Canada Blooms Remebrance Newsletter 18

	Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Click Here

Canada Blooms 2019 Feature Garden Profile

CLIFF CITY by Ecoman

You want nature, but you don’t live next to a ravine. High park is a bit too west, and Rouge park a bit too east. You work downtown, so you live nearby with a small family in a condo that barely has a balcony.

There’s no question that green spaces have environmental benefits. They are associated with improved air quality, relief from extreme heat, and mitigate the negative impacts of heavy rainfall events. But not everyone has the space to do their part in advocating for green goodness on private property.

According to Green Sights Report, 95% of people agree that green spaces are an integral part of our identity, and a variety of health reports suggest that the presence of green space is associated with improved way of life.

How can we do more with urban environments that are unfit for green space?
Come see our display at Canada Blooms and see how we are challenging our view of cities and putting the green in concrete jungle. Using the local escarpment cliff ecosystem as a reference, Ecoman envisions a future where condo dwelling families can be part of the natural city. (continue reading)

Toronto Flower Show Happenings

What make’s Canada Blooms an International event? It is the competitors that come from around the world to enter a design. The 2019 International Class title is "Relatively Speaking".

xxxxxxxxxxxxx …. (continue reading)

Celebrate

Winterizing Tips

The holidays are approaching, and that means winter is almost here! Harrowsmith’s Winter issue, out this month, offers plenty of ways to get in the spirit of the season — from tips on winterizing your garden and creating interest year round by Mark and Ben Cullen, to features on ice fishing, backyard skating rinks, the annual Christmas Bird Count, and stories from Canadian growers and homesteaders, sharing how they do things in their part of town. Plus plenty of delicious recipes for the holidays (like this maple sugar cranberry pulla)! Pick up a copy and start planning your best winter yet.

Get your copy on newsstands or visit: www.harrowsmithmag.com

Those of us who love the outdoors and enjoy puttering around the yard are always looking for an excuse to do something in the fresh air. If you thought you were done with this year’s lawn and garden, we have a question: Hove you taken care of the following?

1. Wrapped cedars with two layers of burlap. Cedars nearest a road (and on the east side of it, especially where they are susceptible to westerly winds full of salt spray) are most vulnerable. Wrap them with a layer of burlap to prevent the permanent damage of salt and wrap them again to protect them from the drying effects of the wind, especially if they are exposed to the north or west.
(continue reading)

Remembering Those Who Served

In the spring of 1915, shortly after losing a friend in Ypres, a Canadian doctor, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae was inspired by the sight of poppies growing in battle-scarred fields to write a now famous poem called ‘ In Flanders Fields’. After the First World War, the poppy was adopted as a symbol of Remembrance.

The landscape had turned the fields of mud: bleak and barren where little or nothing could grow, but the bright red Flanders poppies, delicate but resilient grew in the thousands, flourishing in the middle of chaos and destruction.

We wear poppies as a symbol of remembrance for all the soldiers who have sacrificed for our freedoms.

Find out more about the story of the poppy

Highway Of Heroes Tree Campaign: Honouring Our Military

The Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign – Honouring our military, cooling the environment and beautifying North America’s most travelled Highway.

This month we are proud to unveil the monthly donation option on the Highway of Heroes Living Tribute website.

Like most charities, donation income fluctuates throughout the year. Monthly donations offer a steady dependable source of funding that allows HOH to plan more effectively and expand their work.

How it works: Simply head over to hohtribute.ca/online-donations, select monthly donations and the amount you wish to donate. Then each month, that amount will automatically be charged to your credit card. You will receive your receipts monthly making it easier to for accounting at the end of the year. If at any time you wish to stop your donations simply contact HOH and they will take care of it. It’s a fast and easy way to make a big impact.

To learn more about the campaign please visit: hohtribute.ca

No Carve Pumpkin Ideas

Picture it, you come home from work and you’re thinking about what to eat. Instead of waiting in line at the grocery store, you step out into your backyard or balcony and pick fresh herbs and home-grown vegetables. Veggies and herbs that you not only have grown yourself, but are also free of pesticides because they aren’t needed to keep those pesky pests out of your garden.

Well with Vegepod, seen on Shark Tank Australia and recently at the Chelsea Flower Show in England, is the perfect answer for your gardening needs. Vegepod is a self-watering bed that comes in three sizes and features micro-climate and pest controlling canopy, with self-watering reservoirs underneath the soil.

It’s easy to set up, simple to fill and requires little ongoing maintenance. Vegepod is the ideal solution for the busy householder who wants

It’s easy to set up, simple to fill and requires little ongoing maintenance. The ideal solution for the busy householder who wants a vegie patch but doesn’t have the time or effort required to build one. Not only is it easy and effective for the common householder but its fantastic for all ages and communities ranging from kindergartens, schools, aged care, disabilities and health care services.

Savvy Gardening expert Niki Jabbour talks about the three best stand-out features of Vegepods.
1. They come in three sizes, perfect fit for any garden
2. Their self-watering system means less watering for you as well as peace of mind while on vacation.
3. Convenient covers for crop protection: mesh cover is lightweight enough to allow sunlight, air and water but offers some protection from the frost as well as prevents pest from eating your harvest. The PCV cover slides over the mesh to allow gardening all year long.

Special Offer From The HomeFest Show

Fall Container Picture Contest

Home is a feeling. Get ready to experience yours in new ways at HomeFest presented by Booking.com!

From interactive culinary workshops to immersive design experiences, HomeFest is a celebration of your home and the way you live in it! Don’t miss it Nov. 2-4 at the International Centre in Mississauga!

Buy tickets online by October 19 and save $6 when you use promo code ‘BLOOMS’!
Plus! You could win a $500 Visa card in our early bird prize draws on Oct. 19, Oct. 26 and Nov. 1.

Visit www.thehomefest.ca for more information and to buy tickets!

Enter to win tickets to the HomeFest Show.

Show us your best fall container to win 2 morning garden tour tickets!

Upload a picture of your best fall container and you could win two tickets to the best way to see Canada Blooms, away from the crowds by a knowledgeable Master Gardener.

Containers can be large or small, can be yours, your friends or even the neighbour whose talents everyone envies. They can be traditional or totally out there, as long as they show what you feel best represents fall.

Canada Blooms Garden Tours take place Saturday March 9, Wednesday March 13, Thursday March 14, Friday March 15, Saturday March 16 at 8:15 am and Wednesday March 13 at 6:30 pm. (enter contest)

Top 5 Fall Colour Picks

blog.tugo.com suggests that the top destination to see fall foliage in Canada is:

Victoria, BC – especially the Japanese Garden at Butchart Gardens
The Rocky Mountains, AB – The drive from Jasper to Banff is amazing
Bruce Peninsula, ON – explore the 800 km Bruce Trail
The Laurentian Mountains, QC – Quebec is littered with floral that changes in the autumn months
Cabot Trail, NS – Cape Breton Island and Cabot Trail are internationally recognized as one of the most scenic views.

The DiscoverMuskoka.com Fall updates says the expected peak for maples (vibrant red) is Oct 1-12, peak birch and poplar (golden encore) is Oct 12-21.

November Colour

November is not normally a month that is looked forward to. It just is not an exciting month. It is grey and it looks dirty outside. November also gives us hints that winter will soon start. In the flower business November is a month that does show transition. We move from the last remnants of fall to an in between stage of not winter and not fall. Here in Southern Ontario we don’t have the glorious golden fall colours nor do we have the clean white of winter. However, there is still colour to be found.
(continue reading)

Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign

Join us in planting 2 million trees along the 401 Highway of Heroes, a tribute to the men and women who fought for Canada in our wars, and a living memorial to the 117,000 who died for freedom.
You can participate in honouring our military, protecting the environment and beautifying North America’s most travelled highway. Visit hohtribute.ca or call 905-875-0021 to get involved.

Upcoming Events

The City of Toronto’s Annual Chrysanthemum Shows are on from October 7-November 4, at Allan Gardens Conservatory, and Centennial Park Conservatory’s show usually begins around the first weekend in November. These fabulous displays of chrysanthemums are grown in-house at High Park and Centennial Park Greenhouses by the City of Toronto growers.

Admission is free. (discover more)