MONTRÉAL, May 8, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Finally! Spring is here at last, and the sun's warmth is coaxing our gardens back to life. Why not relax and enjoy some special family time playing in the dirt, doing some planting and savouring the joys of nature? The gardening season kicks off with Montréal Space for Life's 17th Great Gardening Weekend, Quebec's largest gardening fair, on May 23, 24 and 25 this year, at the Botanical Garden. You'll find seeds, plants and original and unusual garden tools and accessories, and can get some tips from enthusiastic horticulturists, growers and biologists. Take home new ideas along with some "ready-to-plant" items for your flower beds and vegetable garden.
Make some new discoveries
Families love the Great Gardening Weekend! That's why it attracts some 90 exhibitors every year, all of them keen to encourage you to get some dirt under your nails. Don't miss the Botanical Garden horticulturists' tent, with thousands of exclusive houseplants and outdoor plants, and all the different growers of rare and traditional plants, herbs, mosses, nut and fruit trees, honey and more. Don't forget some reusable bags to take your finds home with you!
The Great Gardening Weekend is also a chance to pick up all kinds of new ideas, including how-tos for creating an edible or bottle garden; urban gardening on geotextile fabric; maintaining penjings, bonsai and roses; using the properties of essential oils, and more. It's also an ideal opportunity to purchase some top-notch garden accessories, from hammocks to vertical vegetable gardens for tight spaces, containers, ceramics, stakes and trellises, etc.
Finally, each day there will be theme lectures where you can learn about some decidedly different horticultural traditions: old-fashioned perennials, permaculture, pond gardens in containers, shade gardens, hydrangeas, fruit trees, the new slow gardening trend and container gardening ideas.
Cultivating biodiversity at home
For the second straight year, the My Space for Life Garden program is encouraging and supporting Montrealers interested in doing their bit at home to protect biodiversity. They can create a biodiversity garden full of native Quebec plants; a bird garden, offering our feathered friends a space where they can feed and shelter; or a butterfly oasis, a haven that's sure to attract brilliantly coloured butterflies and moths. For all kinds of ideas to help you turn your balcony or yard into a welcoming green space, visit the My Space for Life Garden booth at the Great Gardening Weekend.
The Henry Teuscher Award, rewarding trailblazers
On Friday, May 23, the Henry Teuscher Award will be presented to an individual who has distinguished him or herself in recent years with an exceptional contribution to the advancement of horticultural knowledge in Quebec. The award winner will be on hand, so you might even get to meet him or her during the Great Gardening Weekend.
The Great Gardening Weekend in figures
- Approximately 15,000 visitors over 3 days
- Some 12,000 plants produced by the Botanical Garden's horticulturists for sale
- About 90 exhibitors to introduce you to new plants and share their knowledge
Tickets/Times: montrealspaceforlife.ca
List of exhibitors: http://espacepourlavie.ca/en/exhibitors-2014-great-gardening-weekend
My Space for Life Garden program: http://espacepourlavie.ca/en/my-garden
| PLEASE NOTE |
The Great Gardening Weekend is presented in co-operation with the Friends of the Montréal Botanical Garden.
We also wish to thank Fleurs, Plantes et Jardins for their collaboration.
The My Space for Life Garden program was made possible thanks to financial support from the Verdir campaign, an initiative of the Conférence régionale des élus (CRÉ) de Montréal.
Montréal Space for Life is made up of four attractions on the same site: the Botanical Garden, Biodôme, Insectarium and Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. These four prestigious Montréal municipal institutions form Canada's largest natural science museum complex. Together, they are launching a daring, creative urban movement, urging everyone to rethink the connection between humankind and nature and cultivate a new way of living.
SOURCE: Ville de Montréal - Jardin botanique de Montréal
Karine Jalbert, Communications Co-ordinator, Telephone: (514) 872-1453, E-mail: [email protected]; Karine Vendette, Communication Assistant, Telephone: (514) 872-2227, E-mail: [email protected]
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