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Ontario OFG Hosts 17th Annual
Intercollegiate Design Competition
Ontario Flower Growers Co-operative LTD, (OFG) hosted
its 17th Annual Intercollegiate Design Competition at “The Clock” in
Mississauga. Approximately 75 students and their teachers travelled
from Ottawa, Hamilton, Kitchener and Toronto to try their hand at
competitive designing or cheer on their classmates.
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People’s Choice Bridal Bouquet:
Emma Jin, Seneca College
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The four participating schools were Seneca College under the tutelage of program coordinator Marianne Suess (AIFD, CAFA) and instructor Patricia Patrick (AIFD, CAFA); Conestoga College with instructor Dorina Idvorian; Algonquin College with Lyn Whyte (AIFD, CAFA, CAFD) and Malcolm Plaunt (AIFD, CAFA); and Mohawk College with Bonnie Pataran. Working with a theme of “The Royal Wedding,” the students were given two hours to complete a bridal bouquet and one other themed arrangement. The works were judged on 10 aspects and elements of design, by a panel of three judges from within the floral industry. People’s choice awards were judged by participants, fellow students, instructors and guests.
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People’s Choice Theme:
Maria Falsetto, Algonquin College
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All registered attendees were winners thanks to OFG, which generously donated admission passes to Canada Blooms, and paid for each student to take the online Chrysal Academy care and handling course. According to Sheri Knowles, OFG sales and marketing manager, this investment in better vase life will pay off when these future florists sell the consumer a longer lasting bloom.
Sheri Knowles, OFG sales and marketing manager, congratulates winners at Intercollegiate Design Competition
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2nd Theme Arrangement:
Iwona Centurami, Mohawk College |
3rd Bridal Bouquet:
Claudia Barra, Algonquin College
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3rd Theme Arrangement:
Thip Thadara, Conestoga College |
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1st Bridal Bouquet:
Annisa Nashkewa, Conestoga College
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1st Theme Arrangement:
Ruth Harrison, Seneca College
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2nd Bridal Bouquet:
Johanna Monckton, Conestoga College
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Manitoba
Rural Florist Receives Manitoba Volunteer of the Year Award
Brent Hunter, a lifelong florist in Neepawa in western Manitoba, is Travel Manitoba’s Volunteer of the Year. Hunter received his award at Travel Manitoba’s Tourism Awards evening held in February.
The honouree was recognized for his contributions to Neepawa’s annual Lily Festival. Fellow board members nominated him but the modest Hunter says that he is just one of a couple hundred volunteers responsible for making the festival such a success.
Hunter, 59, has been a florist all of his working life. His grandmothers, who were both avid gardeners, served as inspiration. Hunter started working in the industry when he was 16 and still attending school. He has lived all of his life in Neepawa (located about 300 km west of Winnipeg in the Riding Mountain area), except for a couple of years working for a florist in Brandon (about 100 km south of Neepawa). Hunter opened his own place, Beyond the Garden Gate, nine years ago. Beyond the Garden Gate carries green plants, garden plants, cut flowers, balloons, cards and giftware, and some bulk foods. Neepawa bills itself as the “Lily Capital of the World,” claiming to be home to over 2,000 varieties. Hunter was one of the founders of the annual festival, which launched in 1996. Over the years, he has spent countless hours designing, planting and tending more than 50 lily beds each year. This year, he is chairing the organizing committee. “Our Festival brings thousands of people into Neepawa,” says Hunter, who adds that there are activities for all ages as part of the festival, including a car show, bus tours and live entertainment. “The only problem we have is that the volunteers are getting older every year,” Hunter says. “We would like to have younger people involved. But we will keep going as long as we can.” This year’s festival is July 20-22. It is held on the third weekend in July.
– submitted by Myron Love
Ontario
Ridley Flowers Adds Fair Trade Teas
Officially changing their name and signage to “Ambassador’s Ridley Flowers and The Tea Company,” Peter Lutz and his mother, Betty have reduced their gift inventory slightly to make room for a couple of bistro tables and a gourmet line of “Fair Trade & Ethical Tea Partnership Teas.” Betty plans to encourage conversations among customers about the health benefits of tea and the accompanying ginger, honey, and lemon she serves. Fair trade was important to Betty, who has had a few customers start asking about it, including one gentleman who refuses to frequent Tim Hortons. All of Ridley’s staff will be trained in tasting and blending loose-leaf teas, as part of their ongoing efforts to be better than big box stores by offering personalized service.
Quebec
Florists in the News
The “Arts & Life” section of The Gazette featured a two-page layout of Valentine’s Day ideas. The floral arrangements provided for the article were done by Blume on St. Laurent Boulevard.
Botanical Gardens
Montreal’s 7th annual “Seedy Sunday” sale was held on February 11 at the Montreal Botanical Gardens. The event was sponsored by Action Communiterre, which assists community gardens with flower and plant seeds. Seeds of Diversity Canada, which fosters the use of heirloom and rare seeds of flowers and plants, was also present.
The 10th edition of “Butterflies Go Free” was held February 23 to 29 in the Jardin Botanique de Montréal’s Exhibition Greenhouse. Flowers abounded, as some 15,000 butterflies were set free.
Cultivation by Satellite
According to Charles Savoie, specialist in geometrics and satellite detection for MAPAQ, GPS technology has now been perfected. Attaching a GPS unit to field machinery gives readouts permitting better management of seeding, fertilizers, herbicides and water management. Comparing fields year after year, from seeding to harvesting, has resulted in better economic and environmental fallout. Even the topography of the land can be measured, so that better growth can be achieved, by simply levelling the land, or by draining the water retaining areas, one can rectify the loss of water from the field. This can give a definite edge when selecting which crop is best suited for the layout of the fields. With technology in this area moving at a rapid pace, these applications will no doubt make for better results in our short season of climate growth.
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