Some Tropical Colour Inside Toronto's Allan Gardens Conservatory

Baby, It's Warm Inside

Outside, not so much as the struggle for higher spring temperatures is real here in Toronto. 


My previous post titled "The Allan Gardens Conservatory 2018 Spring Flower Show: Enough With the Winter Interest, Let's See Some Flowers!" gave you a ton of colour by showing some highlights from the 2018 Spring Flower Show: masses of hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, grape hyacinths, Salpiglossis (Painted Tongues) and Schizanthus. 

Here's a reminder:

Schizanthus and Pale blue grape hyacinths
 at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

If you ever visited the Conservatory with a camera, you'd know that are many other photo opportunities besides the seasonal displays. I couldn't help taking these pictures making up this post. The source of these flowers are from the Conservatory "permanent" collection of tropical plants which are not moved around during the seasonal Flower Shows.

As spring slowly arrives this year, these shots remind me of hot and humid days in July and August even though outside the glass panes now, it's anything but.

African Senna or Candelabra Tree flowers 
(Senna didymobotrya) at the 
Allan Gardens Conservatory

African Senna flowers Candelabra Tree 
(Senna didymobotrya) at the 
Allan Gardens Conservatory 

Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia) 
at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 

Bird of Paradise flower (Sterlitzia reginae) 
at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 

Brassocattleya maiki "Mayumi" orchid 
at Allan Gardens Conservatory 

Brassocattleya maiki "Mayumi" orchid 
at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 

Brazilian Tree Fern (Blechnum brasiliense) 
emerging fronds with white Bougainvillea 
petals at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 

Brugmansia (Angel's Trumpet) 
at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 

Calliandra haematocephala (Powderpuff) 
flower  at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 

Light purple Cattleya orchid hybrid 
at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 

Pachystachys lutea 
(Golden Shrimp Plant or Lollipop Plant) 
at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 

Rhyncholaeliocattleya George King 'Serendipity' 
orchid at Allan Gardens Conservatory 

Rhyncholaeliocattleya George King 'Serendipity' 
orchid at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 

Yesterday,Today,Tomorrow (Brunfelsia pauciflora) 
at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 

The Allan Gardens Conservatory 2018 Spring Flower Show

Enough With the Winter Interest, Let's See Some Flowers!

Another Toronto winter is drawing to a close, which is good news to the Jung household when it comes to paying the heating bills. (We had extremely bitter cold weather over the Christmas holidays into the first week of 2018 so receiving the gas bill covering that time was also extremely bitter!)

The witch hazel blooms have come and gone in our backyard and only the hellebores are trying to emerge for us. But even they seem to know better, that in March here anything can happen with the weather: another big snowfall and/or a plummet in temperatures.

In other words, no colour to show you from the outside gardens.

But from the inside....

"Altruist" Narcissus at the Allan Gardens 
Conservatory 2018 Spring Flower Show 

The 2018 version of Allan Gardens Conservatory's Spring Flower Show is underway until April 29 and is much appreciated by locals and out of town visitors. During my recent short visit (the Conservatory isn't large so it's perfect to spend 30 to 60 minutes taking in the sights and scents of the seasonal and permanent plant displays), I went "snap-crazy" with the camera and have posted these pictures for your enjoyment. 

Apricot daffodils and purple tulips at 
the Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

Canada Blooms (or known simply as "Blooms" as in "are you going to Blooms this year?")  is the much bigger and more well-known national flower show occurring now as well in Toronto but I've lost interest in attending about 3 years ago.  I can't take "pretty" pictures as I find the artificial spot lighting casts many shadows in the exhibition halls (one wag described her visit as "Canada Glooms" which I thought was snarky but completely accurate.) I simply much prefer shooting in natural light. And you're here reading this because it's likely you enjoy seeing nice pictures of silly flowers (or was it silly pictures of nice flowers?)

I won't criticize the landscaping companies who spend big dollars to display their elaborate show gardens and patios in the hope of recovering their marketing costs (and then some) through new sales. As a small business owner, I completely get it. As a visitor interested in small-scaled horticulture and garden design, however, I didn't get it.

Anyway, let's get back to what the Allan Gardens Conservatory has to offer for the next month or so until the much-anticipated Easter Flower Show rolls around. 

And you don't have to shell out 20 bucks and endure the hordes of sales people to enjoy these spring blooms!

Blue Cineraria at the Allan Gardens 
Conservatory 2018 Spring Flower Show 

Camellia japonica (Japanese Camellia) 
at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

"Chromacolor" narcissus at the 
Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

Grape Hyacinths (Pseudomuscari azureum) 
at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

Matthiola incana (Stocks) at the 
Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

Muscari armeniacum "Valerie Finnis" 
grape hyacinths at the Allan Gardens 
Conservatory 2018 Spring Flower Show 

Osteospermum "Spider White" 
South African Daisy 
at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

Pale blue grape hyacinths and pink Schizanthus 
at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

Pale yellow daffodils at the Allan Gardens 
Conservatory 2018 Spring Flower Show 

Pale yellow narcissus at the Allan Gardens 
Conservatory 2018 Spring Flower Show 

"Plum Paisley" Begonia at the 
2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory 
Spring Flower Show 

"Plum Paisley" Begonia at the 
Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

Pale blue Pseudomuscari azureum 
(Grape Hyacinths) at the Allan Gardens 
Conservatory 2018 Spring Flower Show 

Purple tulips and apricot daffodils 
at the 2018 Allan Gardens 
Conservatory Spring Flower Show 

Purple tulips and apricot daffodils 
at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

Purple tulips and white daffodils 
at the 2018 Allan Gardens 
Conservatory Spring Flower Show 

Purple tulips at the 2018 Allan Gardens 
Conservatory Spring Flower Show 

Purple tulips at the Allan Gardens 
Conservatory 2018 Spring Flower Show 

Red primrose (Primula) at the Allan Gardens 
Conservatory 2018 Spring Flower Show 

Salpiglossis sinuata "Purple Royal" 
(Painted Tongue) at the Allan Gardens 
Conservatory 2018 Spring Flower Show 

Schizanthus (Butterfly Flower) at the 
Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

"Spider White" Osteospermum 
(South African Daisy) 
at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

Spring container with Hippeastrum 
(Amaryllis) at the Allan Gardens 
Conservatory 2018 Spring Flower Show 

Spring containers and wrought iron bench 
at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

Various Cineraria at the Allan Gardens 
Conservatory 2018 Spring Flower Show 

White and yellow daffodils at the 
Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

White and yellow narcissus at the 
Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

White daffodil at the Allan Gardens 
Conservatory 2018 Spring Flower Show 

"Thalia" triandus daffodils and English Ivy at the 
Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

Yellow Primula (primrose) at the 
Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show 

Yellow South African Daisy at the 
2018 Allan Gardens 
Conservatory Spring Flower Show 

Yellow South African Daisy 
at the Allan Gardens Conservatory 
2018 Spring Flower Show