What’s New at Canada Blooms

An exclusive peek at Canada Blooms the Flower & Garden Festival

March 16-25 2012

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Toronto Mayor Rob Ford made a surprise visit to the Landscape Ontario Awards of Excellence ceremony on January 10 to personally thank and recognize the landscape industry and its members for their outstanding community spirit and generosity for restoring the park back in early December of 2011. Project organizers and contributors were invited on stage and were later presented with scrolls from the city for their efforts. Read more about the project from the January 2012 issue (download full copies of Hort Trades Magazine) or watch the Mayor’s entire speech.

Check out the great YouTube Video of the Project courtesy of Mark Disero.

Visit the Canada’s Garden Route Lounge in the festival garden area to speak with representatives from some of Canada’s most iconic gardens. Be sure to fill in your ballot for the ‘Win a Trip to the Feature Garden of Your Choice’ contest, co-sponsored by VIA Rail Canada and the New Classical 96.3 fm. New in 2012 — the back of your Canada Blooms entrance ticket is your ballotfor this contest.

Did you know that annually more people visit gardens in America than go to Disneyland and Disneyworld combined, making Garden Tourism one of the largest sectors in the tourism market?

“Take Time to….”
This year’s garden built by Landscape Ontario is a whimsical look at garden traditions and the progression of cultural design. From the steadfast Canadian rose family, we delight the sense of smell. Visual appeal through reflection and light catches the eye. Listen to the magic of the wind and the delicate trickle of water. City culture is based on different ideas and agendas being put forth into a plan that benefits the greater good. Designers, contractors, growers, suppliers and volunteers all see the greater good in presenting a space where everyone benefits and can “take time to……..”.

To find out more about this garden read the Landscape Ontario article: Canada Blooms Garden Will Stimulate Senses.
Find out more about this year’s Feature Garden Builders.

Youth Competition
New excitement at Canada Blooms 2012 is the opportunity to encourage young Horticultural and Floral Design fans to enter the show in the Garden Hall. The Youth Division can be entered by any child 12 and under. A single entrant or a group of eligible children can enter each class.

There is a Floral Design class that involves the creation of a butterfly using chiefly plant material while the Horticultural entry is a pot of plants started by the exhibitor from spider plant babies.

For details concerning this creative and educational new division in the show please refer to the Youth Division Rules on the Canada Blooms website. The site outlines entry information as well as details of the classes. There is one more important detail to remember. Every entry receives a ribbon.

Find out more about the Garden Hall Competition.

“Each year at Canada Blooms my botanical buddy Denis Flanagan joins me for an overview of the festival. Over the years we have learned that there are a few ‘tricks’ to covering the event while making the very best use of your time.

The co-location with the National Home makes it even more important for you to plan your day [or ‘days’] at ‘Blooms!

Wear flat soled shoes. There is lots of walking. If you need a wheel chair, you can book one through the Canada Blooms office.
Bring a small digital camera. Your visual record of your visit will inspire you for months!
Plan your day ahead of time. We have invested heavily in our website so that you can get an overview of the events on each day, the feature gardens, the ‘floral hall’, marketplace and of course places to eat. Think about where you want to go first, last and in between.
To avoid crowds and line ups, plan to visit the feature gardens either first thing in the morning or mid to late afternoon. Typically the evening hours are quieter and easier to navigate your way around.
Bring your gardening questions. Master gardeners are on hand to answer them as are many Landscape Ontario professionals from the trade.
Sign up for the monthly Canada Blooms newsletter to stay current on events at the festival
Buy your tickets on line early to avoid the possible delay at the ticket counter www.canadablooms.com
Pick up the Toronto Star on Insert in March with some of my special garden features, And read up on this years’ edition of Canada Blooms

Rest up the night before as this is the largest event of it’s kind in all of North America. With over 8 acres of total space devoted to both Canada Blooms and the National Home Show, you will want to be running on all cylinders!

Have fun and look for Denis and me there — we would love to meet you!

Mark

P.s. my daughter Heather and I present a power point on our trip to Cornwall England last summer on Fri. March 16th at 1 p.m. Please join us™

Enter to win a signed copy of Mark’s Book The Canadian Garden Primer

Workshops – Canada Blooms is offering a number of Educational and MAKE & TAKE workshops for 2012. Learn how to make a planter in just 2 hours with Jennifer Hart and Lee Valley Tools, or discover how to take great garden pictures in the early morning with Trish Symons. Make and Take with you beautiful bouquets with either Margaret Taylor, president of the Garden Club of Toronto and instructor at the Toronto Botanical Garden or Ashley Waltho of the Canadian Institute of Floral Design or surprise your guests with Thai fruit and vegetable carvings you create with Wadee Deethongkham. Experience Small Scale Gardening with Toronto Balconies Bloom, they have a Sunday series — Seed Starting, Container DIY, Indoor Growing Solutions and Small Scale Composting or delight in the Language of Flowers series — Fifteen Minute Flower Arranging, Lavernder Lore or Language of Flowers with Kate Seaver of Kate’s Garden. To find out more about the workshops, dates and times click here. Please note: space in workshops is limited.

Finished bouquet may not look as pictured.

TrishSymons.com

We stilll have openings for volunteers!

Come share your passion for gardening and floriculture with thousands of guests. Join us for a 4 hour shift and then spend the rest of the day at the Festival on us. Scheduling for volunteers is flexible — morning, afternoon or evening shifts are available. It’s easy to volunteer — just complete the online volunteer application form or update your file if you are a returning volunteer. Go to our website www.canadablooms.com and sign up today! The Orientation Package will be online January 20th.

Note: Due to technical difficulties with the volunteer application, if you registered online between October 5th and November 27th, and we have not contacted you by January 30th please complete the application again or contact us at volunteers@canadablooms.com. We are sorry for any inconvenience this might cause.

Purchase your Canada Blooms Show Tickets now and save $3 off general admission and senior/student tickets (regular price: Adult $20/ Senior $17 /Student $16 /Children FREE). Tickets are available online, at the shopTBG at the Toronto Botanical Garden and other outlets. Please check back regularly for updates.

Upcoming Events

Looking for a bus tour coming to Canada Blooms in your area? Visit our website. Remember to keep checking back for more updates.

If you have an upcoming garden related event that is of interest to our readers let us know at info@canadablooms.com and we might include it in upcoming issues of our newsletter.

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