Canada Blooms Fall 19 Vol 2: Remembrance Day

There is a new class competition in the Toronto Flower Show this year – the Mark’s Choice Amaryllis Class.

Mark’s Choice Amaryllis kits, available at Home Hardware, have a super-sized bulbs of 28 to 39 cm, 28% bigger than most amaryllis sold in Canada, that is about a big as they come.

For the first 5 days (Friday-Tuesday) there will be 25 red amaryllis vying for top prize, then on Wednesday, those bulbs will be distributed throughout the Toronto Flower Show and 25 red and white amaryllis will be the new challengers. Winners will be recognized at the Closing Ceremonies on Sunday, 22 at 3:30 pm

Don’t want to wait until March to see these amaryllis? Pick up your own Mark’s Choice Amaryllis Kit (it even comes with its own pot) at Home Hardware and enter our ‘The Best Amaryllis Contest’. All you have to do is pick up a kit, grow it and then snap a picture to enter. Prizes

First Prize: $50 Home Hardware gift card and 2 Canada Blooms Tickets awarded to the amaryllis with the most blooms
Second Prize: $50 Home Hardware gift card and 2 Canada Blooms Tickets awarded to the amaryllis with the largest single bloom
Third Prize: 2 Canada Blooms Tickets and a signed copy of Mark and Ben Cullen’s Book: Escape to Reality

Visit our Contest Page 

By Kerry Meyer, Proven Winners

Maybe the heat or vacations have left your planters looking less than stellar. Maybe you’re simply tired of what you have and looking for a change or want to get ride of the pinks and purples you loved in the spring in favour of the more Autumn-like yellows, reds and bronzes. While the basics of design and care don’t really change for fall, there are a few things to consider.

Choosing Plants
When choosing plants for fall, their ability to withstand cool temperatures, including frost or even hard frost, is key to keeping your containers looking great for months.

Another trait to consider is the ability of the plant to bloom under shorter day-lengths. Some plants need longer days to bloom. And, no you are NOT limited to mums, ornamental kale and pansies – although they are great plants for fall. When looking at plants in the Proven Winners on-line database, plants that work for Fall are marked as having Fall interest.

Planting
When potting up planters in spring, there are advantages to using fewer plants per container and leaving plenty of room to grow. But, fall has a different set of circumstances. While you are likely planting containers while temperatures are still quite warm, those temps are going to quickly begin cooling off. As temperatures cool, plant growth slows or stops completely. This means that plants potted up in the fall aren’t going to show the amazing growth you get from those planted in the spring.

Watering
Cool temperatures and smaller plants also lead to plant using less water. Less water used means you don’t have to water nearly as often.

Frost Protection
While choosing frost tolerant plants is necessary, you might also want to add an extra level of protection for your plants when night temps get close to 32 degrees.

(read complete Proven Winners article)

DiscoverMuskoka.com suggests that the best time to see fall colours in Ontario for 2019 is expected to be:
Early Fall Colour Viewing: Sept 24-30
Peak Maple Fall Colour Viewing: Oct 1-12
Peak Golden Encore Fall Colour Viewing: Oct 13-21

If you have time, make a plan to visit to check out the parks and trails of:

• Huntsville 
• Lake of Bays
• Bracebridge
• Gravenhurst
• Muskoka Lakes
• Georgian Bay

For the best places to view the colours for each of the above visit DiscoverMuskoka.com

In keeping with this year’s theme "Birds Of A Feather", we invite you to take the Bird Movies Challenge. If you answer all you will be entered into a contest to one of two 4-pack tickets to Canada Blooms 2019.

So come on and take the challenge, even if you don’t answer all the questions, you will still be entered to win one of ten pairs of tickets to Canada Blooms.
(take the challenge)

The City of Toronto’s Annual Chrysanthemum Shows starts around the first full week of October 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)