Garden Muses: A Small Toronto Gardening Services Company Blog: hippeastrum

Masses of (unpainted) poinsettias, Hallelujah!

A disconcerting sight I've seen over the past few Christmas seasons is the spray-painting of poinsettias to give them a "glittering sheen". They don't need this embellishment which is literally gilding the poinsettia. I find it extremely tacky.

Luckily, the folks who design and plant the hundreds (thousands?) of poinsettias every December inside Toronto's Allan Gardens Conservatory for its annual Winter (formerly "Christmas") Flower Show forego using shiny poinsettias.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a lover of poinsettias as they truly deserve to be chucked out on January 1 (ever seen a leggy Poinsettia in July that's kept alive by an owner who couldn't bear to part with it after the holidays were over?) but the idea of painting plants, dead or alive, doesn't sit well with me.

Now that the Christmas Curmudgeon has vented a little, let's enjoy the winter flowers and arrangements at this year's Winter Flower Show which runs until January 12, 2020 here in downtown Toronto.

Allan Gardens Conservatory
2019 Winter Flower Show

Lots of poinsettias coming in this post but first let me show you this Amaryllis (Hippeastrum for the more exacting types, although no one calls it that). We usually see lots of Amaryllis, Cyclamen, and Paperwhites at the Winter Flower Show although this time there were no Hellebores, which was disappointing.

Allan Gardens Conservatory
2019 Winter Flower Show

You can count on mass plantings of cyclamen and ornamental cabbages every December as part of the Winter Flower Show. The layer of variegated English Ivy at the front of the raised bed is, more or less, permanent as the other seasonal show flowers work around it. Those who grow perennials with silver-coloured leaves and flowers know this: silver connects plants of various colours, acting as a neutral of sorts.

Allan Gardens Conservatory
2019 Winter Flower Show

Bright orange and yellow Kalanchoes make up part of the left "topiary" above while magnolia leaves grace the model's skirt.

Allan Gardens Conservatory
2019 Winter Flower Show

The scent of paperwhites permeated this part of the Conservatory. I guess you either like or hate the strong scent!

Allan Gardens Conservatory
2019 Winter Flower Show

An obligatory picture of a decidedly non-hardy bromeliad showing its somewhat holiday seasonal colours. We're inside a greenhouse after all!

Allan Gardens Conservatory
2019 Winter Flower Show

This container "floating" in the permanent koi-pond is wonderfully monochromatic: just shades of silver, white, green and brown. Very elegant, to me, but others may find it "too cold" as a container.

Allan Gardens Conservatory
2019 Winter Flower Show

A reindeer amidst the palms can work, you just go with the seasonal vibe!

Allan Gardens Conservatory
2019 Winter Flower Show

Poinsettias as bedding plants? Well, the picture above and below suggest the possibility.

Allan Gardens Conservatory
2019 Winter Flower Show

A "floral" dress that can be better described as a "succulent" dress. I appreciate the effort put into creating and executing this "living piece of clothing."

Allan Gardens Conservatory
2019 Winter Flower Show

In case you're wondering, the large tropical plants in the background above are permanent residents of the Conservatory. The colourful additions in the foreground are rotated in and out with the seasonal shows.

Allan Gardens Conservatory
2019 Winter Flower Show

Seasons greetings and thank you, dear reader, for being part of the "garden muses" experience again this year. We'll reconnect in a few months, closer to spring 2020!

Allan Gardens Conservatory
2019 Winter Flower Show

Come on, Spring 2017!

This post, like all the others I've put up in the previous late winters, is more for my relief in dealing with another long Toronto winter than anything else. There's no theme or message today, just some pictures of colourful flowers and leafy things. (The only real outdoor colour I'm seeing is the yellow from my "Arnold Promise" witch hazel that's blooming his (?) head off right now, just like clockwork.)

I visited the nearby Allan Gardens Conservatory the other day to see what was blooming indoors. The staff is preparing for the Spring Flower Show scheduled to start on March 1 so the show beds still had remnants from the Christmas Flower Show like ornamental kale and cyclamen. I'll return in about a month when the Spring Show is in full "bloom" as it were and post pictures of tulips, daffodils, grape hyacinths, etc. I did manage to take, however, some nice shots of orchids, amaryllises, and some unrelated tropical things below for your enjoyment.

Allan Gardens Conservatory
white and purple Phalaenopsis orchid

Allan Gardens Conservatory
white and purple Phalaenopsis orchids

Allan Gardens Conservatory
white and purple veined
Phalaenopsis orchids

Allan Gardens Conservatory
white pale purple Phalaenopsis orchid

Allan Gardens Conservatory
white Phalaenopsis orchid

Allan Gardens Conservatory
yellow and purple Phalaenopsis orchids

White and purple Cattleya
at Allan Gardens Conservatory

White and purple speckled orchid
at Allan Gardens Conservatory

White and purple veined
Phalaenopsis orchid at
Allan Gardens Conservatory

White Phalaenopsis orchid
at Allan Gardens Conservatory

Allan Gardens Conservatory "Clown" amaryllis/Hippeastrum

Allan Gardens Conservatory
"Red Lion" amaryllis/ Hippeastrum

Allan Gardens Conservatory
"Snow White" amaryllis/ Hippeastrum

I tried to get "artsy" by photographing the underside of these huge Philodrendon leaves. Was I successful?

Allan Gardens Conservatory
Philodendron leaf under side

Allan Gardens Conservatory
Philodendron leaf underside backlit

Philodendron leaf underside
Allan Gardens Conservatory

Allan Gardens Conservatory
Philodendron leaf underside

Philodendron leaf underside
at Allan Gardens Conservatory

The camera's flash went off below, unintentionally, due to my fat fingers.

Philodendron leaf underside
with flash Allan Gardens Conservatory

Fern fronds when they unfurl resemble cobras so I see five baby snakes emerging from the centre of this Brazilian Tree Fern. I really do like the pale red new fronds (with some pink) contrasting against the mature green leaves!

Brazilian Tree Fern (Blechnum brasiliense)
opening fronds at Allan Gardens Conservatory

These witch hazels were in full bloom outside the Conservatory in the public park, With no labels to depend on, I'm guessing the name of this late winter flowering shrub is Hamamelis x intermedia "Diane". The flowers' scent, to me, is a combination of orange peels and burnt rubber but, as the saying goes, "your mileage may vary."