At Canada Blooms 2012, people walking through the Garden Making feature garden were often captivated by the displays of new plants such as the Wasabi coleus with its namesake colour and the large vivid pink XXL Veracruz dahlia flowers on short plants.
We featured 15 new plants for 2012, grown for us by Rodger Tschanz at the University of Guelph.
Many visitors also asked about the containers, the fountain, the lighting and—when they walked on it—the flooring.
Here’s more information about our partners and the people who helped make Garden Making a standout at Canada Blooms. We were delighted to help them display new products and ideas and we thank them for their help.
SofSurfaces
Based in Petrolia, Ont., SofSurfaces is a leader in soft surface materials for children’s playgrounds. They’ve identified a need for comfortable surfaces for garden areas, and we used their SofTile Architectural Paver for the flooring in our garden. The flooring is perfect for balconies and rooftops. Made out of recycled materials, it comes in various colours and creates a unique and durable environment. Website: www.sofsurfaces.com
Water Arts Inc.
In the Water Arts store in Etobicoke, Ont., we spied a one-of-a-kind fountain that was designed by Francis Muscat. “The light that makes glass magical is optimal outdoors, so I needed to bring glass outside and use it in the landscape,” Muscat says of his creation. The fountain can be purchased through Water Arts, which designs, builds and installs any type of water feature for your garden. Website: www.waterartsinc.com
Barracuda containers
We used 22 black Chelsea planters from Barracuda to showcase new plants in the garden. Barracuda is a wholesaler and retailer of home and garden accessories; its store is on Parliament Streeet in downtown Toronto. Website: www.barracuda.ca
Lechuza containers
Lechuza containers displayed the plants surrounding the fountain as well as the four large cherry trees. Lechuza is a line of self-watering planters made in Germany, available in a wide range of styles and colours at selected retailers, as well as its store in Mississauga, Ont. Website: www.lechuza.ca
SGi Lighting Inc
SGi Lighting Inc. of Brampton, Ont., has a mission statement of “Bringing the world a new light.” They specialize in LED lighting for both inside and outside the home. Their LED lights showed off the plants in our garden while being safe and energy efficient. Website: www.sgilighting.ca
Bouwmeister Landscaping Ltd
Bouwmeister Landscaping Ltd. in Stouffville, Ont., is an award-winning member of Landscape Ontario and the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association with 30 years of experience in designing and building gardens. The hard-working Bouwmeister crew enjoyed working with all the new materials and provided their expertise to install our feature garden. Website: www.bouwmeister.com
Aphrodite Design Group
The design for our concept of a container garden featuring new plants was created by Catherine Geraats of Aphrodite Design Group. The firm, based in Markham, Ont., specializes in creative landscape solutions from design through to installation. Catherine sits on the board of the Landscape Designer Group of Landscape Ontario and is also a Canadian Nursery Landscape Association member. We interviewed Catherine about her design ideas. Website: www.aphroditedesigngroup.com
The behind-the-scenes video
Check out the behind-the-scenes video produced by Mark Disero of the Plant Walk of Fame being created.
And, of course, thanks to the Garden Making team, supporters and customers
Here’s what we started with four days before Canada Blooms opened, and how it turned out:
