Canada Blooms At Last!

Our sparkly land of ice and snow has turned to muck, rot and goo.  The sky is colourless; our flesh is pasty; and our winter clothes are crying out to be dry cleaned.  If you are a little low, and are looking for a place to match your sad spirit and reflect the lowest depths of your soul, this is the place you want to be. 

Fortunately Canada Blooms was invented 15 years ago to give us a little hope.  And let me just say, I was there early this a.m. while the first tours where on & I have managed to pull off my pilled woolly thoughts and am feeling much better.

Here's the blow-by-blow:

OK - the marvelous view from the GO Train - take heart, it will get better:

After about 5 minutes, I'm here:

Inside and almost there......

Voila - lots of pretty flowers:

 

The wall was filled with Kalanchoe - about 5000 of them:

Here's a new coleus (to me) Alligator Tears:

And then there were the boxes of flowers in the middle of the aisles for no reason other than they were pretty.

The City of Toronto, once again has a terrific exhibit.

 I had no idea that my bumblers needed a box?

Excellent signage everywhere:

This of course filled up later on, but there's much more room for walking about and more benches to sit upon and rest.

 And more mirrors for self portrait opportunities:

Sort of liked the baby Stonehenge with the daffs.

I would challenge any of you to get more information on one sign.....

Plants growing up high.

And a ferris wheel of lettuce.  Have to tell you, it smelled like fish. Must have been the liquid fertilizer.

 You'd have to be about here not to smell it.

Here are some of those benches:

One of the display gardens:

The forest was printed on fabric - I think this would be kind of a fun idea if you've got a miserable view you wanted to change.

Sweet little garden:

 And yet another photo opportunity for the blogger!  Must mention most of these photos taken at a hideously low shutter speed - 1/15 in some instances - the anti-shake mechanism must have been working overtime.

Here's the Ben Hepner garden.  He wanted his garden to look more like a stage.  And of course, it must have a tree - as no good Wagnerian tenor would be able to operate without a tree to scheme under.

  

All signs should come with matching tulips:

And up close without the words:

 And, you know there's lots more photos.....but I'll save them for later.

Here's the line-up for tickets at 11:00 or so:

More tomorrow!