Allan Gardens Conservatory Easter Flower Show 2014

Easter lilies, hydrangeas, primula and more!

With Easter right around the corner, those in love with florist hydrangeas and Easter lillies can get their fill at the Easter Flower Show. Not a whole lot blooming outside in Toronto right now, besides winter aconites, snowdrops and witch hazels but tulips and daffodils are breaking through!

Light blue purple Hydrangea macrophylla
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2014 Easter Flower Show

Hydrangea macrophylla "Libelle" (syn. Teller White)
 Allan Gardens Conservatory
2014 Easter Flower Show

 Allan Gardens Conservatory
2014 Easter Flower Show
 Light blue purple Hydrangea macrophylla 

Variegated Lacecap
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Mariesii'
with Easter lilies
Allan Gardens Conservatory
 Easter Flower Show

Pink red hortensia Hydrangea macrophylla
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2014 Easter Flower Show

Pink and light blue Hydrangea macrophylla
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2014 Easter Flower Show 

"Rose Edge" Primula acaulis
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2014 Easter Flower Show

Primula acaulis ‘Primera Wine Flame’
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2014 Easter Flower Show

White and purple crocus
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2014 Easter Flower Show 

 Allan Gardens Conservatory
2014 Easter Flower Show
seasonal container 

Pink hyacinths white azaleas red primula
Allan Gardens Conservatory 2014
 Easter Flower Show 

 Allan Gardens Conservatory 2014
Easter Flower Show
white narcissus and blue violas

"Dark Eyes" Verbascum  (Mullein)
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2014 Easter Flower Show 

Pink Verbascum, yellow African daisies
red tulips, blue violas
 Allan Gardens Conservatory
2014 Easter Flower Show

Red Kaufmann tulips
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2014 Easter Flower Show 

"Royale Purple Bicolor" Salpiglossis
Allan Gardens Conservatory
Easter Flower Show 2014

The following pictures are not Easter related but I couldn't resist sharing them with you. It's the first time I've seen Neomarica gracilis and it's certainly wonderful in its subtle way.

Apostle Plant or Walking Iris
(Neomarica gracilis)
Allan Gardens Conservatory 

Neomarica gracilis
(Apostle Plant or Walking Iris)
 Allan Gardens Conservatory

"High Voltage" tropical hibiscus
 Allan Gardens Conservatory 

The big ole hibiscus, anything but subtle, its variety name appropriate.

Allan Gardens Conservatory Easter Flower Show 2014: Easter lilies, hydrangeas, primula and more!

Written by Paul Jung on Apr 11 2014

With Easter right around the corner, those in love with florist hydrangeas and Easter lillies can get their fill at the Easter Flower Show. Not a whole lot blooming outside in Toronto right now, besides winter aconites, snowdrops and witch hazels but tulips and daffodils are breaking through!

Toronto Botanical Garden spring blooms

Crocus, tulips, narcissus and others at the TBG

I took advantage of the beginning of a stretch of warmer than average days (about time!) in Toronto and visited the TBG for the first time this season. Only the crocuses were blooming but the tulips and narcissus are emerging quickly so photos for these bloomers will follow.

If you're like me, you're starved for colour outside so enjoy the crocus for now, along with a shrubby friend (can you guess the genus?)

Pale blue crocus spring blooms
Toronto Botanical Garden 

Pale blue crocus spring bloom
Toronto Botanical Garden

White crocus spring blooms
Toronto Botanical Garden 

Yellow crocus spring bloom
Toronto Botanical Garden 

Pale blue crocus spring bloom
detail Toronto Botanical Garden 

Yellow crocus spring blooms
Toronto Botanical Garden 

Hamamelis x intermedia "Primavera"
witch hazel Toronto Botanical Garden 

(Update: April 21, 2014)

"Katharine Hodgkin" Iris
(Iris reticulata "Katharine Hodgkin")
  spring 2014 Toronto Botanical Garden 

"Golden Yellow" Crocus x luteus  spring 2014 Toronto Botanical Garden 

Helleborus x hybridus
dark purple double hellebore
 spring 2014 Toronto Botanical Garden 

Tulipa kaufmanniana (Waterlily tulip)
spring 2014 Toronto Botanical Garden 

Eranthis hyemalis (winter aconite)
spring 2014 Toronto Botanical Garden 

Mauve Crocus vernus spring
2014 Toronto Botanical Garden 

Danford Iris (Iris danfordiae)
spring 2014 Toronto Botanical Garden 

Dutch crocus (Crocus vernus "Pickwick")
 2014 spring Toronto Botanical Garden 

Chionodoxa forbesii 'Pink Giant'
 (Glory of the Snow)
 spring 2014 Toronto Botanical Garden 

White, purple and yellow crocus
spring blooms Toronto Botanical Garden

I couldn't help but to sneak these in (they'll be on display late in May and June).

"Bartzella" Intersectional Itoh Peony
(Paeonia x Bartzella) 

Paeonia ostii 'Feng Dan Bai'
 ("Phoenix White") tree peony 

"Buckeye Belle" Paeonia lactiflora
("Buckeye Belle" herbaceous peony) 

Trust Me: I'm a Professional Landscaper

When did yews become checker pieces? 

King me! That's what came to mind when I saw these guys. Nearly choked on my sub sandwich.

Now I'll be the first one to give the guys and gals (mostly guys) in the commercial landscape maintenance biz some slack when it comes to mow, blow and go pruning but what follows is, umm...

Maybe stepping stones across a zen ocean,
with cigarette butts thrown in?

My son trying to blend in, albeit unsuccessfully.

When did the front of a coffee shop become a checker board?
It is now.

Someone really, really loves his level.

Hockey pucks? Cheese rounds? Who the *&%! knows?

That's me making sure that this
wasn't some stage for
a performance art installation.

To paraphrase the immortal from Syracuse, "Give me a place to stand and with a gas-powered shears I will move the whole world.” I was definitely moved.

"Arnold Promise" witch hazel spring blooms in Toronto: it's about time!

Hamamelis x intermedia "Arnold Promise" fulfilling its promise

What a winter! Pounded by wave after wave of punishing cold temperatures since December, I've almost given up on seeing spring roll around. But my favourite (well, only) witch hazel in my backyard never gives up hope and throws off dozens of strangely-shaped and faintly sweet-smelling blooms year after year without complaint.

Hamamelis x intermedia hybrids are crosses between Japanese witch hazel (H. japonica) and Chinese witch hazel (H. mollis) and one of our earliest bloomers.Other popular cultivars include "Jelena", "Pallida" and "Diane" and worth the extra cost.

Why buy another rhodo when you can get one these guys/gals that have multi-season ornamental interest? (I ask rhetorically.)

While "Arnold Promise" usually blooms in late-February and early March for many of us in the Toronto area, we're definitely "behind schedule."

But, of course, it's nature's schedule, not ours.

Let's enjoy the show that will enfold soon!

 Hamamelis x intermedia
"Arnold Promise"
witch hazel spring blooms 

"Arnold Promise" witchhazel
Hamamelis x intermedia
spring blooms

"Arnold Promise" witch hazel
Hamamelis x intermedia
spring blooms 

 Hamamelis x intermedia
"Arnold Promise" witch hazel
in my backyard