Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Miscellany from the Toronto Fling

Well here we are - three and a half months after our visit to Toronto I'm finally finishing up writing about it. Today a few left-overs that were too good not to share...

The official Fling festivities kicked off on Thursday evening, that morning Andrew and I were out and about seeing the city when we discovered this shop quite near the hotel.

A vibrant artwork on the wall provides a great backdrop to the bouquets.

A study in white, mostly.

Normally I'm not a fan of those grafted colorful cacti oddities. Here though, I liked it. A lot. No, it's not sold to me...I'd have had no way to get it home.

I'm picturing cut wrapping paper rolls secured to the wall and stuffed with botanical collections. I wonder how my husband would feel about that?

This home/garden was one of the stops on the Fling. I didn't find a lot to photograph in the garden but was intrigued by the roof. Please don't make me ever have to live somewhere that needs snow/ice cleats on the roof!

Love this.

And this! Walking from garden to garden I spied this arrangement on a front porch. I want to replicate the bamboo poles but grow a (well tempered) vine in the container that will twist up and around them.

When we were searching for fence ideas I was warned against a metal fence. Too bright and reflective. This seems like a great compromise.

Another of our stops, the Aga Khan Museum.

I love a contemporary planting - geometric, bold - but sadly here most of the plants looked tortured.

I chose to focus on the hardscape.

And the architecture.

See what I mean? This is not a happy tree.

The outdoor dining space looked welcoming.

Another stop...

The Peonies were a big hit with bloggers who can't grow them in their own part of the world. Much photographing commenced.

When in Rome...(what the heck, I joined in the appreciation)...

This was my favorite.

Laurin, of Ravenscourt Gardens, was the first to point out the DANGER name all over town.

Thanks Toronto, you made me feel at home! Next up for any Garden Blogger who wants to experience the fun of a Fling...Minneapolis/St. Paul in July of 2016!

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

18 comments:

  1. Is that fence wood over non-rustable metal? DROOL... (I don't think "rustable" is a word even though the spell checker thinks it is)

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    1. Yep, it is wood over a metal that will not rust...

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  2. What delicious leftovers! Love the Danger Storm covers. Did one come to Oregon in your suitcase? They'd make a great path!

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    1. I think I might have been over weight limit with my baggage if one had.

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  3. I did that at one point with Bamboo stakes--it was so handy to pull one out when I needed a quick stake for a flopping plant, and then suddenly they were all out of the pot.

    You found some fun stuff. Despite the exotic climate, it must have been yet another great Fling.

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  4. I think I would have really disliked the AgaKhan garden and although I love peonies I think I would have found the peony garden a little tedious. Like the bamboo canes sculpture

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    1. Speaking as a former Fling planner I can say it's hard to make everyone happy with every stop. The Seattle Fling had a stop at a conifer garden, I was bored but the noises I was hearing from everyone else told me they definitely were not!

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  5. You know what I really want in my garden: that storm drain cover!!

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    1. Have you ever seen such a thing in the States? I don't remember seeing one but now I'm going to have to pay better attention.

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  6. The Pistil shop is the standout to me...revealing my acquisitive nature.

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    1. Naturally I read "acquisitive nature" as "inquisitive nature" had to read it 3 or 4 times before I really read what you wrote...

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  7. It's too bad you couldn't manage to cart off one of those storm drain covers!

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    1. Can you even imagine my husband's reaction? "You want to what!?!"....

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  8. The artists are supposed to do the suffering, not the poor trees. I like the dark peonies, too, but my favorite is the one with fewer petals. Oh, I like the bamboo and vine idea, too. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

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    1. I think it's the substantial girth of those bamboo poles that really does it for me. I might have to break down and buy some.

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  9. Again - that fence - I love it! I am no horticulturalist, but I thought the trees and other plants at the Aga Khan Museum looked tortured also.

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  10. Thank you! You spotted some very cool things. And made me wish, so much, that we were back there again.

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