Succulents and cacti at Etobicoke's Centennial Park Conservatory

Prickly and Juicy Characters

Succulents seem to be all the rage these days and I can understand why. They're "low maintenance" (well, not hardy for us in zone 5 Toronto but not slaves to watering either) and, admittedly, very cute. I was reminded of this during my visit to the 2017 Centennial Park Conservatory Spring Flower Show (outlined in my previous post.) The Conservatory has a separate area or "Arid House" with many succulents and cacti on permanent display. Many of these "desert" plants have interesting flowers and fantastic foliage in their own right.

So while the seasonal flower exhibits are showing spring bulbs or fall mums blooming their (forced) heads off, our little friends who prefer the dry heat just keep doing their thing.

Maybe I'll pick up an Echeveria this year and see if survives my lack of love!

Kalanchoe thyrsiflora (Paddle Plant) at 
Etobicoke's Centennial Park Conservatory's Arid House 

Echeverias at Etobicoke's
 Centennial Park Conservatory's Arid House 

Echeveria detail at
Etobicoke's Centennial Park Conservatory's Arid House 

Etobicoke's Centennial Park Conservatory's
Kalanchoe Arid House blooms 

Euphorbia milii (Crown of Thorns) flowers
at Etobicoke's Centennial Park
Conservatory's Arid House 

Aeonium at Etobicoke's Centennial Park
Conservatory's Arid House 

Aloe flowers at Etobicoke's Centennial Park
Conservatory's Arid House

Blue Sticks (foreground) and Aloe glauca
at Etobicoke's Centennial Park
Conservatory's Arid House 

Cacti and Kalanchoe blooms at
Etobicoke's Centennial Park Conservatory  

Kalanchoes at Etobicoke's Centennial
Park Conservatory's Arid House 

Paddle Plant (Kalanchoe thyrsiflora) at
 Etobicoke's Centennial Park
Conservatory's Arid House 

Senecio mandraliscae (Blue Finger Succulent)
 and Kalanchoes at Etobicoke's
Centennial Park Conservatory 

Succulent "topiary" at 
Etobicoke's Centennial Park 
Conservatory's Arid Room 

Centennial Park Conservatory Desert Garden

Desert dreams....

I have to give credit to fellow Toronto gardening blogger, Helen, for the title of this post. (The words were from a Facebook comment.) Taking pictures of desert plantings at the Centennial Park Conservatory took on a strange dream-like quality indeed, given the nightmarish polar winds and temperatures outside the glass panes. 

Cacti and succulents at the Centennial Park
Conservatory,  Etobicoke desert garden 

The desert wing/room of the Conservatory complex holds one of two permanent plantings (the other is the main tropical garden that I wrote about last post titled "Centennial Park Conservatory 's Tropical House: Warmth, colour and high humidity in late winter?") Visitors can experience both humid and arid environments by passing through one door!

(Learn more about the Conservatory here and read my Yelp review of the Centennial Park Conservatory.)

I always marvel at the contrast in textures between the cacti, yuccas, agaves and succulents in the desert gardens here and at the Allan Gardens Conservatory. I think the kalanchoes are added periodically to punch up the colour, to good effect.

Centennial Park Conservatory desert garden,  Etobicoke
Agave americana, pink and white kalanchoes

Agave flowers in Centennial Park
Conservatory's desert garden 

Centennial Park Conservatory desert garden
Agave americana and  pink kalanchoe 

Centennial Park Conservatory
desert garden

Yellow kalanchoes,  cacti and other  succulents in
Centennial Park Conservatory's desert garden 

Desert garden in Centennial Park
 Conservatory,  Etobicoke 

Centennial Park Conservatory Etobicoke
desert garden cacti closeup

Senecio serpens (Blue Chalksticks) and  pink kalanchoe
at Centennial Park Conservatory's desert garden 

Maybe one day I'll see similar plantings in situ (need to get the kids through university first) instead of this contrived environment. Still, I appreciate the garden as a tonic to get me through this harsh winter!