Spring 2016 Vol1

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An exclusive peek at Canada Blooms: The Flower & Garden Festival

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

for making Canada Blooms' 20th Anniversary festival a huge success, we couldn’t have done it without you!
Over 200,000 visitors joined us at the co-located 2016 Canada Blooms Festival and National Home Show. Landscape designers and builders, professional florists, Toronto Flower Show competitors and presenters showed a wide range of creativity with the theme "It's A Party"!

FEATURE AREAS INCLUDED:
Over 25 Gardens: including the Oaks by Brampton Brick's 'Do Up The Doorstep' small space front yard gardens, impressive water features, a musical quartet made from plant material and other innovative displays.
Floral Displays: both amateurs and professionals took part in competitions at Canada Blooms. The Toronto Flower Show presented by the Garden Club of Toronto featured the best in Horticulture and Design and showcased impressive designs from International Exhibitors from France, Bermuda, Australia, the United States,
Barbados, Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Canada.
Along the centre aisle there was so much to take in, The Bayview Flowers Floral Alley featured 5 of the best professional floral artists in Ontario as they put their own spin on the theme 'Life is a Celebration'.
The Toronto Ohara School of Ikebana presented two authentic
Japanese flower arrangements for all to admire.
The entrance arch, designed by Jennifer Harvey and presented by Gatto Flowers, was bright and colourful welcome to visitors and was a photo highlight.
The Welcome Garden highlighted heaps of Garvineas, the Canada Blooms flower of the year, along with Grout the Gnome and a lush green wall from Exotic Garden Landscaping.
pickOntario featured a huge Flower Market and created a colourful mini garden which drew attention to the best picks of the season -- delightful hellebores, orchids, roses, hydrangeas and more.
Education: There were hundreds of free lectures and demonstrations on 3 stages: the Unilock Celebrity Stage presented by HGTV, the Hortus TV Garden Solutions and Master Gardeners Educational Series presented by Harrowsmith Magazine and the Marketplace Stage. Master Gardeners of Ontario were onsite
to answer questions about plants and gardening.
The Gardening Experience by Fafard provided children of all agesthe opportunity to learn about soil, planting and seeds/seedlings (from Somerville Seedlings, Ontario Seed Company and Martin Farms) that they could then take home to watch grow.
Garden Marketplace: A wide variety of vendors promoted products and services related to gardening, landscaping, garden accents and outdoor living to
get the garden season started right.
Thanks again for a great event and mark your calendars for next year:
March 10-19, 2017.
Pictures courtesy of David Ohashi

Congratulations to the 'Judges Choice' and 'People's Choice' Winners

H2O Yeah!

Birth

The winner of the Tony DiGiovanni Garden of the Year (Judges Choice) Award was "H2O Yeah!" by Geneoscape, "H2O Yeah!" also won The Gordon A. MacEachern Award for Outstanding Garden, The Leslie L. Solty Memorial Award for Best Overall Creativity in a Garden Design and The Perry Molema Award for Outstanding Use of Water presented by Aquascape Inc.

Toronto Star Merit Travel "People's Choice" Floral Display winner was the Canadian Institute of Floral Design. The Toronto Star Merit Travel "People's Choice" Garden winner was "Music in the Park" by the City of Toronto. The City of Toronto also won the Outstanding use of Interior Plants presented by Jill Jensen.

For a list of all the feature garden award winners click here.
Pictures courtesy of David Ohashi

Presentations, Demonstrations and Workshops

We would like to express our appreciation to a wonderful line up of incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic speakers and presenters, from Paul Zammit's Garden to Glass: Planting for Pollinators to Ken Beattie's Get Outside, Get Growing, Get Dirty, from Stump the Gardener to the Rain Garden Challenge, from Frank Ferragine's Food to Grow to Mark Cullen & Denis Flanagan's It's All Beautiful presented by ProMix. Thanks also to the sponsors of the Stages and Education Series: Unilock, HGTV, Hortus TV and Harrowsmith Magazine, Master Gardeners of Ontario, Benchmark.
Thanks also to pickOntario, Rosa Flora, Bayview Flowers and Gatto Flowers for providing the flowers and plant for floral stage demonstrations, including Floral Superstars and Celebrity Flower Arranging as well as workshops.

We appreciate the great wealth of knowledge

Workshops

supplied by our workshop instructors who provided special programs: Mark Trusz (Photography), Jennifer Harvey (Plant a Terrarium), Ashley Waltho of the Canadian Institute of Floral Design (Easter Centrepieces), and Homa Bahadouri (Botanical Painting).

View Celebrity Flower Arranging video.

Toronto Flower Show

Floral Dress

The Party’s over but……..
Visitors to the Toronto Flower Show at Canada Blooms in March were asked how they would have judged some Floral Design and Horticultural classes and they told us! The pink dress made from 2500 paper coffee filters was a favourite, as was the Design based on the Laughing Cow, and two of the Wardian cases. Visitors also enjoyed the plants we encouraged them to touch on our “Please Touch These Plants” table. They admired the work of our Artists in The Garden, and were delighted with the floral design demonstrations - floral cakes, hand-tied bouquets, and ‘make you own floral sundaes.’

Master Gardeners of Ontario

We would like to extend a special thank you to Tena Van Andel and the members of the Master Gardeners of Ontario for all their hard work in helping to create a unique horticulture experience at Canada Blooms. Wearing many hats, you might have seen the dedicated volunteers as they offered garden tips and how-to ideas at their advice clinic. Or perhaps you took an early morning tour with a

Master Gardeners of Ontario

knowledgeable Master Gardener guide, enjoyed one of their many lectures or presentations as part of our educational line up.
If you didn't have a chance to take advantage of these devoted and enthusiastic gardeners, then start planning now for next year!

Professional Florists

For the first time Canada Blooms held a judged competition for the Professional Florist Artists. Putting their own spin on the theme of 'Life is a Celebration', each Floral Artist was given an occasion - Birth, Birthday, Wedding, Holiday (Valentine's) and a Celebration of Life.

We would like to congratulate the winners:
Alma Florist-4165Flower/Brad Higgins & Rada Ristich (Wedding):
Best Use of Floral Theme presented by Bayview Flowers
Fresh Floral Creations/Bruno Duarte (Holiday): Outstanding Use of Artistic Elements presented by Gatto Flowers
Opening Night Flowers/Nicholas Smith (Birthday): Best Overall Quality and Workmanship presented by Fiskars
The Canadian Institute of Floral Design (Birth): People's Choice Award
Jennifer Harvey (Celebration of Life): Best Use of Plant Material in a Floral Design

Special Thanks to
Inta Taurins, CAFA, AIFD, CFD, WFD for coordinating judges.

Special Offer

Toronto's favourite heavenly musical - FOREVER PLAID returns
to the Panasonic Theatre opening on May 17th! The classic pop
hits of the 1950's in pitch-perfect harmony!

"Screamingly funny!

Utterly entertaining!"

- New York Post

A quartet of male singers takes a detour to heaven on the way to their first big concert. They posthumously take the stage for one final gig.
Fantasitically funny and timelessly tuneful, their close harmonies and charming choreography take you on a journey through your favourite pop hits of the 1950s, such as Moments to Remember, Heart and Soul and Love is a Many Splendored Thing.

Use promo code BLOOMS for your exclusive 25% discount.
Buy tickets now!

Rain Gardens

What is a rain garden?
According to the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, each year in your yard there will be run off from rain and stormwater that will come from your roof, driveway and other hard surfaces. As the water moves toward the street (and sewer system) it can pick up a number of other substances (waste, salt, oils, etc) that can be harmful to water quality and aquatic habitat.
A rain garden is a much better use of the stormwater. A rain garden is a planted or stonecovered bed designed to receive stormwater and allow it to be slowly absorbed into the soil.
Rain gardens provide a good habitat for butterflies, birds and other wildlife and it requires little upkeep because it will contain native plants.
Parklane Landscapes has a great Rain Garden Calculator on their website that will help you determine the size of the rain garden you should create for your property.
For more information on creating a Rain Garden visit the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority website.
Picture (left, Canada Blooms Rain Garden designed and built by Parklane Landscapes, right, rain garden image from LSRCA)

Canada Blooms Opens Stock Exchange

Canada Blooms opens TSX

Canada Blooms opened the Toronto Stock Exchange on Wednesday March 16, 2016
View video here.

Harrowsmith Offer

Harrowsmth Magazine

Fulfilling the Dream of Farming
It’s a challenge that has scared off many an aspiring farmer: How can a person embark on a career in food production without solid financial backing? Well, it turns out that some innovative souls are finding alternatives.
Across the country, small-scale operators are finding new ways to access land, equipment and markets, making the dream of working the land come alive. But beware: it typically involves a lot of hard work, know-how and some solid business savvy.
In one instance in southern Quebec, a group of five McGill University graduates banded together and leased five hectares (12 acres) in Les Cèdres, a municipality 60 km (37 miles) west of Montreal. Sharing their various skills, the group offers organic food, including garlic, and sells seed to other organic growers. Today, the Tourne-Sol Co-operative Farm (tournesol means “sunflower”) is one example among many that where there’s a will, there’s a way.
--Maruice Crossfield.
Read the full story here

Subscribe to Harrowsmith's Almanac and Harrowsmith's Gardening Digest, and you'll receive digital versions of these two issues FREE! As an ADDED BONUS, THEY'LL INCLUDE 2 NEW DIGITAL MAGAZINES to your subscription for FREE! Harrowsmith’s My Kind of Town and Harrowsmith’s Homes.

Merit Travel Golf Getaway

Go for the Golf, Stay for the Culture!
Golf Getaway Includes:
• three nights accommodation at
Ermitage du Lac, Tremblant, QC
• quad occupancy in a Two Bedroom Condo
• daily breakfast
• three rounds of golf
(Le Diable GC, Le Geant GC)
• Golf carts and advance tee times
• all taxes and fees unless otherwise stated
Travel between:
May 1 and Jun 19 - $379
Jun 20 and Jun 29 - $459
Jun 30 and Aug 31 - $499
Sep 1 and Sep 25 - $519
*Not included: GST, QST
Info: www.merittravel.com/golf or call 416-368-8322

Merit Travel delivers authentic travel experiences to the world’s top destinations, with a team of passionate and dedicated Travel Consultants at over 25 offices across Canada. Merit Travel has cruised, meandered, trekked,

dived, golfed, skied, cycled, worked, and volunteered all over the planet! With thousands of travel options out there, it can be overwhelming to find the perfect vacation for you. Merit Travel knows that not all vacations can be created with a few clicks, and that’s what they’re here for—to put the pieces together, do the research, negotiate the deals, customize itineraries and create the perfect getaway for you.

Tips From The Pros - Style at Home

Style At Home Offer

The snow has melted, the buds are breaking and the brown, soggy mess that we call a lawn is gradually turning into fresh, green grass. Now is the time to make way for another great season by giving your garden a spring cleaning.

Here are three easy ways to spring clean your garden:
Tidy up
Walk around your garden. The dry, grey stalks and stems of last year's perennials like sedum, purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, and phlox probably look a little sad. With a pair of clean, sharp garden shears, cut them to the ground to make way for the new growth appearing from the crown of the roots.
If you protected your garden beds with a winter mulch of leaves, carefully rake them off to allow the soil to warm up more quickly. Toss the leaves onto a compost heap where they'll turn into rich, dark compost that can be applied to the garden in the fall or next spring.
A spring tonic
Feeding your plants a spring tonic means more blossoms and healthier plants come summer. The best tonic for plants is compost. Its nutrients are released slowly, giving your plants a steady supply of food all season long. If you don't make your own, many communities offer compost to residents for a small fee.
Topdress your flower beds with a thin layer of compost, working it around, but never over the crowns of your perennials and shrubs, using a three-pronged cultivator or garden trowel.
The finishing edge
Once you've freshened up your garden beds by pruning, clipping and topdressing, it's time to give them the finishing touch. Nothing impresses more than a sharp, clean edge between your flower borders and the lawn. Using an edger – a half-moon shaped, long-handled tool – dig a shallow trough a few inches wide along the length of the garden. To keep the edge straight, use a board to guide you. - Lorraine Flanigan
For Lorraine's full article click here.

Get more great tips all year long with a subscription to Style at Home.
Special Canada Blooms offer, subscribe now and save 79% off the cover price.

Veterans Welcomed at Canada Blooms

Highway of Heroes Living Tributes Scott Bryk, says "It was truly an honour to welcome five WWII veterans from SunnyBrook Veterans Centre to Canada Blooms on Tuesday, March 15th. Mark Cullen and I joined these honoured veterans, sharing the beautiful and inspiring gardens with them that were created by the many professional members of Landscape Ontario. They really enjoyed themselves. Both Mark and I relished in hearing their stories, their perspectives, and their morsels of wisdom.
I am looking forward to visiting our friends again at SunnyBrook on May 5th at their Dutch - Canadian Tulip Garden Blooming

Ceremony at the Veterans Centre. Be sure to visit them online to learn more about this remarkable facility, the SunnyBrook Veterans Centre."
To find out more about the Highway of Heroes Living Tribute or to get involved, visit their website and sign up for their newsletter, donate or volunteer.
View Mark Cullen on CTV's Canada AM

Congratulations Contest Winners

Shaw Festival

Congratulations to the winners of the 'Count the Rabbits' Contest
in the Canada Blooms Colio Wine Lounge during this year's festival.
The winners received tickets to the
2016 Shaw Festival Performance of
Alice in Wonderland
featuring 19 original songs.

Winners:
Wayne Murray, Toronto
Lorraine Flax, Toronto
Elizabeth Schleicher, Burlington
Rose Mary Mason, Oshawa
Pat Munro, Owen Sound
Sophia Kuella Mifflin
Rob Lang, Scarborough
Kim Clark, Hamilton
Carla Seaquist, Toronto
Sofia Ponce, Toronto

If you are interested in purchasing tickets to Alice in Wonderland
or any of the other great performance from the 2016 season,
please visit the Shaw Festival website for more information.
There were 33 bunnies (images & decor) in the wine lounge.

Grout At Blooms/Flower Shower

Congratulations to the Winners of the Snap and Share photo contest.
We thank all of you who found Grout the Gnome at the Welcome Garden and the Shower of Flowers in the Toronto Flower Show and then shared your pictures with us at #GroutatBlooms and #FlowerShower on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The winners of Mark Cullen's new book "The New Canadian Garden" by Dundurn Press are:
Carol Abreo
Dianne Vermut
Angela Maxwell
John Higo
Mary Lou Miller
Gilbert Estephan
Jenna Pettinato
Emily Cain
Suzanne Guenther
Linda Carter
K Meneely
Tammy Bell
Thanks to Dundurn Press and Mark Cullen for providing copies of Mark's new book, Albert Graves, Bloemen Decor and Denis Flanagan for providing Grout the Gnome, Floral Artist Gregor Lersch and Joyce Johnson for providing the Shower of Flowers.

Canada Blooms Shares Flowers And Plants

Canada Blooms Flowers

The many plants and flowers that gave Canada Blooms life will continue to bring joy to Torontonians.
The festival donated plants to Carefree Lodge, a long-term care home in North York, which were also shared with residents and adult day program clients of Cummer Lodge and Willowdale Manor Supportive Housing site.
Some 600 plants were delivered on March 22. “While these plants looked absolutely breathtaking here at Canada Blooms, I have no doubt they will look even better being enjoyed by the residents of Carefree Lodge," says Canada Blooms general manager Terry Caddo. "It's amazing to see the impact of the festival live on by bringing joy to those who will genuinely appreciate the plants." Celebrity gardener Mark Cullen and Councillor David Shiner helped deliver the flowers. This was the eighth year that Canada Blooms has donated show plants to long-term care homes.
Canada Blooms donated plants to Project Brainstorm.
Project Brainstorm raised $4500 for CAMH and Humber Scholarship Fund through incredible performances, which gave audiences insight into the experience of struggling with the ups and downs of mental illness. The event was one step towards ending the stigma associated with mental illness, and we hope that the conversation continues.

Garden Tour

A Town and Country Garden Tour
Explore the beautiful gardens of Bay of Quinte at the 17th Annual Town and Country Garden Tour. This year 8 Gardens are open for you to visit showcasing diversity and gardening passion. This is a self-guided tour giving you the opportunity to mix and mingle with other garden enthusiasts and to meet the delightful host gardeners. A boxed lunch and drinks are included in the ticket, and there is a large raffle table laden with generous gifts from many sponsors. All proceeds go to the Belleville CFUW scholarship fund to support deserving students as they continue in post-secondary education.

St. Thomas Anglican Church
201 Church St., Belleville, ON
Saturday, July 9, 2016
10:00 am to 4:00 pm (rain or shine)
$25.00 at the door or on-line at cfuwbelleville.com

Upcoming Events

Plant Sales at the Toronto Botanical Garden
April 30: Toronto Regional Rhododendron and Horticultural Society: 10am-2pm (or while plants last)
May 1: Ontario Rock Garden and Hardy Plant Society: 11am-3pm
May 7: Canadian Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society Show and Sale
May 12-15: TBG Plant Sale
May 15: Geranium, Pelargonium & Fuchsia Society
May 28-29: Toronto Bonsai Society Show & Sale
June 5: Ontairo Iris Society Flower Show: 1pm-3:30pm
Aug 7: Ontario Iris Society Auction & Sale: 1pm-3:30pm

Plant Sale at Markham Civic Centre
May 7: North American Native Plant Society Plant Sale: 10am-3pm

If you have an upcoming garden related event that is of interest to our readers, let us know at news@canadablooms.com and we might include it in upcoming issues of our newsletter.

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