Flower Power Returns to Toronto

February 2008 – Toronto, ON – This year Canada Blooms redefines ‘Flower Power’ with a celebration of gardens, displays and spe-cial guests that encompass the idealism and optimism of the ‘60s, the inspirational power of gardens and flowers, and the eco-savvy future of horticulture in Canada. From March 12 to 16, Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre will be transformed into Canada’s largest flower and garden festival, showcasing outstanding floral and landscape products and services

“After a long Canadian winter, the Canada Blooms Festival is one of the first signs of spring,” says Gerry Ginsberg, General Manager, Canada Blooms. “Garden-lovers from Canada and the U.S. Border States come to Toronto to immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and smells of spring and find out more about the latest in horticultural design, products, flowers and plants at Canada Blooms.”

For the first time this year, Canada Blooms will feature theme days throughout the five-day event, including: Garden Travel Day (Mar 12), Plant Day (Mar 13) Design Day (Mar 14), Ecology Day (Mar 15) and City of Toronto Day (Mar 16). In conjunction with each day’s theme, Gardening Life will host an educational series led by Canada’s foremost gardening and horticultural experts.

And, because this year Canada Blooms is taking place during March Break, the Toronto Botanical Garden will run a special children’s program. The Green Playground by the Ontario Toyota Dealers will engage kids in the wonders of nature as they experience this in-novative garden play-space designed just for children by Gardens for Living. Their imagination will guide them as they weave their way through the willow forest and under the sky-high treehouse. Children will be encouraged to express themselves by experimenting with outdoor instruments and talking tubes, adding their mark to a group wall mural, creating free-formed sand sculptures, and planting living things in the gardens. Kids will also learn how to decorate garden pots, plant seeds and care for plants and follow worms as they make soil. Stroller parking available. Parent supervision required. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Explore a range of uniquely designed bird habitats in a spectacular setting at Scotts’ Wild Bird Habitat. The bird feeders will be de-signed and built by students and faculty from the Department of Architectural Science and Landscape Design Program of the Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University in collaboration with youth from the Yonge Street Mission. Snowboards, computer keyboards and other recycled, found and organic materials will be transformed into whimsical and functional bird habitats. Canada Blooms visitors will be the first to see these exciting bird habitats before they move to a permanent installation at Scotts Wild Bird Trail in Riverwood Park in Mississauga.

The Home Depot Outdoor Living Central will be a backyard oasis, built by Allweather Landscaping Company Ltd, that uses the latest ECO-Options choices in gardening and outdoor living. Under the roof-top garden and up the steps onto a 1,500 square foot composite deck that features a built-in outdoor kitchen, a garden shelter with a display of the latest outdoor furniture and raised deck planters, visi-tors are sure to be inspired. Beyond the deck they’ll discover a potting shed with a solar roof, living walls with flowering trees growing out of lattice-work fencing, and a turf display showcasing a solar powered lawn mower. The Home Depot ‘Flower Power’ stage offers demonstrations and workshops on everything from container gardening and vertical planting to low water usage gardening. Whether you have a green thumb or you’re all thumbs The Home Depot can help you create your own outdoor oasis.

Back by popular demand with a celebrity twist, the Miracle-Gro Do Up the Doorstep Challenge will showcase 12 exciting ideas for container gardens from renowned designer Brian Gluckstein, Joe Mimran of Joe Fresh, Marjorie Harris of Gardening Life and national ballet star Rex Harrington, among others. All Doorsteps will be judged by show visitors in a People’s Choice format, with a charitable donation going to the winner’s favourite cause.

New for 2008, visit the showcase for Communities in Bloom Presented by Tourism Ireland. A friendly competition to beautify public spaces, Communities in Bloom strives to improve the tidiness, appearance and visual appearance of Canada’s neighbourhoods, parks and streets with a focus on environmental awareness and preservation of heritage and culture. Five communities from Ontario will showcase their prize-winning gardens along with one international winner – the community of Westport, a picturesque Heritage Town in the West of Ireland. Ontario’s award-winning municipalities include: Town of Petrolia, Town of Carleton Place, City of Pickering, Town of Gravenhurst and City of Dryden.

Increasingly people want to support their local economy by purchasing products grown in Ontario. Yet research shows that one in five don’t know the origin of the flowers and potted plants they buy. Visit Canada Bloom’s Pick Ontario area to find out more about the over 50 varieties of cut flowers and 150 varieties of potted plants produced in Ontario.

Tickets for Canada Blooms are $18.00 and can be purchased in advance for a reduced rate of $16.00 at any Sobey’s store in Ontario, or online at www.canadablooms.com. Tickets will also be available for purchase daily during the festival at the Canada Blooms ticket booth located on the 600 level of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building. And, new this year, guests save $8 when they visit Canada Blooms after 5 pm courtesy of RBC.

About Canada Blooms
Now in its twelfth year, Canada Blooms Festival was originally founded by Landscape Ontario and The Garden Club of Toronto to bring together the very best of the garden industry and community. Each year it is supported by a committed group of partners, sponsors and volunteers. In 2008, Festival sponsors include The Home Depot, RBC, Miracle-Gro, Sobeys Ontario, Unilock Ltd., Heart & Stroke Foundation, Ontario Toyota Dealers, Lombard Insurance/Sinclair-Cockburn, Nestle Canada, Niagara Wine Garden, CN Tower, Garden-ing Life, National Post, Global TV, Arbor Memorial Services, Brookdale Tree Nurseries, Tourism Ireland, 5th Business, Artificial Grass and Landscaping, Scotts Canada, 97.3 FM EZ Rock, CFRB Newstalk 1010, Reactine, Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation, Via Rail, Laguna Ponds and Ontario Tourism.

Canada Blooms is a not-for-profit organization that gives back to the community throughout the year by funding community garden proj-ects around Ontario. 2008 proceeds will support the new Woodland Walk Entrance Garden at the Toronto Botanical Garden. Canada Blooms is also dedicated to providing the community with horticulture expertise, education and resources on an ongoing basis.