Category Archives: Events

27 Apr

Annual Plant Sale at Toronto Botanical Garden

Toronto Botanical Garden Sale

Save the dates. The Toronto Botanical Garden is commencing its annual plant sale (May 7, to May 10, 2015) featuring a lot of interesting species, discounted used tools, and many other stuff. Members will enjoy 10% exclusive discount.

This year’s sale features various new and interesting plants including Hellebore ‘Anna’s Red’, Anemone ‘Wild Swan’, Allium ‘Millennium’, and Euphorbia platycladia.

For more information, see http://torontobotanicalgarden.ca/blog/pauls-plant-picks/pauls-plant-sale-picks-2015/

27 Feb

Ready to welcome spring? Canada Blooms 2015 is coming

Canada Blooms 2015

Canada Blooms, one of the largest home and garden shows of North America, will be held from 13th to 22nd March 2015. Celebrating its 18th anniversary this year, theme of the show is ‘Let’s Play’.

At Canada Blooms 2015, you can enjoy an amazing experience of glorious six acres gardens in full bloom, and stunning displays by talented garden designers/builders, horticulturists and floral professionals.

Start: March 14, 2014
End: March 23, 2014
Tickets: Adults $17, Seniors $14, Students $13. Buy Online
Website: http://www.canadablooms.com/
Venue:
Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place
100 Princes’ Blvd.
Toronto, ON M6K 3C3
416-263-3000

26 Oct

Fall 2014 Chrysanthemum Show at Allan Gardens

If you happen to visit Allan Gardens in the next few weeks, you will be greeted by hundreds of colorful Chrysanthemum flowers in flowering beds, hanging baskets, pots and cascades. I had a chance to stop by Allan Garden today to see the fall exhibition of colorful Chrysanthemums. Theme of this year’s Chrysanthemum show is ‘fairies’ which is reflected in wonderful arrangements and fairy garden settings. The show runs until November 9, 2014.

Following are a few pictures of wonderful Chrysanthemum from the show:

[You can read more about Allan Gardens here.]

Chrysanthemum Show

Fall 2014 Chrysanthemum Show at Allan Gardens

Chrysanthemum Maroon

Chrysanthemum (Maroon)

Chrysanthemum Red Yellow

Chrysanthemum Red/ Yellow

Chrysanthemum Pink

Chrysanthemum Pink

Chrysanthemum Pink Spots

Chrysanthemum Pink/ Purple

Chrysanthemum Peach

Chrysanthemum Peach

Chrysanthemum Magenta

Chrysanthemum Magenta

Chrysanthemum Gold

Chrysanthemum Gold

Chrysanthemum Display

Fall 2014 Chrysanthemum Display

Chrysanthemum Cream

Chrysanthemum Cream

Chrysanthemum Cream Pink

Chrysanthemum Cream/ Pink

Chrysanthemum Purple Pink

Chrysanthemum Purple/ Pink

Chrysanthemum Bed

Chrysanthemum Flower Bed at Allan Gardens

Chrysanthemum Yellow Ball

Chrysanthemum Yellow

07 Jun

Toronto Cactus & Succulent Plant Show & Sale, 2014

The Toronto Cactus & Succulent Club’s Annual Plant Show & Sale was held at Allan Gardens Conservatory on June 1, 2014. There were more than 90 classes for cacti and other succulents including Euphorbias, Agaves, Haworthias, and some caudiciforms on display. The plants were not great in number but they were all healthy and well-kept plants that represented major species of cacti and other succulents.

The sale counters attracted both novice and seasoned collectors. For those who missed the show, here are a few pictures from the event.

There were a few nice specimens of Mammillaria, Gymnocalycium and Notocactus.

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I also spotted a nice specimen of Uebelmannia pectinifera.

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A Leuchtenbergia principis and a really nice Lophophora williamsii.

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A small but comprehensive collection of Stenocactus.
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A nice collection of Euphoria and other succulents.
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Other notables included Ariocarpus, Aztekium and Copiapoa
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and some nice plants on sale.
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03 Jun

A Visit to Allan Gardens Conservatory, Toronto

Allan Gardens Conservatory is my favorite retreat from the hum drum of corporate life. It is a serene oasis jewelled right in the middle of the busy Carlton, Jarvis and Gerrard streets of Toronto. The garden that hosts conservatory has long stretches of green grass and more than 300 old trees. Some noticeable species are sugar maple, American beech and red oak.

The conservatory consists of six greenhouses that cover 1, 6000 square feet and house a huge variety of tropical, sub-tropical and exotic plants that are rare to find under one roof.
While crossing through the greenhouses you actually move from one climate to another and experience a whole new world of lovely plants in each climate. Neat pathways edge along plant beds that are nicely maintained.

The tropical houses maintain warm and humid environment for exotic Orchids, bromeliads, begonias and other plants that bloom year-round. You can find many hard-to-find plants like Jade vine, Platycerium, cycads, and some exotic foliage plants. The water features inside the tropical houses not only decorate the conservatory but also help maintain the climate.

The ‘cool’ house has selection of Mediterranean plants. The Palm House grows a nice variety of palms, tropical vines and some seasonal plants. The arid house showcases cacti and other succulents that include varieties of haworthia, aloe, agave, and sedum.

Besides permanent collection, you can see a nice collection of seasonal bloomers in Allan Gardens Conservatory. Depending on the season, you can find really nice variety of hydrangeas, lilies, coleus, caladiums, cannas, chrysanthemum, and poinsettia. Seasonal plants at Allan Gardens are grown in pots that are sunk in soil – making it easy to remove them at the end of the season.

On my recent visit to Allen Gardens, I was able to see Jade vine and angel’s trumpet in full bloom. Other noticeable bloomers were daffodils, gerberas, plenty of hydrangeas, some hoyas, bird of paradise, and foxgloves.

Allan Gardens Conservatory has a nice collection of ferns and air plants too. No matter what part of year you visit Allan Gardens, you will always find something interesting, colorful and aromatic.

Enjoy some of the pictures that I shot at Allan Gardens Conservatory. For high-resolution images, you can visit my Allan Gardens album on Flickr here. For more information on Allan Gardens, see this.

Allan Gardens Conservatory

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20 Jan

[FREE] Discounts & Free Shipping on Purchase of Gardening Products

Today, I am excited to share a wonderful opportunity for my readers to get discount and free shipping on purchase of gardening products from Blooming Secrets.

Blooming Secrets is designed for new as well as veteran gardeners by providing them with products tailored to their specific situation and advice on how to succeed with their selections. Blooming Secrets has a wide range of gardening products that can be purchased online. Whether you are looking for plants or products, you will find a variety of products tailored to your gardening needs.

Blooming Secrets

Free Shipping on Gardening Products

Blooming Secrets in offering FREE shipping to all the readers of The Lovely Plants. In order to get free shipping, provide the code LOVELYPLANTS at check out. This offer is valid till February 28, 2014. Remember, the code is LOVELYPLANTS.

25% Discount on Gardening Products

You can also win a chance to get exclusive discount of 25% on your purchase. In order to get 25% discount on your purchase, you just have to leave a message below this post to express your interest. I will pick one lucky reader on February 1, 2014. The lucky winner will get an exclusive discount of 25% of entire purchase.

Do not forget to leave a comment to participate in lucky draw. The winner will get 25% discount on Blooming Secrets gardening products.

05 Jun

Highlights from The Painted Garden by Bachman

This year (March 24 to April 7, 2013), the annual Macy’s Flower Show brought exotic floral displays that celebrated the remarkable beauty and landscapes native to Asia in The Painted Garden by Bachman’s.

Started in 1946, the yearly Macy’s Flower Show  attracts more than 500,000 visitors who see the lush landscapes and millions of flowering plants and trees from around the world.

The Painted Garden Show

Flowers in the Painted Garden

The Painted Garden

View of the Painted Garden

Macy's Painted Garden

Orchids in the Painted Garden

Colors of the Painted Garden

Daffodils in the Painted Garden

Images via flickr by Photo Phiend

08 Apr

Spring Gardening with Carmen Johnston

As the weather starts to slowly warm up, it is time to get your gardens filled with the colorful blooms of spring. And this spring, Carmen Johnston, the Southern Living® Plant Collection’s Garden Lifestyle Expert, brings a lot of stuff to decorate your garden.

Southern Living® Designer Series Container Gardens

Southern Living® Designer Series
Container Gardens

Southern Living® Plant Collection provides gardeners with innovative new plants designed to solve specific landscape challenges and to excel in Southern gardens. Each plant in the collection is the result of years of plant evaluations, plant trials and research. You can choose from a variety of shrubs, bulbs, grasses and tropical trees for your garden or as a lovely gift to gardening enthusiasts.

Carmen will speak this Spring to audiences across the country teaching easy gardening tips for both everyday and experienced gardeners. Carmen is also doing a series of events at Home Depot demonstrating how to use the new Southern Living Plant Collection Designer Series Container Gardens.

For more information, decorating tips, and how-to-articles, visit, Southern Living Plants.