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

Canada Blooms 2017 Theme

The theme for 2017 is "Oh! Canada" in honour of Canada's sesquicentennial. Oh! Canada
Canada, a strong and proud country will be celebrating the150th anniversary of Confederation and Canada Blooms is excited to kick off the Spring gardening celebrations showcasing our theme "Oh! Canada".
We are inviting our landscape architects, design/build experts and floral artists to dazzle us with their unique interpretations of "Oh! Canada".
Our curiosity has been piqued. Will they shine a spotlight on the beautiful change of seasons, which makes us a popular tourist destination; our democracy or cultural diversity; our many landmarks or celebrities; or perhaps something as Canadian as hockey (even if lacrosse is the official sport)?
Oh! Canada, there is so much to be proud of, and so much to celebrate. So, mark your calendars now and join our celebration -- March 10-19, 2017 at the Enercare Centre.
Canada 150 TulipThe Canada 150 Tulip, the official tulip of Canada’s 150th anniversary, was unveiled in early May in Ottawa.
You can expect to see more than 200,000 Canada 150 tulips blooming across the National Capital Region this spring. The Canada 150 tulip’s elegant white bloom with red flames bears a striking resemblance to our maple leaf flag.
The National Capital Commission (NCC) has partnered with the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Home Hardware, exclusive retailer of this special tulip bulb, and Communities in Bloom for the selection and distribution of the Canada 150 tulip.
During the sesquicentennial celebrations in spring 2017, 300,000 Canada 150 tulips will be showcased in the NCC’s flower beds, and thousands more will bloom in community gardens across Canada.

Quick Facts:
• The public can purchase Canada 150 tulip bulbs at participating Home Hardware stores nationwide as of September 2016.
• The first tulip beds in the Capital were planted in 1945, when the Netherlands sent 100,000 tulip bulbs as a postwar gift of gratitude for the role that Canadian soldiers had played in the liberation of the Netherlands.
From the NCC website: http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/celebrate/tulips-capital/news/2016-05-09/official-tulip-canadas-150th-anniversary-unveiled

Master Gardeners at Canada Blooms

Master Gardeners of Ontario "Once again, the Master Gardeners of Ontario enthusiastically embraced Canada Blooms and judging from the number of visitors that had questions answered, listened to some terrific speakers, or took an early morning tour, the general public were equally as enthusiastic.
Having two clinic locations enabled MG’s to give gardening advice and tips to 2505 visitors on a diverse range of issues and problems, with many visitors coming prepared with photos of ailing or unidentified plants. From day one to the close of show, smiling and welcoming MG volunteers from all over the province could be seen hard at work.
The MG speaker series was also very well received reaching an audience of over 1365 Master Gardeners of Ontario in its new location. With a wide variety of topics to choose from, this was not only a great educational opportunity but also a chance for the weary visitor to sit and take a rest while learning something new.
If you didn’t have a chance to catch up with a MG at the show, these knowledgeable gardeners are hard at work all year round in many communities in Ontario - further information can be found at www.mgoi.ca."
Harrowsmth Gardening Digest MagazineGET YOUR FREE DIGITAL ISSUE!

Dear Readers,
Compliments of Canada Blooms and Harrowsmith, we are pleased to provide you, our newsletter subscribers, with a FREE issue of Harrowsmith’s Summer Issue. It’s packed with how-to information on vegetable and flower gardening - the Harrowsmith way!

Download the 2016 Summer Issue of Harrowsmith here!

Summertime serves up the best of fresh fare, with fruits and vegetables packed with flavour. Nurture your own crops this season for the ultimate take on eating local, and watch your garden grow. Harrowsmith’s Gardening Editor, Mark Cullen, shows you how.
First off, note that your success in growing any plant requires that you pay close attention to soil preparation. Make sure that your garden soil has been weed-free for a few months and that you add generous quantities of finished compost and about 10 percent of earthworm castings for the very best results. Mark recommends compost certified by the Composting Council of Canada: BIOMAX is the trade name of an excellent-quality compost that you can buy from retailers by the bag. The worm castings add natural minerals, microbes and nutrients in abundance. Mark adds earthworm castings whenever he plants fruits and veggies – it makes a huge difference!
— Let it Grow by Mark Cullen
For full article check out Harrowsmith's Summer Issue pages: 19-27
Harrowsmith Magazine

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.
FlowersCanada’s Annual Celebration of Gardens and Gardening
June 17, 18 & 19, 2016


Garden Days, is a joyful, three-day, country-wide celebration of the vital role that gardens and gardening play in our communities and our lives. It starts with National Garden Day, which is always the Friday before Father’s Day.
The exciting 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.
If you’re looking for something to do with dad over the Father’s Day weekend you’re bound to find a great Garden Days garden or gardening activity near you.
If you’re planning a garden or gardening activity over the Father’s Day weekend, register it, at no charge, at www.gardendays.ca. It’s easy! Click on the ‘Register Your Activity’ button and follow the prompts.
If you’re neither a garden nor garden centre and want to get involved, Garden Days why not ask your city to proclaim its own Official Garden Day? It’s easier than you think! Just click on the ‘Your City’s Official Garden Day’ button on the Garden Days website, download a Proclamation template and follow the guidelines.  Wouldn’t it be great to have Official Garden Days in every city in the country? If your city does proclaim its own Official Garden Day – be sure to post the Proclamation on the website as an activity.
Garden Days is managed by the Canadian Garden Council. If you’d like to become a member to support all the good work they’re doing to elevate the profile of gardens and gardening in Canada, consider becoming a member. Info’s available at www.gardencouncil.ca
Bring Back The Bees

Help Honey Nut Cheerios in its Mission to Plant 35 Million Wildflowers

Planting season is finally upon us, and Honey Nut Cheerios wants you make the most of it.
Earlier this year, Honey Nut Cheerios launched Bring Back the Bees, a campaign that aims to
educate and engage Canadians on the issue of unstable bee populations and inspire them to join
Honey Nut Cheerios in its mission to plant 35 million wildflowers to help bees thrive across the country.
In support of this mission, Honey Nut Cheerios has given away 115 million free wildflower seeds to
Canadians across the country and is encouraging people to plant them. Wildflowers are an essential
part of the natural habitat bees require to thrive and planting wildflowers is a way every member of
the family can work together to help bring back the bees.
Wildflower seeds are easy to plant and make the perfect addition to any garden, whether it’s
nestled into a planter or expanding over an entire backyard. Supporting a healthy bee population not
only helps our buzzing friends, but it helps us too. One in every three bites of food we eat is made
possible by bees and other pollinators who spread the pollen that crops need to grow
including apples, almonds, coffee, and of course, honey.
For more information, including planting tips, visit BringBackTheBees.ca.
Toronto Botanical GardenThe Toronto Botanical Garden's 29th annual Through the Garden Gate is one of Canada's Largest private garden tours.
On Saturday, June 11 and Sunday, June 12, 2016 from 11am-4pm, 18 residential gardens in The Kingsway will open their gates to happy garden-lovers in one of Toronto's most affluent neighbourhoods.
This self-guided tour enables participants to discover the 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 to "hop on and hop off" along the route. A knowledgeable Toronto Master Gardener will be at each garden to answer any questions about the plant material and design features.
NEW this year: Show your Through the Garden Gate wristband and save at participating retailers including Plant World, Casa Barcelona! and Stratosphere Gastrolounge & Wine Bar.
Tickets: One-Day Pass $45, Two-Day Pass $65, (Members save $5)
This year's sponsors include: Home Hardware, Mark's Choice, and Landscape Plus
For more information and a list of ticket sellers visit the Toronto Botanical Garden Website

Check out #TTGG16 on Facebook and Instagram for a sneak look at some of this year's gardens.Through The Garden Gate 2016 Gardens

ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE TOUR TICKETS
There are two ways to win visit our contest page for details
Contests end June 1, 2016 at 5 pm

Oscar Peterson Rose Rose care for spring and summer
• Plant the bud union 5 cm below the soil line.
• Fertilize with transplanter formula 5-15-5.
• After three or four weeks, change to a brand name rose food. Established roses should be fed every week from early spring to late August.
• On the premise that prevention is easier than a cure, spray once per week with insecticide/fungicide.

Soil

The rose bed or planting hole should be well-prepared. Dig deep, at least 45 cm. The soil should be two parts sandy clay loam, one part well-composted manure and one part peat moss, plus 4 kg of bonemeal for every 10 square metres or, a cupful for each plant.
Depth of planting
Choice roses are produced by budding selected types to hardy rootstock. The bud union, which may look like a swollen portion at the bottom of the canes, should, in our Canadian climate, be planted one or two inches below the soil. Be aware that American or English publications may specify the bud union be placed above the soil.
Fertilizer
Newly planted, potted roses should be fertilized with diluted transplanter. Follow the label's instructions. Established roses should be fertilized with a name brand rose food. These formulations contain many trace elements essential to the roses' health. Apply in early May, mid-June and again in mid-July.
Landscape Ontario LogoWatering
Roses should be watered deeply and well once per week. The best method in beds is to use a trickle hose that can be left on running slowly on the ground, thereby avoiding wetting of the foliage and splattering of the soil.
Mulching
Cocoa bean shells make excellent mulch for roses. They dress the bed, conserve moisture and keep down weeds. Other suitable mulches include bark chunks or shredded bark.
— from Landscape Ontario
View Care of Roses All Year full article
Picture of Rose: Oscar Peterson Rose supplied by J.C. Bakker and Sons
Veterans at Canada BloomsHighway of Heroes First Planting of the Season - 400 trees in Oshawa
Under a sunny sky, over 100 enthusiastic members of 27th Oshawa Scouts joined community volunteers to plant 400 trees in Durham Court Park in Oshawa. The park, located just north of the Highway of Heroes, had all of it's large ash trees recently removed. It was time to start replanting! And replant they did.
The trees included native maples, Canadian hemlock, red and white oak, Canadian white spruce, native white cedar, Highway of Heroes Tribute Logoelderberry, paper canoe birch, juneberry/serviceberry/shadblow and choke cherry. With such a mixture of species it won't be long before the area is well on its way to being renaturalized.
Uxbridge Nurseries and Hillen Nurseries generously provided a supply of trees.
To stay up to date with the Highway of Heroes or to see how you can help, sign up for the newsletter or visit their website.
Planting together: (l-r) Scott Bryk - Executive Director of HOH LT, Oshawa Councillor Bob Chapman, Mark Cullen - Chair of HOH LT, Tom Quigley - The Royal Regiment of Canada Association, and Oshawa MPP Jennifer French
If you are looking for a gift for Father's Day, we have come across some interesting tools to consider for the gardening season.

Mark's Choice Fifrefighter's Style Nozzle
The adjustment on the nozzle is so finely tuned that you can mist newly planted seedlings AND blast water up to 7 meters away and everything in between. This is a great tool that will help Dad grow a better garden and it is a pretty handy tool for the car washing as well. Can be purchased at Home Hardware.

Mini Weed Torch

Dad can keep pesky weeds off the lawn with this chemical-free spot weeding tool. Great for gardens and driveways and in the winter it helps remove ice from walkways. Can be purchased at Lee Valley Tools.

Power Tooth Softgrip Folding Saw

The Power Tooth® Softgrip® Folding Saw from Fiskars features a razor-sharp, triple-ground blade that makes aggressive cuts to help Dad power through thick branches faster. The saw blade locks in two different open positions, so whether he's making overhand cuts or undercuts, he will have maximum cutting power and control. Can be purchased at Walmart.

Mark Cullen's Book

Canada Blooms Flowers

 

 

 

 

 

 


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Upcoming Events

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

Iris in the Moonlight at the Royal Botanical Gardens

RBG’s Iris collection is a kaleidoscope of colour and will amaze your senses as you take in every colour of the rainbow. Curator of Collections Alex Henderson will enlighten you on a tour of our Iris collection while sipping a beverage of your choice. Hors d’oeuvres and relaxing music will enhance the ambience of the evening. Additional cocktails and wine available for purchase. Music for the evening is by members of the Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
Saturday June 11; 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Laking Garden
$40 (Members 10% off)
Space is limited, pre-register by June 1.

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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Garden Club of Toronto Landscape Ontario
 
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