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Canada Blooms reveals consumer interests

March 26, 2019 By Greta Chiu

The Caja vegetable growing container

True to this year’s theme, it was a real family affair at Canada Blooms. Families and attendees of all ages could be seen hovering over Ontario-grown ornamentals, mingling among landscape displays and giving vegetable gardening tools a serious look.

At the Ontario Flower Growers’ market, interested consumers could sign up for an upcoming, open tour of six greenhouses in the Niagara region – Cosmic Plants, Prins Grow, Orchard Park Growers, St. David’s Hydroponics, Sunrise Greenhouses and Van Geest Brothers. To be held on Saturday March 30, 2019, a $5 entry fee for the entire tour will be sold at the entrance of each participating greenhouse, with proceeds going towards the Niagara Life Centre

Vegetable gardening gadgets on display
This year’s show featured over 30 impressive gardens from Canada’s top garden designers, architects and builders. A key theme was cultivating interest in family food gardening, with workshops on herbs, bees, and pizza gardens for children.

“Living in a smaller space does not mean you have to give up on gardening,” notes Dennis Flanagan, public relations manager of Landscape Ontario, in a release. “The key is maximizing both the indoor and outdoor space you have within the home and integrating items such as plant hangers and planter boxes.”

Container vegetable gardening tools were popular with visitors. These included ‘Vegepods’, a self-watering bed with micro-climate and pest-controlling canopy, as well as The Growing Connection’s ‘Caja’, a growing container made from 50 per cent recycled plastic and designed to withstand temperatures ranging from minus 40 to plus 40 degrees Celsius.

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And the Floral Artist of the Year Award goes to…
This year was the debut of the Floral Artist of the Year award, where contestants were given four hours, and identical materials, to create an original floral design using the theme “The Ties That Bind”. Of the nation’s top twelve amateur and professional floral designers, Bruno Duarte of Fresh Floral Creations took home the coveted title along with $1,000.

Other awards presented at Canada Blooms were:
• Best Representation of Floral Alley Theme: We Are Family presented by Highland Evergreen Supply: Jennifer Harvey
• Outstanding Use of Artistic Elements presented by Oasis Floral Products: Rhonda Jaxa-Aksentowicz & Svetlana Papushina
• Best Overall Quality of Workmanship presented by Ontario Flower Growers Cooperative:Rhonda Jaxa-Aksentowicz & Svetlana Papushina
• Most Creative Use of Colour presented by Farm To Canada: Derrick Harry Foss
• Judges Choice: Derrick Harry Foss
• CAFA Awards of Excellence: Rhonda Jaxa-Aksentowicz & Svetlana Papushina

Profits from Canada Blooms is used to fund community garden projects throughout Ontario and providing the community with horticultural expertise, education and resources. Now in its 23rd year, Canada Blooms was founded by Landscape Ontario and the Garden Club of Toronto. It’s been named one of Ontario’s Top 100 Events by Festivals and Events Ontario and one of North America’s Top 100 Events by the American Bus Association.