Winter 2018-9: It's Over but Not Really
We're firmly into 2019 and all of the holiday eating and drinking excesses are distant memories, expanded waistlines notwithstanding. There are plenty of gardening opportunities for Toronto gardeners now: many are poring over seed catalogues, going to lectures and planning for the veggie garden in a few months. I'm on my annual hiatus from December to March and so far I'm catching up on things for which I don't have the time for during the busy work season like reading and writing for pleasure. And for me, strangely, this means not reading about gardening.
With getting ready for Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations and overall procrastination, I put off seeing the local Allan Gardens Conservatory's Winter Flower Show, version 2018. Finally, I had the itch to see some seasonal (indoor) colour so I grabbed my camera and coffee and walked over to the Conservatory. I was fortunate to record the remnants of the Winter Flower Show yesterday as it was officially the last day of the Show. (It's confusing to have a Winter Flower Show end on January 9 but I digress...)
The recent Winter Flower Show was similar to Christmas Flower Shows (that's what they were called until a few months ago) of the past: mass plantings of poinsettias, cyclamen, ornamental cabbage and azaleas with many "topiaries" mixed in. So if you're not sick of seeing poinsettias, this post should still be enjoyable!
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| 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show massed poinsettias and succulent topiaries |
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| Massed poinsettias and succulent topiaries at the 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show |
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| "Mistletoe" and three containers at the 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show |
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| 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show massed cyclamen and ivy |
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| 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show massed ornamental cabbage, cyclamen and ivy |
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| 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show massed red azaleas and ornamental cabbage |
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| 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show pink cyclamen closeup |
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| 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show White double Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) flower |
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| 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show white hellebore flower closeup |
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| Floral "cottage" at the 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show |
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| Magnolia leaf topiary and model train at the 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show |
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| Magnolia leaf topiary at the 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show |
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| Massed cyclamen, dusty miller and ivy at the 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show |
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| Massed white azaleas and ornamental kale at the 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show |
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| Pink cyclamen at the 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show |
While the seasonal Show arrangements were nice and cute as usual, I never leave the Conservatory without visiting the Conservatory's "tropical" rooms or "(green)houses". Here are a few pictures of very non-hardy plants for us and, if you concentrate enough, you may even feel a little heat and humidity coming off your screen:
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| 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show Brunfelsia grandiflora blooms |
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| 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show closeup of Flowering maple (Abutilon) flower |
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| 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show magenta Phalaenopsis |
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| 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show pink Phalaenopsis topiary |
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| 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show poinsettias and tropical plants |
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| Black tropical Hibiscus rosa sinensis hybrid bloom 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show |
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| Cattleya labiata semi alba orchid at the 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show |
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| Massed Phalaenopsis topiary at the 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show |
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| Massed tropical plants and ponisettias at the 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show |
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| "Sweetheart" Cymbidium at the 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show |
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| Red and white Guzmania bromeliad at the 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show |
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| Pink Phalaenopsis topiary detail at the 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show |
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| Amazon Lily (Eucharis × grandiflora) blooms at the 2018 Allan Gardens Conservatory Winter Flower Show |
Seeing the wonderful tropical blooms and getting toasty and warm reminded me of the several family trips to the Caribbean. And, of course, such pleasant memories were annihilated once I left the Conservatory and walked back home, head down, into the biting January wind originating from the Arctic.
While the Winter Flower Show has officially ended, Toronto's occasionally brutal winter has just begun.
While the Winter Flower Show has officially ended, Toronto's occasionally brutal winter has just begun.
