~ March 7, 2012

Each year at Canada Blooms my botanical buddy Denis Flanagan joins me for an overview of the festival. Over the years we have learned that there are a few ‘tricks’ to covering the event while making the very best use of your time. The co-location with the National Home makes it even more important for you to plan your day (or ‘days’) at ‘Blooms!

– Wear flat soled shoes. There is lots of walking. If you need a wheel chair, you can book one through the Canada Blooms office.

– Bring a small digital camera. Your visual record of your visit will inspire you for months!

– Plan your day ahead of time. We have invested heavily in our website so that you can get an overview of the events on each day, the feature gardens, the ‘floral hall’, marketplace and of course places to eat. Think about where you want to go first, last and in between.

– To avoid crowds and line ups, plan to visit the feature gardens either first thing in the morning or mid to late afternoon. Typically the evening hours are quieter and easier to navigate your way around.

– Bring your gardening questions. Master gardeners are on hand to answer them as are many Landscape Ontario professionals from the trade.

– Sign up for the monthly Canada Blooms newsletter to stay current on events at the festival.

– Buy your tickets on line early to avoid the possible delay at the ticket counter www.canadablooms.com

– Pick up the Toronto Star insert on March 15 with some of my special garden features. And read up on this years’ edition of Canada Blooms.

– Rest up the night before as this is the largest event of its kind in all of North America. With over 8 acres of total space devoted to both Canada Blooms and the National Home Show, you will want to be running on all cylinders!

Have fun and look for Denis and me there – we would love to meet you!

Mark

p.s. my daughter Heather and I present a power point on our trip to Cornwall England last summer on Friday, March 16th at 1 p.m. Please join us!