A Taste of Spring

I took the day off to attend a media preview of Canada Blooms this morning. I'm cranky in crowds at the best of times, and my bitchy pregnant self is ten times worse, so this was a great chance to see the show without any aggravation. My mom's a big gardener too, so she came along as the metro mama photographer.

If you've never been to Canada Blooms, it really is quite stunning. In just five days 500 workers transform the Metro Convention Centre into six acres of gardens. It's a not-for-profit volunteer-driven event, with this year's proceeds going to the Toronto Botanical Gardens' children's programs.

As soon as you step inside, you're greeted with lovely cool humidity and the smell of thousands of flowers. And then you see the flowers. My favourite thing is the magnificent displays of rows and rows of spring bulbs.



There are several large feature gardens, a marketplace, and displays of prize-winning arrangements.



My favourite feature garden came from Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds. They created a 3,500 square foot natural playground for kids, complete with wooden musical instruments, seating, slides, sandboxes, water features, and more. I would have loved to set Cakes loose in there. Next year.





There was another, less natural oasis at the show--the Niagara Wine Garden. If it wasn't 10:00 in the morning, and I wasn't with child, it would have been the perfect way to end the day. Hell, who am I kidding. 10:00 in the morning is as good a time as any for a refreshing glass of vino.



Canada Blooms runs until March 22. For more info, check out their website.