What's Up At Landscape Ontario's Fall Expo 2014

The Garden and Floral fall show is much smaller - and dare I say daintier (no rows of tractors, trucks and chainsaw exhibitions anywhere) than the January show.  There are some growers:  perennials and cut flowers/greens and many manufacturers and importers that sell gift and accessory items.

Interesting to see a bit of a dichotomy between indoors and out.  Indoor plants and Christmas decorations are trending toward the "Pinterest-wedding-jar-on-the-table-look" old-fashioned and subtle.  And, outside, well, crank up the colour, there's going to be orange, red, bright pinks, chartreuse next spring.  While the growers are restricted to showing what is looking good at the moment in the greenhouse (you'll recognize some plants like the Mukdenia that have been grown for several years), they confirmed that they're definitely looking at (and growing) plants with tonnes of colour for next year.

Additionally they've been playing around with some old perennials making intergeneric crosses - "Echibeckia" anyone?  Apparently Echibeckia 'Summering Orange' will have the hardiness of Echinacea with the appearance of of a Rudbeckia.  None there to see, just a little photograph showing a plant that looks a little like Rudbeckia 'Cappuccino'.

Another tiny-flowered Coreopsis joins the mix called Cruising Broad Street from Skagit Gardens.  It has bright red flowers and orange on the back of the petals.  Echinacea 'Sombrero' is a photo-dead ringer for Tithonia (although with a dark, rather than yellow centre).

Stepping inside this holiday season, the turquoise and chartreuse of Christmas pasts have given over to a riot of red, green and white/black/red.  If you want more subtlety - switch out the white for beige/earth tones. 

Lots of ribbons with writing on them too - chalk-board ribbon chatter figures big this season.

You'll see lots of objects coming to retail stores designed to be an inoffensive as possible to your current living room decor.  It's all a big ix-nay on the arkly-spay.

Really have to applaud the frame colour for this wall garden (Floral Dimensions in Fenwick).































This gets my 1st prize for horticultural cute.

Something else to look out for next year.   We'd seen the diplodenia in single pots at the big box stores - I like the idea of the mix with the gigantic tropical in the centre.  Providing you get the hose on it - you'll have a really spectacular pot to display.

And, just because we had our first bit of snow this Saturday, here's a few random shots from the Cherry Hill Trail at the Royal Botanical Gardens the week before - photos taken with my new cell phone I'm getting used to....same spot framed a little differently:

Me and Bart - the only way I could get him to stay put with all the squirrels around.

Oh, and guess who didn't come today - the tree guy to take down my Ash.   So much work being done in Oakville, the crane was unavailable.....  Fingers crossed it happens sooner than later.