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THINK SPRING!

Tropical Getaway... if just for one day

It was a cold February day, albeit not a trace of snow, but a drab winter day none the less. I was excited to get away to paradise - if even for a few hours. Off I headed to a little hidden gem, a glance into history, a breath of fresh air, to delights of the tropics without having to venture too far from home. Nestled in our urban jungle lies a jungle all to its own, a beautiful indoor oasis in the city–the Allan Gardens Conservatory.

The evening began with great introductions to the brilliant expert gardeners that would lead the tour in each of the greenhouses, and then we were in for a real treat. To be seduced by the eroticism on what we never thought plants to have. Sex. The Untamed Garden – A Revealing Look At Our Love Affair With Plants, by Sonia Day, it contains delicious tales and tidbits that may surprise you. Chapters start with Innocence, through such stages as Flirtation, Seduction, Lust, Deception and Rapture. Day tells us "The plant world is a far sexier place than most people think — and I reveal some of its lusty secrets in this gorgeously illustrated little volume." From just blushing as she read us the intro, I'm thinking it would make a lovely Valentines gift for any gardener!
  
Allan Gardens Conservatory is composed of 6 greenhouses covering 16,000 square feet, with rare plants from all over the globe being nurtured inside them, and include an impressive permanent plant collection comprising orchids, hibiscus, cacti, caladiums, Madacascar tropical pines, palms and the biggest indoor Banana Tree I've ever seen.

TBG’s Director of Horticulture, Paul Zammit's engaging, expressive and energetic description of all the plants in the Tropical Room held me captive as my eyes darted from plant to plant trying in furry to keep up with his tales. Paul did promise to show us the biggest perennial we ever saw - and we did. Little did I know that once that magestic plant bares us its glorious fruits, and flowers... it then fades away. But sadness was quickly extinguished when he pointed to the base of the mighty tree, and there was a little sprout, a baby banana shoot, making its way up, soon to grow big and strong and take the place of the former banana tree. Phewf. The cycle continues... or does it? Wait - what? What virus? There is a virus Paul tells us that is quickly eradicating the Chiquita Banana. All because there is no genetic diversity, the crops could simply vanish in less then 20 years. Researchers are trying to find a way to preserve the banana to fight the virus, or create a new strain to sustain the species. Wow, I thought to myself.... more GMO. But that is a whole other blog conversation!  So like the nasty Ash borer, and our Ash Trees plight... it seems yes we have Bananas, but for how long?

All in all it was an intoxicating night for the senses. The floral scents wafting from every inch of garden treasures, the beauty in the sea of colours I tried to capture digitally, the sweet taste of the Agave seed pods, and listening to the stories of various plant species.... ahhhh I could have stayed all night. So while my garden sleeps, I'll be dreaming of all the wonderful new creations I can introduce to my designs for your gardens and mine this year....  

Sweet dreams everyone, Think Spring or whatever those busy little bees are really up to at night ;)

Gardens of Versailles; a tour from Toronto

“Considered the most famous garden in the world, Versailles is a classic French garden that boasts more than 200,000 trees and 210,000 flowers planted annually.” TBG

What an exciting and informative evening I shared with Jennifer (another Landscape Designer with EDGE) who treated me to a lecture at the Toronto Botanical Gardens with guest speaker David Wistow, a renowned art historian. We had a wonderful evening trying to keep up as David captivated us with his gorgeous photographs of The Gardens of Versailles over the years, and his interpretation of the stages and growth of the garden throughout the ages. A historian no doubt there, as he could recall a variety of minute fascinating details and figures – like quantities of tress ordered for a particular garden– he lost me at the astonishing count of 2 million something something something … I truly am a visual person, I say, “I make things pretty – I don’t do numbers!”

David highlighted the life and times of the seventeenth-century with the focus on the extraordinary lives of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette and his 1st mistress. A fasinating story, and to be brought back in time with such vivid detail and imagery, was truly a treat, a night not soon forgoten.

In 1661 Louis XIV asked André Le Nôtre to design and lay out the gardens of Versailles. I can’t recall the numbers, but the amount of physical manpower that went into building the gardens that cover 800 hectares of land (that’s 8,000 acres) was incredible. Mind-boggling. All I could think about was the pyramids in Egypt. Humans have acomplished some pretty great things! There are immaculate parterres, a 1.8 km cruciform canal, great basins, an orangery, a vast collection of outdoor sculpture and some of the grandest fountains which have ever been made. Think about it – no electricity…

I was reminded of some of the key elements of landscape design, as David had brilliant photo examples to illustrate the concept and execution. My favourite walk away example was the fabulous use of foreshortening, or should I say the trickery used in the design. So clever. With a renewed vision, I’m excited to apply some of these principles this season!

Let’s just say that with a show of hands, over half of the filled TBG lecture hall had “been” to Versailles – one word – Jealous. This is now on my bucket list, pack my walking shoes and camera, and prepare to spend a full day taking it all in. Ready for a real adventure Jenn?