Concrete gardens and more at the garden show

Sadly, I did not get a shot of the armchairs made out of stone pavers, but you can likely imagine them. And I did not have the patience to document the dozen or so outdoor fireplaces.

But all was not lost at the local garden show, Plantasia. The cliché that these shows are meant to give gardeners ideas is not entirely specious. I saw some things that I loved but can never have, like a gorgeous stone outdoor sink. While I find outdoor kitchens and monstrous grills ridiculous, I can totally see the point of a sturdy and attractive outdoor sink. I’ve felt the want of one many times.

And I found some things that I loved and can or should have. There was a beautiful hand-crafted fountain made of bronze or steel leaves that was unfortunately already sold. And the guy only makes them in the winter, so I’ll need to wait a year for mine, unless I change my mind, or the guy who put a hold on it changes his.

I haven’t mentioned plants as they are not usually much in evidence at these. It’s not a good time for plants—whatever they have has to be forced, so you’ll generally see bulbs and hardy shrubs. Recently I have been seeing more early spring perennials. (Canada Blooms had a gorgeous stand of hellebores.)

Some of the vendors do sell some bulbs, houseplants, and cut flowers, though, and I couldn’t resist a colocasia bulb almost as big as a bowling ball, a bag of glads, and some dahlias. So much for the garden show is over, but at least I bought plants.