A few pictures of flowers from Allan Gardens Conservatory today. We all want spring. The warmth of spring…. and the colours of spring like the shades of blue and purple in the hyancinths above.
A few florals to warm your soul. Soon it will be spring and we can put away our winter layers.
I was meeting a friend at Queen and Church for walkies and coffee last Monday. I was there a few minutes early so of course I took a few pictures while I was waiting. I had come across King Street because the streetcars tend to be faster on King these days. Plus, it was a nice day for a walk.
below: Looking north up Church Street from Richmond.
below: Metropolitan United Church is on the NW corner of Queen and Church. Even if you aren’t religious, there is something inspiring about the architecture. In this case, the setting adds to the grace and beauty of the building. Usually there are people around but it was surprisingly quiet that day (too cold outside?)
below: Take a few more steps towards Metropolitan United and then turn around. This is the view that awaits you. The intersection of Queen and Church from a different angle.
below: As I walked back to the intersection, this man walked in front of the streetcar. I think that he called himself either Cowboy Bob or Cowboy Bill.
below: Church #2. Jarvis Street Baptist Church.
below: Yes, there are a lot of churches in this section of downtown. This is the third (and last for today’s blog) but there are many more. Grace Church through the trees.
below: A stop at Allan Gardens conservatory for warm and a washroom. If this picture is looking a little fuzzy around the edges, my camera lens kept steaming up faster than I could wipe it off.
below: Every Christmas, the conservatory at Allan Gardens is decorated with many amaryllis plants. The other day, many were looking a little worse for wear. These buds were a few of the exceptions. At some point (soon?), the Christmas plants will be switched out for spring plants.
below: Barrel cacti in differing sizes in the Allan Gardens conservatory.
below: And just around the corner from Allan Gardens there is this painted cactus (or is it a succulent?) standing in the cold.
below: This part of Church Street is now in McGill Granby Village. There is even a lovebot on the pole.
below: “Enough is enough”, a large Church Street mural.
below: On Church Street, another redevelopment victim.
below: And just up the street, another.
below: Trucks, construction, and condos. Ho hum. Been there, done that.
below: One set of construction hoardings has been decorated with kids’ paintings. Bright and cheerful.
below: Through the layers
below: Icicles!
below: Trudeau senior looks down on the world.
below: The guys over the entrance to the Chang School at Ryerson are wearing little puffy white hats.
below: As we walked past Yonge Dundas Square, I stopped, took another look, and then said: “Isn’t that a new sign?”. My walking partner replied that she wasn’t sure. Neither was I.
I happened to walk past Yonge Dundas Square again yesterday, and yes, there is a new sign. A big one.
below: “It’s OK to be scared, just take a deep breath” as the fourth panel of the new sign is installed.
below: Working on the new sign. That billboard on the left, 98.1 CHFI is all Christmas music? Still? In February?
C’est too for now friends!
The Christmas flower show at Allan Gardens conservatory is back,
which means lots of poinsettias… over 30 varieties in fact.
A rare purple glitter ball tree is also in bloom.
below: He has a carrot nose and a corn cob pipe,
but he doesn’t look very frosty. Maybe it’s the red vest that’s keeping the chill away.
below: With its silver beak and its twiggy tail, this little fluffy bird perches on a palm tree.
below: Christmas greenery – ever green baubles hang from a vine.
below: All bundled up for a toboggan ride down a mountain of poinsettias.
below: Flowering Christmas cacti hang from the roof.
In addition to the Christmas plants like poinsettias
and amaryllis,
some of the conservatory’s usual cast of floral characters are on display, such as orchids
and hibiscus plants.
Yesterday Toronto got a brief respite from the frigid temperatures that we’ve been experiencing. Instead, more snow fell. I think that most of us are getting tired of this thing called winter, including me. So, here are a few photos from inside the conservatory at Allan Gardens to brighten your day.
I ventured out to Etobicoke because I heard that Centennial Park had a conservatory and I was curious about what was there. Taking photos of flowers and plants is not my forte but it was an interesting place to experiment with colour, texture and composition. I do not know the names of most of the plants that I saw there, and very few were labelled. There were geraniums, anthuriums (red & white), bougainvillea, bamboo, lots of different cacti and succulents, to name a few. The photos below represent only a sample of what was growing there today.
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as I walk Toronto 