  
PICTURES COURTESY OF TWEAKED SOLUTIONS
Thanks to all our Visitors, Exhibitors, Presenters, Sponsors and Volunteers
for making the 16th Annual Canada Blooms a huge success, we couldn’t have done it without you! This year over 203,000 visitors celebrated the co-located 2012 Canada Blooms Festival and National Home Show which included: 25 beautiful feature gardens, our first International Garden from Taipei, Taiwan, a salute to the JUNO Awards, the Green Zone presented by Active Adult Magazine, over 200 hours of free lectures, demonstrations and cultural entertainment, the Blooms Marketplace, innovative displays by Professional Florist, as well as regional and international competitors in Garden Hall.
Canada Blooms 2012 donated $50,000 to the June Callwood Park Project.
Thanks again for a great event and we will keep you updated on Canada Blooms 2013.
|
|
|
|
 Thistles & Twine Floral Designs was one of the talented and innovative florists that took part in this year's Canada Blooms. Year after year the top floral designers create floral art that delights Canada Blooms visitors and this year was one of the most remarkable yet.
Thistles and Twine established its unique signature design approach to floral design in London, England. This was a direct result of successfully attaining bronze, silver and gold medal recognition at the annual Royal Horticultural Society’s Royal Chelsea Flower Show. Their experience and education within the British Design industry allows them to bring a fresh and artistically European flair to each of our floral pieces, using only sustainable products and choosing to support Ontario growers and local Suppliers.
Check out all the 2012 Professional Florists. |
|
|
 Sweetpea's, one of the wonderful feature garden builders at Canada Blooms, created the stunning "Rebirth of Roncy" garden, which was an ode to what has been referred to as “the most perfect corner of Toronto”. The garden space demonstrated a timeline of the Rebirth of Roncesvalles. Starting in the back corner there were traffic pylons, workboots and safety vests, dirt and broken concrete. Moving forward you could see the laying of a new interlock pathway that becomes Roncesvalles new  streetscape. Filling the space with all that is Roncy, they captured the flood of new trees, collections of brightly painted bicycle posts, a TTC streetcar stop, a river of coffee beans and collection of library books, all nestled into a bed of perennials and Spring blooms.
Sweetpea's also did double duty creating a beautiful professional florist display. Sweetpea's may be new to the floral industry, but their design, colours and plant material are second to none. They offer elegant, clean designs in a natural setting and are also dedicating to an eco-friendly floral experience.
Check out all the 2012 Feature Garden Builders |
|
We would like to extend a special thank you to Tena Van Andel and the members of the Master Gardeners of Ontario for all their hard work in helping to creating a unique horticulture experience at Canada Blooms. Wearing many hats, you might have seen the dedicated volunteers as they offered garden tips and how-to ideas at their advice clinics found in the Gardeners Fare area in the Galleria or in the Garden Hall. Or perhaps you took an early morning tour with a knowledgeable Master Gardener tour guide, enjoyed one of their many lectures or presentations as part of our educational line up or maybe you enjoyed one-on-one advice on Sit Down Sunday where guests could have twenty minutes with their very own Master Gardener. If you didn't have a chance to take advantage of these devoted and enthusiastic gardeners, then start planning now for next year or visit their website for great articles. |
|
|
 Thank you to a wonderful line up of incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic speakers and presenters. From Marjorie Harris' Let Stop Making Ugly Gardens, to J Paul Lamarche's Gardening Without Pesticides, Paul Zammit and Frank Ferrigine's Potscaping presentations to Niki Jabbour's Year Round Vegetable Garden, Tara Nolan's 2012 Gardening Trends, Rob Sproule's Gardening with Colour, Ken Beattie, Charlie Dobbin, Dugald Cameron and so many more. There was certainly something for everyone as we featured some of the best garden speakers from across Canada. Thanks also to the sponsors of the Stages and Education Series: Unilock, HGTV, Ezponds, Canadian Gardening, Toronto Botanical Garden and Scotts Canada. Thanks to PickOntario for providing flowers for Albert  Graves and the Floral Superstars.
Our special evening performances had a spectacular line up including the CTS Television's Anniversary Program which featured Brian Melo, a Salute to Taiwan Evening, A Cultural Evening showcasing the wonderful sights and sounds of the Howard Lopez Music Group, JUNO Award winner Royal Wood, Coleman Lemieux Compagnie presenting «Varenka, Varenka» and Meghan Lindsay and Vasil Garvanliev from Opera Atelier who performed arias from “Armide” by Lully. NTD Television presented a wonderful Chinese Cultural evening with dance, martial arts and a Han couture fashion show.
Thanks to the workshop instructors for helping to plan our special programs: Trish Symons (photography), Kate Seaver of Kate's Garden (15 minute bouquets, lavender lore and the language of flowers), Ashley Waltho of the Canadian Institute of Floral Design (hand-tied bouquets) and Wadee Deethongkham (thai fruit and vegetable carving). A special thanks to Westbrook Floral for providing flowers for some of the workshops. |
|
|
An exclusive peek at Canada Blooms the Flower & Garden Festival
