarctica: from the frozen tundra of Alaska to the rainforests of Brazil, Indonesia, and the Congo. Many will be on display and even more for sale at the COOS show this fall.
For more detailed information about COOS and the show, please check out: www.coos.ca
32nd Annual Orchid Show and Sale
Saturday, September 23, 2017: 11am to 5pm
Sunday, September 24, 2017: 9am to 5pm
Cambridge Memorial Arena
640 Ellis Rd, Cambridge

Annual Ravine Symposium at the Toronto Botanical Garden
With ongoing and increasing threats - such as climate change, invasive species and watershed urbanization - how do we restore ecological function to urban ravines? Inspired by the City of Toronto's ravine strategy, the stewardship work of city and conservation authority staff and community groups, and TBG's own expansion plans involving Wilket Creek ravine, TBG held its first ravine symposium in fall 2016. Through tours, talks, panel discussions, displays and networking, this year's symposium will continue the conversations and strengthen the connections. For more information visit: torontobotaincalgarden.ca.
Ravine Symposium
Early bird registration (until Sept 15): $85
Registration fee (as of Sept 16): $105
Toronto Botanical Garden
777 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto ON
T. 416-397-1341
Register today!