I was lucky to attend a preview of The Singhampton Project—an intriguing food, art and garden extravaganza planned for August at Michael Stadtländer’s Eigensinn Farm outside of Toronto. (Eigensinn in German means ”single-mindedness” or ”obstinacy’) The farm is a completely surprising mix of the rustic, slightly odd, enchanting and practical. The rustic is a collection of seating and dining areas dotted throughout the property made entirely of reclaimed wood and pallets, the slightly odd is a massive barbeque sprouting antlers, and a grassy laneway festooned with long borders of countless wine bottles on either side. That’s a lot of wine. The enchanting is the mix of reclaimed pottery and rusted farm implements making up the sculptures, and outdoor cooking devices.  The practical is the tossed oyster shells on the roof of the dubbed Oyster Temple of Love, fat tree trunk stools in a wooded glen, a completely functioning kitchen with a wood fire in the middle of a forest, and simple boards and shells as serving dishes.

Uber creative Chef Michael Stadtländer has paired up with extraordinary Landscape Artist Jean Paul Ganem on The Singhampton Project, a “Gastronomic Installation” running this summer from August 10th-26th. Seven gardens will be created and diners will be guided through, course by course. The seven gardens will be living sculptures, that inspire each individual alfresco dining adventure. Diners will enjoy special dishes created from vegetables grown on site at each garden. You can’t get more local than that.

Planned Gardens include the Baroque Fish Plate Garden, the Tipi Garden (with real tee-pee) Cow and Sheep Circles, and the Maple Syrup Garden, a sunken, circular glade where I can easily imagine fairies and gnomes hanging about.

It will take all summer, and a cast of many to prepare the land and the food for this magical event, presented by Earth Day Canada, and tickets are $275 per person.

Tulips at Canada Blooms waiting for their closeup at the big event.

March is a bridge between winter and spring: not quite time for gardening in earnest, but a window opening into the pleasures of the coming season. There’s no better place to open that window than at Canada Blooms, Canada’s Flower and Garden Show. Five reasons to catch it this year:

1. A new flexible time frame. The show has been extended to 10 days. That means you have two weekends to fit it into your schedule. Concurrent with Canada Blooms for the first time is the Home Show, at the same venue. One admission price gets you into both shows.

It takes a big, big village to build the Canada Blooms show, using lots of creativity and hard work.

2. It’s a sensory treat, for the eyes, and, especially for your nose. I’m hankering for that enveloping scent of hyacinths and greenery—the wonderful aromatherapy of a spring garden show. The feature gardens aren’t the only inspiration. Funky, little design ideas in the smaller exhibits, the Garden Hall horticultural competitions and the local and international floral design are a rich part of the show.

3. It’s a learning experience. The speaker series is one of the best things about attending. Among the many this year are local garden writer Marjorie Harris, TV’s Frank Ferragine, CBC’s garden guru Ed Lawrence, Toronto Botanical Garden’s Paul Zammit, and many local garden writers and experts. There are also hands-on workshops and demonstrations. Volunteer Master Gardeners will personally help you out with any garden problem you’ve been wrestling with. Bring pictures! Sundays have a Jeopardy! flavour, with garden trivia tournament showcasing both celebrity and Master Gardener competitors.

4. Your attendance supports horticulture and green projects in the community. The show is a non-profit venture that runs on the dedication and labour of massive numbers of volunteers. Proceeds from Canada Blooms are used to fund community projects, such as a new Woodland Walk at the Toronto Botanical Garden, and a new public park dedicated to local community activist June Callwood.

5. The marketplace! Exhibitors and vendors range from ponds, hammocks, green systems, urban farming, greenhouses, seeds, birding, tree specialists, clothing and garden art. Find a rare peony or an orchid. Non profit organizations are represented by the Rose, African Violet and Rhododendron, and Native Plant societies, local Master Gardeners and conservationists Seeds of Diversity. Get info on reptiles and amphibians in the garden, courtesy of the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Canada Blooms takes place in Toronto at the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place, from March 16-March 25.

Adult $20
Senior (65+) $17
Student (13–18) $16
Children 12 years and under FREE
Group Rate (20+) $14
Two Day Ticket $29 (good for any 2 days of the festival)
Early Morning Tours $40

This graceful bi-coloured Lily-flowered tulip is variety “Synaeda King”.

If you are feeling as February-bedraggled as I am, these spring indicators may perk you up a bit: they tell us it won’t be much longer before we re-enter the world of Sweater Weather. 14C anyone? Even that sounds like luxury!

1. We are MORE than half way through February. It’s given us the worst this year, wind-chills and deep freezes followed by thaws, creating a icy, rippled-snow moonscape for us to pick our way through. All in all, a precarious mess. (Consider investing in a pair of traction enhancers like YakTrax for safety if you do a lot of walking about.) A good part of the worst is behind us, never to be repeated this year. Unless March is just as bad. Forget I said that!

2. Seedy Saturdays have started happening! These events are gatherings of seed suppliers, growers and purveyors of cool gardeny stuff and excellent information. Rubbing elbows with fellow cabin-fevered gardeners and talking about growing is a welcome treat. I picked up a simple seed-sprouter last year, made from a canning jar.  Toronto Tasting Notes writes:

Seedy Saturday is a national series of events that were originally dreamed up by people working with Seeds of Diversity, the organization that protects heritage seeds to conserve plant diversity. … There’ll be kids’ activities, talks and food, and a great wealth of people who can give you advice on topics ranging from heirloom tomatoes to windowsill herb growing.

This Saturday there is one in Kitchener, if you feel like a drive out of town: Kitchener Public Library, Country Hills Branch. Saturday February 19, 2011  10–3:30. By the way, sometimes Seedy Saturdays take place on a Sunday. Go figure.

Next one in Toronto is Saturday, Feb. 26th in Mississauga. Upcoming events are in Scarborough, Peterborough, Hamilton, Guelph, and other southern Ontario locations. See list here.

3. Canada Blooms is coming up in March. The annual Toronto gardening extravaganza—6 acres of indoor gardens—gets you in the springy mood. I go every year, if only to inhale the scent of growing things, especially hyacinths. March 15–20, 2011 at the Direct Energy Centre Hint: Go early or at supper time to avoid the biggest crowds.