.  – This year Canada Blooms redefines ‘Flower Power’ with a celebration of gardens, displays and special guests that encompass the idealism and optimism of the ‘60s, the inspirational power of gardens and flowers, and the eco-savvy future of horticulture in Canada.  From March 12 to 16, Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre will be transformed into Canada’s largest flower and garden festival, showcasing outstanding floral and landscape products and services.

“After a long Canadian winter, the Canada Blooms Festival is one of the first signs of spring,” says Gerry Ginsberg, General Manager, Canada Blooms. “Garden-lovers from Canada and the U.S. Border States come to Toronto to immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and smells of spring and find out more about the latest in horticultural design, products, flowers and plants at Canada Blooms.”

For the first time this year, Canada Blooms will feature theme days throughout the five-day event, including:  Garden Travel Day (Mar 12), Plant Day (Mar 13) Design Day (Mar 14), Ecology Day (Mar 15) and City of Toronto Day (Mar 16). In conjunction with each day’s theme, Gardening Life will host an educational series led by Canada’s foremost gardening and horticultural experts.

And, because this year Canada Blooms is taking place during March Break, the Toronto Botanical Garden will run a special children’s program called “Can You Dig It? for kids!”  Open daily from 10 am to 5 pm, the children’s area will engage kids in the wonders of nature as they learn to paint garden pots, plant seeds, follow the worms as they make soil, dig in the sand pits and tend special gardens.  Parents can also read a story about nature in the book nook and take advantage of the private nursing room and stroller parking area.

Other highlights of the 2008 Canada Blooms Festival include:

o       Explore a range of uniquely designed bird habitat shelters in a spectacular setting at Scotts’ Wild Bird Habitat. The bird feeders will be designed and built by students and faculty from the Department of Architectural Science and the Landscape Design Program of the Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University in collaboration with youth from the Yonge Street Mission. Canada Blooms visitors will be the first to see these exciting bird habitat feeders before they move to a permanent installation at the Scotts Wild Bird Trail in Riverwood Nature Park in Mississauga.

o       Whether you’re all thumbs or have a green thumb, Home Depot Outdoor Living Central will help you make the most out of gardening season and outdoor living. With more than 3000 square foot of decking and gardens, The Home Depot area features experts and displays covering topics such as urban gardening, container gardening, ECO options, low water usage, Terracycle, vertical planting and more. Festival-goers can also check out Home Depot’s new solar-powered lawn mower.

o       New for 2008, visit the showcase for Communities in Bloom Presented by Tourism Ireland and experience the beauty of Ontario’s award-winning municipalities:  Town of Petrolia, Town of Carleton Place, City of Pickering, Town of Gravenhurst and City of Dryden.  With the help of Communities in Bloom, municipalities such as these are reaping the tourism, social and economic benefits of fostering civic pride, environmental awareness and municipal beautification.

o       Increasingly people want to support their local economy by purchasing products grown in Ontario.  Yet research shows that one in five don’t know the origin of the flowers and potted plants they buy.  Visit Canada Bloom’s Pick Ontario area to find out more about the over 50 varieties of cut flowers and 150 varieties of potted plants produced in Ontario.

Tickets for Canada Blooms are $18.00 and can be purchased in advance for a reduced rate of $16.00 at any Sobey’s Store in Ontario, or online at www.canadablooms.com.  Tickets will also be available for purchase daily during the festival at the Canada Blooms ticket booth located on the 600 level of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building.  And, new this year, guests save $8 when they visit Canada Blooms after 5 pm courtesy of Royal Bank of Canada.

About Canada Blooms

Now in its twelfth year, Canada Blooms Festival was originally founded by Landscape Ontario and The Garden Club of Toronto to bring together the very best of the garden industry and community.  Each year it is supported by a committed group of partners, sponsors and volunteers.  In 2008, Festival sponsors include The Home Depot, Royal Bank of Canada, Miracle-Gro, Sobeys Ontario, Unilock Ltd., Heart & Stroke Foundation, Lombard Insurance/Sinclair-Cockburn, Nestle Canada, Vincor, CN Tower, Gardening Life, National Post, Global TV, Arbor Memorial Services, Brookdale Tree Nurseries, Tourism Ireland, 5^th Business, Artificial Grass and Landscaping, Scotts Canada and EZ Rock.

Canada Blooms is a not-for-profit organization that gives back to the community throughout the year by funding community garden projects around Ontario.  2008 proceeds will support the new Woodland Walk Entrance Garden presented at the Toronto Botanical Garden. Canada Blooms is also dedicated to providing the community with horticulture expertise, education and resources on an ongoing basis.