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 ;)
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