Tag Archives: Landscape Ontario

Canada Blooms 25th Anniversary Magazine

Canada Blooms Magazine
Flowers, Gardens, News, Tips, , , , , , , , , ,

COME TAKE A WALK WITH US DOWN MEMORY LANE

2021 would have been our 25th festival, and we thought that maybe you might like to take a look back at Canada Blooms with us. We have chosen a highlight from each year, perhaps you remember them as well. There are also a few gardening tips and tricks from experts who have supported Canada Blooms throughout the years.

Celebrating 25 Years of Blooms

Our festival may be on hold this year, but that hasn’t stopped us from starting to plan for next year –- which will now be our 25th. This way we still get to have a celebration, and when we finally get to see each other again, we will be ready to party!

We would like to thank all the staff, volunteers and partners who worked hard to create our world-class garden festival for 25 years and we look forward to the next 25.

Our magazine is published on issuu.com and you will be redirected to their website, just click the image below.
We suggest you view in full screen.
Please Enjoy!

Canada Blooms 25th Anniversary Magazine

 

Canada Blooms Names Plant of the Year 2021 – Aurora Borealis™ Rose

Aurora Borealis Rose from Vineland
Flowers, News, , , , , , , ,

Canada Blooms is excited to announce the Canada Blooms Plant of the Year for 2021 is the Aurora Borealis™ rose  from Vineland Research and Innovation Centre’s 49th Parallel Collection.

The bright dancing lights of the aurora are captured in the blooming clusters of this dramatic sunset pink rose set against dark green and glossy foliage.

This low-maintenance rose measures one-metre in height with a one-metre spread and features black spot resistance and winter hardiness across Canada.

Vineland’s 49th Parallel Collection stems from Canada’s national rose program at Vineland in collaboration with the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association.

The 49th Parallel roses are grown for both strength and beauty, and named for Canadian natural phenomena.

Visit the newly refreshed 49throses.com for more information on Aurora Borealis™ as well as Yukon Sun™, the next rose scheduled for release in 2023.

Canada Blooms Chooses Theme for 2021

Celebrating 25 years
Flowers, Gardens, News, , , ,

The Theme for 2021 is ‘Secret Garden’!

As we approach our 25th Festival, it is interesting to point out that Canada Blooms itself was considered an Anniversary Gift.

In 1997, our founders The Garden Club of Toronto and Landscape of Ontario were both approaching important anniversaries. The Garden Club, with 500 members, had the accumulated knowledge of 50 years of experience, and Landscape Ontario, while 25 years younger, had the strength of 1,200 members companies across the province.

The two organizations decided to join forces and stage a world-class flower and garden show, one that would bring together the entire horticulture and floriculture communities, and showcase the best products, services designs and talent for the public.

The idea of Canada Blooms was born, and after three years of planning, the first festival took place. Canada Blooms was also a gift to Toronto, for as a non-profit event, the proceeds from Canada Blooms went to a number of community garden projects and horticultural scholarships.

Paying homage to our roots, we are going to take the first year’s theme ‘Secret Garden’ and put a 2021 spin on it. Think of cozy hideaways, backyard sanctuaries or perhaps a little green oasis. Each garden will represent just what we all need a little more of in our lives, places to spend time with friends and family.

We hope you will come celebrate with us in March!

Fall Weather is Perfect for Planting

Fall Garden Picture
Gardens, News, Tips, , , ,

Fall is a fabulous time to tackle landscaping tasks in your yard. In fact, some seasoned gardeners believe fall rivals spring when it comes to the number of gardening opportunities. Don’t put away that garden spade just yet — you’ve got some planting to do! Here is a list of tips to help you get the job done:

Plant more plants
Fall is a great time for planting because the soil temperature is perfect for root establishment. Perennials, vines, shrubs and trees can all be planted up to six weeks before the ground completely freezes. Be sure to keep new plantings watered until the ground is frozen. Fall is the time to plant spring-flowering bulbs such as tulips, daffodils and summer-blooming lilies. Tip: To avoid your treasures from being dug up by squirrels, cover the newly planted area with chicken wire, then cover with shredded leaves or mulch to cover any scent. It’s also a great time to visit your local garden centre to check out new arrivals especially for the fall planting season.

Decide and divide
When perennials begin to bloom less, clumps become too large or start dying out in the centre. If you want to increase the number of clumps or move them to another location, it’s time to decide and divide. Dig up the entire clump and use a sharp spade or heavy knife to cut it into smaller sections, just as you would cut up a pie. Replant the sections and water them well.

There are two prime times to divide perennials: Spring-flowering perennials are divided in the fall; summer-flowering and fall-flowering perennials are divided in spring. Some plants can be divided anytime. This splits up the task into two seasons and makes the job easier. Fall is the perfect time to expand the flowering times in your collection as most garden centres stock a wonderful selection of fall flowering plants.

To cut or not to cut?
Avoid shearing hedges and pruning deciduous trees in the fall. Pruning stimulates new growth which is best left for spring and summer, however any unruly shoots can be safely snipped. Cut back perennials that self-seed or have no winter interest, leaving six to eight inches of stubble to trap the snow and insulate the crown over winter. Perennials such as sedums and ornamental grasses are outstanding features in the winter garden and can be cut back in spring.

Leave the leaves
If you have a mulching mower, mulch fallen leaves right into your lawn, rather than raking. If you have too many leaves, run the mower over the leaves first, then rake them up and apply as organic matter to your garden or simply add to your compost bin. Shredded leaves break down into humus faster than non-shredded leaves. Humus helps to retain soil moisture and nutrients that plants then utilize.

Healthy harvest
Canning sun-ripened tomatoes and drying fresh herbs (such as parsley and oregano), can add wonderful aromas to your home and add home-made goodness to meals. Fresh herb aromas and a freshly baked fall apple pie just prior to an open house have been known to sell a home!

Water-wise
Be sure to keep within the guidelines of municipal water restrictions, yet keep your garden watered in the fall right until freeze-up as plants are still growing.

Urning for containers
Add some fall flair to your summer containers by switching up plants with flowering kale, ornamental cabbages or colourful, fall mums.

Seeding and sodding
September is the best time for turf establishment as the air temperatures are cooler and there are fewer germinating weed seeds. Applying a fall lawn fertilizer ensures the hardiness of grass before the harsh winter.

Bring the outside in
Before the first hard frost, dig up any tender bulbs and tubers, such as dahlias and cannas, and store them in a cool dark place for replanting next spring. Bring in any tropical plants from their patio location. Be sure to hose them down with insecticidal soap and water to ensure no travelling pests hitch a ride indoors for a cozy winter retreat.

Help from the pros
The fall gardening season truly is a busy time! If you simply don’t have the time or the energy to prepare your property for the coming seasons, why not hire a professional to do the work for you? For more tips and advice, or to connect with one of over 2,000 members of Landscape Ontario, visit: LandscapeOntario.com

From Denis Flangan, Landscape Ontario

About Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association
Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association is one of the most vibrant associations of its kind, comprised of over 2,000 members, ten sector groups and nine local chapters. Its trade mission is to promote the horticulture industry in Ontario, and its public mission is to promote the joys and benefits of green spaces.

The Trendy Garden in 2017

Vegetables - Italy Magazine Photo
Gardens, News, , ,

Over the summer the hard working talented Landscape Ontario members will be adding style to your neighbourhoods.

Certain colours come in vogue, and then fade back in with the crowd. Tastes in décor change as you grow older. Materials gain favour, and then become commonplace as the latest and greatest emerges the following season.

And while there are a faithful standbys — and in the world of gardening and landscaping, there are quite a few style elements that have proven to have significant staying power — these trends are not a bad thing. A little variety in your personal oasis is a good thing lest the look and feel of your garden becomes stale.

Part of the joy of gardening is seeing what others are doing: How are they using certain plants? What colours are prominent this year? Do I need to incorporate some non-plant elements like a statue or bench? Is fragrance important?

Then take those ideas that appeal to you, and work them into your own design. Allow yourself to be influenced and inspired

In getting ready for the 2017 planting season, there are several trends taking root this year that should be top of mind for your garden.

Water is vital to the health of your garden, but water features — ponds, fountains, waterfalls, pools — are incredibly popular right now. Almost all of the gardens that were in the showcase at Canada Blooms 2017 were built around some sort of water feature.

If you are planning an overhaul, or just starting a garden from scratch, work in a small pond. Not only does it add to the tranquility of your space, but it also attracts vital wildlife like butterflies, honeybees and birds. If your garden is well established, set a slow gurgling fountain amid the flowers.

Of course, Canada 150 is everywhere this year as our nation ramps up to celebrate its sesquicentennial and gardening is no exception.

Red and white flowers are all the rage, but in particular demand is the Canadian ShieldTM Rose. Named the Canada Blooms Plant of the Year, it is a Canadian-made rose — developed at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in the fertile Niagara Peninsula — crafted to thrive in Canada’s wildly diverse weather conditions. It is versatile landscape and garden rose with a one-metre spread, full red flowers and glossy green foliage. It is a repeat bloomer, ensuring it will stay in colour all season long.

The Canadian ShieldTM Rose is being marketed as a gardener’s dream, and it truly is. It has a visual appeal that will highlight any landscape project.

The Canada of today is much different than the largely agrarian society that became a Dominion in 1867. But as we become more urban, many green thumbs are heeding the call back to the land to grow their own food.

Vegetable and fruit gardens are allowing urbanites to bypass the produce aisle at the grocery store. Tomatoes are always a popular backyard garden item, but don’t overlook things like cucumbers, radishes, peppers, lettuce, kale, chard, carrots, peas … you can feed your family all summer from the bounty in your backyard.

We are also seeing increasing awareness about the ecological and societal importance of trees. Besides purifying the air and producing the oxygen we need to survive, they are beautiful elements in our neighbourhoods that provide vital shade where we can escape the blazing summer sun. Small- to medium-sized trees — those that will grow to about 20-feet high — are in demand at garden shops this spring, many of them producing beautiful blooms in the spring.

With the overall growing interest in gardening in general, we are seeing the backyard garden become more of an extension of the home. People want to spend more of their time outdoors, enjoying the fruits of the labour and the beautiful weather while they can. As part of the effort to extend the use of outside space, we are seeing garden sheds being repurposed as three-season living spaces. Furniture, lighting, perhaps a television and a mini-fridge, and where once you hung your spade is now an escape hatch steps from home.

The season is now upon us. Have a look around, get some inspiration, steal an idea or two and get planting. It is well worth the effort.

— Denis Flangan, Landscape Ontario

 

Follow Landscape Ontario on Twitter @Green_for_Life and Like it on Facebook. For more information, please visit landscapeontario.com.

Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association, one of the most vibrant associations of its kind, is comprised of over 2,000 member companies, ten sector groups and nine local chapters. Its trade mission is to promote the horticulture industry in Ontario, and its public mission, Green for Life, promotes the joys and benefits of plants and green spaces. Visit http://www.landscapeontario.com for more information.

Photo from Italy Magazine

Taking Care of Your Poinsettia

Picture of Poinsettia
News, , ,

In Canada, poinsettia are the most popular of all Christmas houseplants. Millions of poinsettia are purchased each year during the Christmas season by people who enjoy the colour and warmth they provide to the home. Proper selection will help to ensure a long lasting plant that you will enjoy throughout the Christmas and winter months.

With proper care, your poinsettia will last through the holiday season and right into late winter.

Pay close attention to the following tips:

  • Place in a room where there is bright natural light but not where the sun will shine directly on the plant.
  • Keep the plant away from locations where it will receive hot or cold draughts.
  • Place the plant high enough to be out of reach of unmonitored children and pets.
  • Set the plant in a water-proof container to protect your furniture.
  • Water the plant thoroughly when the soil surface is dry to the touch. Discard any excess water which remains in the saucer after 10 minutes.
  • The bright colour of the bracts will remain longer if temperatures do not exceed 22°C.

Reflowering your poinsettia
If you cannot bear to throw your poinsettia out when it is finished providing colour, you may want to try your hand at reflowering your poinsettia next year.

  • December            Full bloom. Water as needed.
  • April                       Colour fades. Keep near sunny window and fertilize when new
    growth appears. Cut back stems to about 20 cm.
  • June 1                   Repot if necessary. Fertilize with a balanced formula 20-20-20.
    Continue to water when dry to touch. Move outside if temperatures
    do not fall below 10°C. Place in light shade.
  • Late August       Take inside. Cut stems back, leaving three or four leaves per shoot.
    Sunny window. Water and fertilize as needed.
  • Sept 20 -Dec 1  Keep in light only from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Put in dark (NO
    LIGHTS) 5 p.m. to 8 a.m.

Remember the key to success: Follow the strict light/dark instructions carefully.

— By Landscape Ontario: landscapeontario.com/home-care-tips-for-your-poinsettia

Picture from www.pasco.com