Desi News Corp - Index

Desi News Corp - Desi News - April 2009 - Index

get GROWING
Each year in April, the
Royal Botanical Gardens
(RBG) in Burlington
has its annual garden show.
‘Garden show’ though, is a
bit of a misnomer, as in April
there’s not much happening in
the garden. Last April, after a
long and tortuous winter, even
the bulbs were tardy putting up
a show.
That said, the sale signals the
start of the gardening season
in fun and creative ways with
dozens of vendors selling
everything from garden-artifacts
and furniture to seeds,
exotic plants and a few plants
for your garden, as well.
On a visit last year, I felt like
I was at a garden mela – there
was so much colour all around
us. And so many things a gardener
might be forgiven for
blowing the budget on. Garden
Nariman Photos
30 Desi News April 2009
tools, wind chimes, ceramic
frogs artfully perched on shelves,
dried flowers, herb kits,
wood carvings, greenhouses,
fair-trade merchandize...
Exercising extreme control,
I walked out with just a beautiful
little handblown glass vase;
A champa
blooms in
Toronto
a pair of handmade fair-trade
wooden chairs from Nicaragua
for the porch and a white lilac
– a one-gallon pot for just
$4.99! But the best purchase?
A bare branch, a stick, really,
which the vendor said would
root if planted. They were
selling it as a plant from Hawaii,
but from the photog raphs I
recognized the plant that grew
in our garden in Bangalore! I
rushed home to plant mine,
dreaming of creamy yellow
champaka flowers in Toronto!
A stroll around the greenhouse
teleported us to a tropical
paradise. Ceiling fans
stirred the humid air redolent
with the scent of a myriad
blooms. A pendulous grapefruit
snuggled up to what looked
like an orange starburst
from a distance. Closer up, it
revealed itself to be a tree
loaded with miniature oranges.
Later in Spring and in
summer, five gardens featuring
different plant collections and
displays are equally alluring.
In the RBG Centre, you will
see a Mediterranean Garden,
forced spring bulbs, orchids
and cacti.
A Rose Garden, Medicinal
Garden, Morrison Woodland
Garden, Scented Garden and
perennials welcome visitors to
the Hendrie Park Gardens,
while irises, peonies, daylilies
and perennials put up a spectacular
show starting May in the
Laking Garden.
Tulips and daffodils give
way to flowering cherries and
azaleas in the Rock Garden,
and the Arboretum houses the
world’s largest lilac collection.
Four nature sanctuaries protecting
Carolinian forest, Niagara
escarpment cliffs and
ecologically significant wet-lands
are accessible by 23 km of trails.
Admission: Adults, $8; students/seniors,
$6; children 5 to
12, $4; and families, $20. Check
out www.rbg.ca for upcoming
events including the divine
Lilac Celebration in May, Iris
and Peony Celebration
in June, and Rose Celebration
in July.
– LADY BUG
• RBG is located at 680 Plains
Road West in Burlington. For info,
call 905-527-1158.