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Canada Blooms again in 2009

NEWS HIGHLIGHT

Canada Blooms again in 2009
Spring came early in Toronto last month, both outdoors
and inside at Canada Blooms, Canada’s largest flower and garden
festival.

Spring came early in Toronto last month, both outdoors and inside at
Canada Blooms, Canada’s largest flower and garden festival (click here to visit our photo gallery). The
five-day festival delighted garden-lovers with a springtime paradise –
particularly on Friday as the Festival welcomed the first day of
spring. Now in its thirteenth year, more than 80,000 visitors enjoyed
six acres of feature gardens in full bloom, more than 100,000 square
feet of green-thumb shopping, over 200 hours of seminars, workshops and
demonstrations, a special children’s garden and more.

“Each year visitors from Canada and beyond, enjoy the gardens,
marketplace and educational features of Canada Blooms,” said Gerry
Ginsberg, General Manager, Canada Blooms. “Again this year, all of the
plant and building materials used to create the spectacular gardens of
Canada Blooms will be reused and recycled following the Festival. The
plants and flowers left-over will once again be donated to the City of
Toronto.”

Left over blooms to be donated

The City of Toronto will receive approximately 600 flowers and plants
that will go a number of the City of Toronto’s 10 long-term care homes
so that seniors living in these locations could also receive a fresh,
colourful bloom to brighten their day and living environment. Staff and
volunteers will also deliver flowers to a number of clients of Cummer
Lodge’s meals-on-wheels program and adult day program and clients
served by the City’s homemakers and nurses services program to “add a
bit of spring” to their homes.

Ginsberg adds, “We are particularly pleased to share the flowering
bulbs and annuals with seniors who may not have been able to attend the
festival.”

Flowering bulbs, trees and shrubs recovered from Canada Blooms will
also be added to the outdoor garden at Cummer Lodge and Lakeshore
Lodge, providing a safe, accessible, colourful outdoor space for
residents, clients, their families and guests to enjoy. In addition,
approximately 75 perennial shrubs and trees from Canada Blooms will be
maintained at Downsview Park until the weather warms up and then
planted in locations city-wide.

Canada Blooms is a not-for-profit volunteer-driven event which promotes
awareness of horticulture and showcases outstanding floral and
landscape products and services. To date, more than $500,000 in Canada
Blooms’ show proceeds has been reinvested into community horticultural
projects. This year’s proceeds from Canada Blooms will benefit the
Toronto Botanical Gardens children’s programs.

Toronto Botanical Garden Children’s Programs fill an essential role in
educating and inspiring urban children about the value and beauty of
our natural world. Using exciting, hands-on experiences, these programs
reveal the magic and science of planting, caring for and harvesting
“youth-size” garden plots while exploring connections between people,
plants and wildlife.

Award winning designs

Each year visitors and industry contributors to Canada Blooms are
invited to participate in the Festival by voting for their favourite
displays and gardens. This year, the People’s Choice award winners
include:

• The Miracle-Gro Garden Box Challenge attracted many visitors to vote
for their favourite celebrity-designed window boxes and front porch
planters in a People’s Choice format. Out of six contestants, Rex
Harrington of The National Ballet of Canada came out with the top
design, receiving $1,000 from Scotts Miracle-Gro for his favourite
charitable cause, Casey House Hospice.

• The People’s Garden – Consumer Choice winner was ‘Pulse: The Heart
& Stroke Foundation of Ontario’ designed and built by Humber
College Landscape Technician Program Garden.  Honourable mentions went
to the Bienenstock Natural Playground, ‘Seasons’ by D. A. Gracey;
‘Green for Life’ by Landscape Ontario and Garden Creations of Ottawa.

• The Judges Choice Garden winner was ‘Connected: The Canadian Cancer
Society Garden’ designed and built by Ronald Holbrook & Associates
Landscape Architects Inc. and Royalty Landscaping.  An honourable
mention was also awarded to Seasons designed by D.A. Gracey &
Associates Ltd.

 “This year we built new partnerships and added highlights such as the
Canadian Cancer Society’s Connected garden and the Grey Power Celebrity
Stage,” adds Ginsberg. “Thanks to the tremendous support of our
sponsors, dedicated staff and volunteers, we continue to be Canada’s
largest garden and flower Festival and look forward to an even bigger
event next year.”

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