Canada Blooms Top Ten Trends for 2008

Each year, Canada Blooms transforms Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre into Canada’s largest flower and garden festival. The five-day Festival showcases the latest in outstanding floral and landscape products and services. According to Canada Blooms horticultural director Charlie Dobbin and artistic director Colomba Fuller, here are some of the 2008 top garden and landscaping trends garden-lovers can expect to see this year from March 12 to 16.

1. Drought tolerance – Whether it’s a garden at the cottage, a windy balcony, or a yard in the city, everyone is looking for designtechniques and great plants that will survive our hotter, drier summers.
2. Living walls and roofs – Popular in Europe for years, living walls and roofs are a trend that are just getting started in Canada.Canadians are also starting to incorporate living walls into their indoor spaces because they provide anti-pollutant qualities, cool the ambient temperature in the summer, noise reduction, and aesthetic value.
3. Water – A trend that’s not going away! Whether the water feature is simple and low maintenance or a full-fledged in-ground pool,water provides soothing sound and visual appeal that everyone loves.
4. Native plants – These plants are now in great demand since they tend to be better suited to local gardens. They thrive with less energy expended and support native fauna (birds, bees, butterflies etc) far better than many of the imported ornamentals do.
5. Planters – This year we’re seeing the use of tropical plants in planters because of their appealing colours and unusual leaf textures.Sometimes used alone for a cool green, jungle effect, or sometimes mixed with annuals to provide more colour and interest.
6. Vegetable Planting – Another interesting trend is container vegetable planting. Heirloom tomatoes, eggplants, beans, zucchini add colour and texture, and provide your own organically grown vegetables.
7. Containers – Simple, clean line, contemporary planters seems to be a must this year. Especially popular are the zero maintenance, fiberstone and resin planters that can be kept outdoors all year, without any special care.
8. Outdoor Rooms – Comfortable, deep seat, lounging modular outdoor sofas will be popular this year. Last year black and brown were big, but this summer Canadians will embrace the European trend for white. Look for white contemporary Italian open-weave furniture with a profusion of brightly coloured accent cushions. Also look for the use of pavilions with a retractable top for sun or shade, and sides for privacy and protection from the elements – ideal for outdoor dining.
9. Art in the garden – Definitely a growing trend. Whether you spend a lot or a little, a piece of art in an outdoor living space will give your area another dimension and added interest.
10. Colour…and lots of it – Colourful choices of flowers, foliage and even garden accessories provide long term ornamental value.

Canada Blooms Container Gardening Tips

For any high-rise or condo dweller, balcony container gardening can provide a fulfilling alternative to traditional backyard gardening.

“Containers are a great way to bring mobility and customization to your garden” says Charlie Dobbin, horticultural director of Canada Blooms. “You can position and re-position containers indefinitely, re-sculpting your garden to add new elements of style and beauty.” According to Dobbin, container gardening provides the ultimate compromise allowing you to get your hands dirty while keeping your feet dry!

1. Choosing a Container – Select your container based on the design of your home or patio. Make sure that it provides proper drainage (uses two-four” of gravel in bottom if necessary), protection against rotting and a minimum capacity of one gallon (four and a half liters of soil).
2. Selecting the Right Soil – Always use ‘potting’ soil when container gardening. This type of soil provides optimal porosity and waterretention. Be sure to select a brand with a pH level of about six and a half.
3. Choosing your Plants – Opt for plants that have similar water and light requirements while also trying to mix plants of different forms,textures, colours and shapes. This will add interest and make for a well-rounded design.
4. Optimize your Planting – Be sure to plant according to how the container will be viewed most often. Space your plants close together to give the illusion of a full and lush look.
5. Caring for your Container Garden – Note the difference between shady versus sunny areas and windy versus protected locations as this will change the water requirements necessary to maintain healthy plants. Fertilize every two weeks with water-soluble fertilizer and water, water, water!

• Vegetables: leaf lettuce, potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, cabbage
• Herbs: dill, parsley, basil, mint, chives, thyme
• Fruits: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
• Annual Flowers: impatiens, gerbera daisy, begonia, fuchsia, geranium, sunflowers
• Perennials: yarrow, daylilies, ferns, veronica, cactus, mums
• Exotics: banana, bird of paradise, lantana, elephant ears, spider plant, palms
• Woody Plants: yucca, cedar, dogwood, azalea, juniper, spruce

To get more ideas for container gardens come to Canada Blooms, March 12-16, 2008 at Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre or visit www.canadablooms.com

Canada Blooms Spring Gardening Tips

For many green-thumbs, Canada Blooms represents the opening of gardening season. While the ground may still be covered with snow, there are a number of things garden-lovers can do to prepare for spring. Charlie Dobbin, Horticultural Director for Canada Blooms offers these tips:

1. It’s time to compost the bough-filled winter urns – for spring, fill them with flowering bulbs. Buy pots of blooming tulips, daffodils and crocus from your local grocery store or garden centre to welcome guests properly to your front door.
2. Spring is when you want to get creative in your garden – but until the soil loses its sogginess stay away from digging,planting and transplanting.
3. If you have a lawn then spring is a great time to give it some pre-season care – aerating, top-dressing, over-seeding and just plain raking are all wonderful ways to ensure a vigorous lawn this summer.
4. Don’t worry about snow or frost in your spring garden – all your garden plants have the internal ‘brains’ to wait until conditions are right before they produce colour and fragrance.
5. If you mulched your gardens with a layer of leaves last fall – on a warm sunny spring day you can carefully move the mulch aside to allow the small buds and tips to emerge from their winter blanket.
6. Spring is a great time to start your own seeds, particularly if your desire is for unusual varieties. Try growing heritage tomatoes, evening scented stocks and hot peppers from seed since they can be tough to find in your favourite garden centres.
7. At the beginning of March give all your houseplants a shot of fertilizer. Once the days start getting longer, your houseplants are ready to grow – and they need nutrients to do it properly.