Saturday, December 22, 2012

Christmas In Toronto - Allan Gardens Conservatory

Nothing says Christmas more beautifully, than gorgeous Christmas displays of colour, fragrance and texture. I had the privilege yesterday to view the stunning displays at Allan Gardens Conservatory.

The high-light for me had to be the Victorian Christmas display.

Victorian fireplace setting.


Mosses, Echeverias, Kalachoes, Hypoestes and Poinsettias make up much of the displays.



I apologize for the blurry photos. Unfortunately, I left my proper camera at home and used my meager cell-phone camera. This section is just a taste of other displays of colour. There's paperwhites, amaryllis, poinsettias, Christmas greens, Christmas decorations....lots to see!

Open 10-5pm every day! Christmas Show runs until January 7th. 
Please take the time to visit this Christmas Season!

Here is info regarding Allan Gardens history and location:  Allan Gardens

Kuddos to the growers/gardeners of the show: Curtis Evoy, Leslie, Maria, Joel and many others!

Here is another link to more photos and info: Allan Gardens Facebook Page.

Saturday, December 01, 2012

Outdoor Christmas Container - Large Planter

I have the privilege to decorate the containers outside of my church. 

Because these concrete "bowls" are so large (diameter is just under 3 feet), they can take a lot of product which can run rather expensive and can become a huge project if you don't take that into consideration.





Our church has a high volume of traffic, and having learned over the years, here are a few reasons why I make them more simple: a) won't make it too attractive to tug and pull out greens and the accents, b) won't make it into a waste basket for litter and c) cost effective.

I actually like that the greens aren't covering the birch stems. They really stand out and when the snow falls, it dusts the greens beautifully!

I used for each container:

2 scotch pine boughs (14lb bundle)
2 western red cedar boughs (8lb bundle)
2 boxwood bunches (8lb bundle)
10 glittered vine balls
5 silver dipped dried seed pods
2 bunches of red dogwood stems
6 stems of birch branches

Again, I just cut back the annuals that were growing in these containers and removed the worst of the thick stems. Instead of inserting the evergreen stems upright into the soil, I just inserted them horizontally. The dogwood helps the birch stay in place and the boxwood covers all the end bits that I used to fill the empty spaces.
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