Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Containers - June 2011

 You can do a lot with containers!!
& they can be moved!!

Area beside the swing with the patio dining area behind

 Ball Horticultural New Improved Wave Petunias.  
We overplanted the pot but don't they look great!!

Sunflowers planted in pots
Varieties:  Van Gogh, Valentine & Music Box

 Container of Cordaline & Gerberas
PC Gigantico

 Container of Coleus - PC Gigantico
Marigolds - Ball Horticultural

Angelonia - Ball Horticultural
I love this plant in a container!

 Cordaline - PC Gigantico
Gryphon Begonia hybrida - Ball Horticultural

Collection of containers beside a sitting area.

Caught Bruce pruning something in the garden!!

Monday, June 27, 2011

Vegetable Garden - June 2011

As you can tell our vegetable garden is in our patio.  
We do not have much space so we pack in the tomatoes into the area.

Tomatoes plants as of June 27, 2011.  
They are monsters & they haven't stopped growing

Tomatoes!!
I want them to ripen!!

 The view of the vegetable garden from a different angle. 
When the tomatoes ripen, it will be interesting!!  I think we went overboard this year!!

 Tomatoes which need to ripen & so do the Peppers.
Cannot wait!!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Small Green Roofs Low-Tech Options for Greener Living -- Book Review


If you have ever contemplated or desired your own green roof, then this book is a required read.  While this book is British, the information is excellent including checking your project out with an engineer or architect.  Don't forget Snow loading!!  The next step is to check out your local by-laws.  The last thing you want, is to find out your green roof prairie garden plants exceed the by-law heights.  I would hate to see the city workers come in and butcher your roof garden.  This was done to a Niagara-on-the-Lake home backyard garden just a few years ago, with not so much as a we are sorry or compensation for the damage to plants and hard materials.
This book gives numerous garden designs from the simple to the complex and they even know what a rain chain is.  So if you want to green roof your tool shed, child's play cottage, potting shed or your carport this book covers it.  After you have read this book, no small roof is safe from your plant's person eye.  Your bicycle shed or that ugly garden shed, consider replacing it with a more practical Green roof potting/garden/pumphouse shed.

Chicago City Hall green roof garden

Chicago City Hall green roof garden
Chicago City Hall green roof garden

Chicago City Hall green roof garden:  Rubeckia

Chicago City Hall green roof garden:  Echinacea

--
Bruce

Monday, June 13, 2011

National Home Show and Canada Blooms Sign Agreement To Co-Locate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                


NATIONAL HOME SHOW AND CANADA BLOOMS SIGN AGREEMENT TO
CO-LOCATE

-  Creating Single Largest Home and Garden Event in North America -

June 13, 2011, TORONTO – Marketplace Events, organizers of The National Home Show and the Board of Directors of Canada Blooms: The Flower and Garden Festival, have signed an agreement that will see the two powerhouse events take place side by side beginning next year at the Direct Energy Centre, creating the single largest home and garden experience in North America.

“The idea for co-locating the events is a natural extension of our audience interests,” explained Tom Baugh, CEO of Marketplace Events.  “Guests attending The National Home Show love the event but consistently tell us they want to see bigger and better gardens and floral displays.  Guests attending Canada Blooms (virtually all homeowners) love their garden festival and will be thrilled in seeing its growth in stature under this new arrangement.”

“Putting these events side-by-side creates a situation where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” said Gerry Ginsberg, General Manager of Canada Blooms.  “We strongly believe this co-location will allow us to achieve a new standard of excellence and significantly enhance the customer experience for hundreds of thousands of garden and home enthusiasts throughout Ontario that visit these events each year.”

The agreement to co-locate is not a merger, nor is Marketplace Events purchasing Canada Blooms.  Each event will maintain its own identity and operate separately, expanding into an impressive footprint of 600,000 square feet – Canada’s largest consumer event under one roof.  Both shows will run for ten days, from March 16 – 25, 2012, at the Direct Energy Center in Toronto.

Canada Blooms, presented by The Home Depot, will create and expand their feature gardens and floral displays, but in the larger Hall A of the Direct Energy Centre.  The Canada Blooms “Marketplace” will move into Heritage Court.  The National Home Show, presented by RE/MAX will occupy the remainder of the exhibit space including Halls B, C, D, North Extension (Hall H) and the Industry Building (Hall G), where the innovative feature home will continue to be located, as well as the previously unused East Annex (Hall F). Ricoh Coliseum may also be used in future years as the two events expand.

The Marketplace Events team will sell all exhibit space within both events, including the Canada Blooms “Marketplace” while the Canada Blooms team will focus on creating the expanded feature gardens, garden educational programs and floral displays.  Sponsorship will continue to be sold separately by each event although cross-over packages will be available for those interested in partnering for both events.

As a convenience to consumers, a single ticket purchased for either event will allow attendees to visit Canada Blooms, The National Home Show or both events.  A recent audience survey confirmed that 47% of respondents have attended both events in the past and 62% indicated that the opportunity to see both events for one ticket price would make it more likely that they would attend.  41% of respondents said they would be likely to purchase a two-day pass.  Based on the survey results, two day passes and an all access pass, good all days of the events, will also be sold.

“The survey results, combined with already intense exhibitor interest, confirms the thinking by both groups that co-locating these events will create an exciting dynamic experience for our guests, our exhibitors and our respective organizations” said Baugh.  “It’s a progressive move for the betterment of the GTA’s horticultural community,” added Ginsberg, “and a decision that will elevate the not-for-profit status of Canada Blooms.”

About Canada Blooms: The Flower and Garden Festival
Canada Blooms is a not-for-profit volunteer-driven festival celebrating flowers, gardening and landscaping in Canada.  To date, over $500,000 of Canada Bloom’s proceeds have been reinvested into community horticultural projects. Named One of North America’s Top 100 Events by the American Bus Association, Canada’s Top Gardening Tourism Festival by Canada’s Garden Tourism Conference and One of Ontario’s Top 100 Events by Festivals and Events Ontario, Canada Blooms is Canada’s largest annual horticultural and garden celebration. Proceeds from Canada Blooms benefit charitable horticultural organizations across Ontario. Celebrating its 16th Anniversary in 2012, Canada Blooms was founded by Landscape Ontario and The Garden Club of Toronto. For more information, please visit www.canadablooms.com.

About The National Home Show
The National Home Show, presented by RE/MAX, is Canada’s largest and longest-running consumer show. More than 145,000 people attend the Show annually, seeking helpful advice, solutions and new products for in and around their homes.  The show will celebrate its 60th Anniversary in 2012, Visit www.nationalhomeshow.com for full show details.
The National Home Show is produced by Marketplace Events in partnership with the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD).   Marketplace Events currently produces 31 home shows in 21 markets that collectively attract 14,000 exhibitors, 1 million attendees and another 1 million unique webs visitors annually. From 12 offices, the 100-person staff produces some of the most successful and longest-running home shows in the U.S. and Canada. On the web: marketplaceevents.com.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Dream Gardens Across America - Book Review



I have never been a fan of coffee table gardening books.  Better Home and Gardens: Dream Gardens across America has its place first because it is a soft covered.  This shows a concern for the purchaser's pocket book.  Secondly the money has been put into the colour photography.  After all it is not the role of a coffee table book to be beautiful?
 The photography shows excellent examples of the use of plant material.  Most gardeners just put in whatever strikes their fancy or what is trendy that year.  The photography also shows the use of colour, repetition  and most important enhancing the view.  I find a mish mash of colour and plants annoying and disturbing.  There are examples in this book on pages 26-30.
Just as a photographer frames his picture, a garden must frame a view in the garden, a good example is the photograph on page 49 and their good example of colour usage, contrast of texture and frame a view or a feature is the picture on page 51.  You are being invited into this cottage by the potted plants.  The section called "Going All Out" I find touches the heart.
The section "Simple Geometry" is important to show contrast in soft and hard lines.  One of my teachers used to say that geometric gardens are for accountants and people who cannot colour outside the lines.  The photograph on pages 112 and 113 is a very good example of a geometric garden. Although I have a strong objection to showing the invasive weed Variegated Gout Weed that novice gardeners may use incorrectly.  Is there a correct way to use this plant? 
The sections "Pushing the Limits" and "Backyard Retreats" when combined are my personal gardening  style, so no one but family enters my personal paradise.
The "Cottage Garden" section shows their beauty but not their intense planning, planting, and occasionally a roughing out or two or three.
This book will inspire you and help you determine your gardening style.
--
Bruce