Canada Blooms At the Movies - Popcorn Included!

Like everyone else in Ontario I am suffering from a massive Vitamin D deficiency.  It has been a miserably dark January and February.  In spite of this lack of light, greenhouse growers and the wonderful folks at Landscape Ontario have done a brilliant job delighting us with displays of flowers and greenery at this year's Canada Blooms - co-located with the Home Show.

The theme is "Let's Go to the Movies!"  introduced by this large bag of popcorn that magically transforms into a cascade of tiny white/yellow roses:

Supersized popcorn-styled containers are dotted throughout.

 Aside from the greenery, there are lots of photo-ops with a superhero or two...

So much fun to see Darth Vader sweeping in for his busy photo-sessions.

Would you say this is a Comedy, Crime, or Science Fiction?  Look closely to see.....kale spray-painted gold....

One of my favourites this year was the Highway of Heroes Display.  This wonderful charity's goal is to plant 2 million trees along the 401 in honour of the 117,000 Canadian soldiers killed in combat since our confederation in 1867.  There were beautiful bulbs, pretty trees in leaf, good perennials and excellent construction techniques.

How's this for fence as artwork?

I can hardly wait to see my shade plants in bloom:

For those of you who want to grow what you see, the labelling is excellent.

It's only when you get inside this little conservatory that you can really understand it's charm:

Oh for an unlimited bank account, this could all be mine!

The flower and plant vendors are top-notch.  Here's my friend Peter Wood figuring out which one of these treasures he wants to take home.

So much to see in this particular display:

One of the main messages at this year's show is that gardening is for everybody.  Some of the most avid gardeners cover their balconies with gorgeous displays.  Not only is this very attractive, but look at how many ideas you've got here:

1.  Mirrors and artwork on the walls.
2.  A growing wall
3.  Overhead lights for sparkle
4.  Tropicals that can keep you company inside over the winter
5.  Candles for soft light
6.  Trendy gold accents

I had a girlfriend who's balcony looked like this - not sure how you'd get to the wine, but it would certainly be an aromatic endeavour as your posterior brushed the basil.

Serious growing walls with really serious grow lights:

I think this one was my favourite.  Great floor pattern.  Simple lattice.  A good chair and three beautiful strongly coloured containers.

So there!  You think your balcony is tooooooo small, well the gauntlet is dropped.  You can make a garden anywhere.

How's this for having everything!  I'd like to try the sedum in the floor the next time I do a balcony design.

This is an Inconvenient Garden - a borrowed movie theme from an Inconvenient Truth.  Hmmmm.

I thought this was a very cool smaller garden.  Good colours and also quite doable in many tiny spaces.

And who could resist The Star Trek Garden?  You've got Windex to either drink or polish the place and photos of the Starship Commanders.*
*Phillips Family History Note:  William Shatner, second from the right, was declared by my Grandmother Phillips in her 80th year to be "The Answer to a Maiden's Prayers!"

Always appreciated when the floral displays are right at the edge so they can be enjoyed on both sides.

Spoiled for choice at Grow Ontario.

 And if all this wasn't enough, you really must see the floral competitions.  So very beautiful:

I think this is just about the coolest idea and I've set my mind to percolate in order to figure out where and when I can use it.  It doesn't have to be this colour, maybe something for Christmas along a fence, or on my covered deck in Easter colours.....

And now to leave you with two photos of colour - the second has Salpiglossis - one of my Grandma Stokes favourite garden flowers: