Ask any feature garden builder or behind-the-scenes volunteer about the work that goes into staging Canada Blooms, and it’s anything but a party. But, as the soil moves in and the trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals take up temporary residence in its downtown, urban location, it’s clear there’s something magical going on. It’s a garden party, a call for spring and a reason to get out the drafting paper, the gardening books and the trowel in expectation of another bountiful gardening season.
This year’s installment, Canada Blooms’ ninth, was nothing short of spectacular, and showed a transition beyond gardening hobbyists with a backyard greenhouse, to the garden as an integral part of everyday life. From urban to country living, our love of nature and escapism encompasses all realms of landscaping – from the expansive backyard, capable of housing an entertainment area, water feature and meadow, to the small, urban, and often-elevated plots in many townhouse or condo settings.
Held March 9 to 13, Canada Blooms brought its green message to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre’s South Building, and each of the 30 feature gardens, some small, some large, exuded the “garden party” message. Gatsby-esque parties, in the Roaring Twenties style, private parties for two, or a marriage of the interior and exterior, blurring the lines between house and yard, the feature gardens combined styles and hard and soft materials to come to the same conclusion – everyone loves a garden party.
Enthralled by a particular garden element or plant, visitors meandered the aisles of the Crystal Springs Marketplace, chockfull of garden art, accessories and ornaments. Plants, the true stars of the garden, were labeled for easy identification in the feature gardens, with a variety available for purchase from the array of retail garden centres. Tried-and-true plant varieties shared retail space with some of the latest plant introductions, offering gardeners even more choice.
While some gardens concentrated on structural elements, Landscape Ontario’s contribution focused on the soft – the new plants introduced to the market for 2005. Situated beneath a metal tent draped in billowy, citrus-green fabric, a long dining table held many of the plant specimens, presented as place settings for the visitors to enjoy. Flanking the table on both sides were patchwork plantings of even more new varieties, all labeled for easy identification. At one far end, a cricket pitch and swath of grass promoted the benefits of turf in the landscape. Information on the new plant introductions – from woody plants to annuals, perennials and roses – was handed out from the “Botanical Buffet” feature garden in the third installment of the Landscape Trades Special Edition for Home Gardeners. Special thanks go to LO’s Denis Flanagan, Kristen
McIntyre and Sarah Willis.
This ease of information is something that Canada Blooms has become known for – the free exchange of information throughout the show. The Canadian Gardening Magazine Speaker Series, held in Canadian Gardening Magazine Education Hall on Level 700, saw top gardening seminars on everything from mixed borders to homegrown vegetables and herbs, while another set of seminars touched on gardening solutions – from healthy houseplants to creating an English garden… anywhere. Another speaker series – Gardeners’ Fare – offered even more information in an impromptu setting, designed for visitors to take a break and take in some information at the same time. Gardening demonstrations on the Unilock Celebrity Stage, Garden Club of Toronto demonstrations and celebrity flower arranging made up the list of educational opportunities.
