Allan Gardens Conservatory Spring Flower Show 2012 part II

Pink and yellow tulips scream "spring is here"!

Toronto blooms (under glass)

As promised in an earlier post called "Beating the February blahs", here are some recent photos I took when I visited nearby Allan Gardens Conservatory.

You'll likely see similar plantings at Canada Blooms held next month but if you're suffering from HSAD (horticulture seasonal affective disorder) right now or don't plan to go to the national/home/garden/flower/renovation show (talk about a hybrid under one roof!), I hope these pics will alleviate your cabin fever (or possibly exacerbate it.)

Can anyone i.d.the purple flowers in front of the daffodils?

One minor quibble about the greenhouses is that the temporary/seasonal plantings don't have any labels so your idenitification skills are put to the test. I'm just enjoying the mass of colours nevertheless!

Now, isn't this just to die for?

How dreamy is this? Daffodils in the background, maybe maidenhair fern spilling over, hellebores at Leda's feet, papyrus (?), floating tubs of red/wine amaryllis with purple oxalis (and, wow, those yellow flowers really contrast with the purple foliage.)

The goldfish in the pond have quite the digs!

Cyclamens just speak of cool early spring



Bed of cyclamen and English ivy that is clean and fresh to me

Not exactly spring pastels but perhaps suggesting a summer container?

A complementary colour scheme of yellow and purple creates great contrast and drama (along with red and green and the third duo of blue and orange.) This is my favourite color combination, no contest.

Quite the contrast in this bromeliad

I zoomed in on this red bromeliad but with such contrast of the red and green complementary colours, it wasn't hard to notice the mass of red and yellow bromeliads from far away against the glistening green foliage.

Early spring colour that would be eye-catching in your garden beds!

Pink hyancinths and white cyclamen and light green "cypressy"
Could this be your spring colour scheme for 2012?

When Arnold (Promise) met Jelena

Two Toronto witch hazels in love

"Arnold Promise" witch hazel blooms

Inspired by fellow Toronto blogger Barry's recent post called "Jelena" and helped by abnormally warm temperatures,  I had to post some photos of my favourite shrub in its current glory. My "Arnold Promise" witch hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia "Arnold Promise") is about 15 years old and is a blooming machine every February and March. This spring (well, it feels like spring in mid-February when it shouldn't) the blooms came earlier and I was in the back today strangely with no snow. I hope you enjoy the show!

Hamamelis x intermedia "Arnold Promise" 
witch hazel blooms in detail

Such strange looking flowers! The yellow for this cultivar, to me, is very clean and bright and stands out against the reddish sepals. "Arnold Promise" doesn't shed its leaves in the fall so, for some, the look isn't as "clean" as one might desire. (This doesn't bother me at all.) Last year's leaves will drop as the new leaves open up.

More "Arnold Promise" witch hazel flower clusters

Here's a picture with the blooms displayed horizontally along a branch. When there's nothing else blooming right now, this is such a treat. Imagine the leaves aren't there if they bother you!






My beloved witch hazel in its spring glory--
the rest of the garden, not as much

The shrub is about 8' high and 10' wide so you need to give witch hazels room. My specimen gets about 6 hours of direct sun from morning to mid-afternoon and grows in amended soil. It prefers richer soil that's slightly moist but isn't too demanding. Do not, I repeat, do not prune this guy into a meatball, trapezoid or wedge.  Zero pest and disease issues (besides the flipping squirrels which nip off a few clusters for reasons only known to their black hearts.)

What's not to love? Get one in the ground this year!

The 2012 Allan Gardens Conservatory Spring Flower Show

Beating the Toronto gardening February blahs

The purple streaking is very nice!

                                                       
This is a tough time of the year in Toronto, garden-wise. Spring is still months away and although we haven't had a very harsh winter so far, I think we can agree that we want it over soon. To tide you over, here are some pictures I took last year at the Allan Gardens Conservatory in downtown Toronto. (I'll try to post more recent pics soon but for now, enjoy!)

Narcissus always make me smile and hopeful



Leda and not-so innocent Zeus in the pond



Orangey-streakiness for you tulip lovers!

These tulips would look fabulous en masse in your garden bed or perhaps in a series of dark blue containers along a path. Sure, they wouldn't last but the effect would be memorable.

Mass of hyancinths.Do you love or hate them, scent-wise?



Are you going to Canada Blooms this year?

I know it's over a month away but Canada Blooms in Toronto, our "Largest Flower & Garden Festival" and simultaneously "North America's Largest Home & Garden Event" (more on the latter further down) is scheduled from March 16-25 this year. It's interesting to note that the show is "co-locating" (co-mingling?) with the National Home Show for the first time in the same building/different hall and running now for ten days instead of the usual five in the past. There have been arguments supporting and criticizing the move, all perfectly reasonable, but will they convince you to attend again or for the first time?