Find Spring Flowers at the beautiful garden shows in Ontario or your own province. (Handout/Stratford Garden Festival)

Gorgeous gardens of the world

Garden shows are springing up all over offering sights, sounds and smells to brighten these lingering days of winter.

Flower power reigns at Canada Blooms, attracting 100,000 people to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the Orchid Show and Ontario Garden Show at Burlington's Royal Botanical Gardens, and the Stratford Garden Festival.

FLOWER POWER REDEFINED

Things will be real groovy, man at Canada Blooms as it "redefines flower power" days of the 1960s from March 12 to 16.

"There will be 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," said general manager Gerry Ginsberg.

The centre is transformed into a huge flower and garden area along with some 250 floral and landscape products and services.

New are "theme days" -- garden travel day on March 12 followed by plant, design, ecology and City of Toronto days.

Communities in Bloom winners will be showcased from Petrolia, Carleton Place, Pickering, Gravenhurst and Dryden, along with international winner Westport, a picturesque heritage town in Ireland.

Look for wild bird habitats in a spectacular setting, a backyard oasis with the latest ecological options for gardening and outdoor living, and information about the 50 varieties of cut flowers and 150 types of potted plants produced in Ontario.

As it happens during the March break, there will be a children's program with a green playground including a willow forest and a sky-high tree house.

Children can experiment with outdoor instruments and talking tubes, create sand sculptures, plant seeds, decorate garden pots, care for plants and follow worms as they make soil.

ORCHIDS ARE SURE TO CHARM

Escape to the paradise of the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) in Burlington for a taste of spring.

The Orchid Society holds its Orchids Exotica show and sale March 8 and 9.

The society has a collection of about 1,200 species and hybrid orchids in the greenhouses.

"You don't need a green thumb to be charmed by the thousands of orchid blooms with a breathtaking diversity of colour and shape," the society says.

Also at the RBG are ideas, inspiration, experts and advice at the Ontario Garden Show, April 17-20.

There will be "eye-catching exhibits, feature gardens, educational seminars by leading experts and a breath-taking array of floral arrangements."

The Gardener's Marketplace will feature some 100 displays while the EcoZone has ecologically friendly gardening products, services and information.

Local floral designers will show their best displays in competition and horticultural specialists, authors and gardening personalities will be featured on the Garden Stage.

Children can enjoy crafts and activities at Little Green Thumbs Workshop.

IF YOU GO

CANADA BLOOMS: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, hours are March 12-15, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and March 16, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tickets: $18 ($16 in advance at Sobeys stores or on-line by March 7); free, children to 12; $8 savings after 5 p.m. www.canadablooms.com; 1-800-730-1020.

ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS' ORCHID SHOW AND SALE: 680 Plains Rd. W., Burlington, hours are March 8, noon to 5 p.m.; March 9, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets: $7; free, children to 12 ($1 off coupon on the web). www.osrbg.ca/orchid_show

ONTARIO GARDEN SHOW AT THE RBG: Hours are April 17, 18, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m..; April 19, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and April 20, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tickets: $8; $4 for seniors on April 17, 18; free, children to 12. www.ontariogardenshow.com; 905-634-8003, ext. 341.