Spring blooms at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Crocus, tulips, daffodils and more blooming at the TBG

Spring has sprung in Toronto (although as I'm writing this, the weather is cold, wet and miserable) and many flowering shrubs and bulbs are blooming magnificently. I had an opportunity to visit the Toronto Botanical Garden several weeks ago to see what was in bloom and while most of the tulips (at the time) had not emerged yet, there were plenty other spring stars on display.

(I took many pictures of hellebores at the TBG so if you missed a previous post showcasing them, go to this post titled "Hella Good Looking Hellebores!")

I hope you're enjoying your spring (or fall)!

Chionodoxa (Glory of the Snow) 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Cornus mas (Cornelian Cherry) spring flowers 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Crocus luteus spring blooms 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Crocus spring blooms 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Crocus tommasinianus "Ruby Giant" 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Crocus tommasinianus "Ruby Giant" spring blooms 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Dwarf Iris (Iris reticulata "Katharine Hodgkin") 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Dwarf Iris (Iris reticulata) 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Erica carnea "Myretoun Ruby" Heather 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

"Hearts Delight" Waterlily tulip (Tulipa kaufmanniana) 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Iris reticulata (Dwarf Iris) 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

"Katharine Hodgkin" Dwarf Iris (Iris reticulata) 
at theToronto Botanical Garden 

Narcissus and Chionodoxa spring blooms 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Narcissus "Jetfire" daffodils 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Narcissus "Rijnveld's Early Sensation" daffodils 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Pushkinia scilloides (Striped Squill) 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Toronto Botanical Garden daffodils and 
hellebores spring container

Toronto Botanical Garden 
Helleborus x hybridus "Berry Swirl" hellebore 

Tulipa kaufmanniana "Hearts Delight" Waterlily tulip 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Viburnum farreri "Nanum" (Dwarf Fragrant Viburnum) 
spring blooms at the Toronto Botanical Garden

White Crocus spring blooms 
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Allan Gardens Conservatory Spring Flower Show 2015 (part three)

Toronto's other Flower Show

According to its website page,

"Canada Blooms is an annual world-class festival that connects people to the joys and benefits of nature through experiences with gardens and flowers, by promoting, educating, inspiring and celebrating all aspects of horticulture...(sic) "

After spending about 90 minutes on opening day; however, I didn't make the connection. However, if one replaces "horticulture" with "landscape construction" in the preceding quote (mission statement?), I'd wager that connections were more likely to be made.

Reviews have been mixed, as usual, according to the Canada Blooms  Facebook page. If a hybrid Flower-Home Renovation Show (which Canada Blooms has become in spirit, if not de facto)  isn't your thing, there's still time to drop by the Allan Gardens Conservatory for its annual Spring Flower Show which finishes at the end of March. 

Here are the rest of my pictures I took a couple of weeks ago at the Conservatory--a quiet place devoted to flowers and foliage.

100% flowers and foliage(or just about), 0% vendor booths.

Spring container
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show

Yellow and white daffodils
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show

Yellow and orange daffodil
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show

White and orange daffodil closeup
 Allan Gardens Conservatory
 2015 Spring Flower Show 

Daffodils and "Fleur en Vogue" cyclamen
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show  

"Vanguard" Crocus
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show 

Crocus  "Vanguard"
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show 

Crocus vernus "Vanguard"
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show 

Coral tulips
Allan Gardens Conservatory
 2015 Spring Flower Show 

Peach tulip
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show

Peach tulip petals in detail
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show 

Primula acaulis (pink primrose)
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show

Red Schizanthus (Poor Man's Orchid)
Allan Gardens Conservatory
 2015 Spring Flower Show 

White Schizanthus (Poor Man's Orchid)
Allan Gardens Conservatory
 2015 Spring Flower Show 

"Fleur En Vogue" Pink Cyclamen persicum
Allan Gardens Conservatory
 2015 Spring Flower Show  

Red tulips and "Fleur En Vogue Purple" cyclamen
Allan Gardens Conservatory
 2015 Spring Flower Show 

Blue Florist's Cineraria
Allan Gardens Conservatory
 2015 Spring Flower Show  

Dietes iridioides (African Iris)
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show 

Now look up a hundred feet or so...

Palm House dome
Allan Gardens Conservatory 

Allan Gardens Conservatory
 Palm House dome detail 

Allan Gardens Conservatory 2015 Spring Flower Show (part two)

Beautiful on the inside, ugly on the outside

March is turning out to be shi*ty (sorry to offend) month, literally. Temperatures are above zero and walking around downtown Toronto is depressing. As the snowbanks melt, incredible volumes of spent cigarette butts, dog excrement and crushed coffee cups emerge to the surface. The garden beds are, of course, rock solid and will be so until late April but I hope to see some crocuses and snowdrops soon outside. For now, I'm enjoying these blooms on display at the local Conservatory.

The hyacinths were in full bloom and their scent wafted throughout the display section. I like their strong odor--it's a smell I definitely associate with spring.

Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show
yellow and white daffodils  

I have 40 pictures that I'll break over this and another post to make things manageable.

By the way, a local paper, the Toronto Star, recently printed a short article about the Conservatory's increased attendance  due to the harsh weather over the winter: Allan Gardens gets boost from bad winter

That's good news since greater attendance should mean greater or stable funding by the city (there's no entry fee so the operations are funded through our taxes, I guess) but bad news for me, personally, as all these pesky guests are getting in the way of my picture taking! 

Just kidding, I love them all...

Drifts of crocus, hyacinth and cyclamen
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show 

Grape hyacinth and daffodils
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show 

Peach tulips
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show 

Peach tulips backlit
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show
 

Pink hyacinths
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show

Pink Schizanthus (Poor Man's Orchid)
 Allan Gardens Conservatory
 2015 Spring Flower Show 

Red tulips
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show

"Vanguard" crocus
Allan Gardens Conservatory
 2015 Spring Flower Show  

"Vanguard" Crocus vernus Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show

White and orange daffodil backlit
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show 

White daffodil
Allan Gardens Conservatory
 2015 Spring Flower Show 

White daffodil detail backlit
Allan Gardens Conservatory
 2015 Spring Flower Show

White daffodils
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show

Yellow daffodil
Allan Gardens Conservatory
2015 Spring Flower Show

Yellow double daffodil
Allan Gardens Conservatory
 2015 Spring Flower Show  

Zonal geraniums (Pelargonium x hortorum)
Allan Gardens Conservatory
 2015 Spring Flower Show 

The next two plants are not part of the Spring Flower Show, per se, since they are not hardy and are found in another section of the Conservatory dedicated to "tropical' (to us) plants on permanent display. I was lucky to catch the African Iris (Dietes iridioides) in bloom and had to show you.

African Iris
(Dietes iridioides)

Agapanthus africanus "Albus"
(White Lily of the Nile)

The main entrance of the Conservatory leads into the "Palm House" and if one looks way up, you'll see the metal framework supporting the large dome and cupola. Palms and bananas frame this shot.

A different perspective for you to consider...

Allan Gardens Conservatory Palm House dome 

Want to see more spring blooms? Here are some links from the Spring Flower Show in previous years:

• Allan Gardens Conservatory Spring Flower Show 2014: primulas, cinerarias, grape hyacinths
• Allan Gardens Conservatory Spring Flower Show 2014: part two
• Allan Gardens Conservatory Spring Flower Show 2013, part 3