April 30, 2019
Ottawa Chapter helps draw record crowds
Living Landscapes, a collection of seven feature gardens built by members of Landscape Ontario, returned to the EY Centre as part of the Ottawa Home and Garden Show, held March 21-24, 2019.

Presented by the Ottawa Chapter of Landscape Ontario, the fifth edition of Living Landscapes brought a fresh taste of spring to visitors at the show.

The gardens each had their own unique theme, and varied in size from 400 to 3,500 square feet. Builders were given five days prior to show opening to complete their creations. Whether it was a garden for children, an oasis of relaxation, a nighttime retreat with a water feature, or an urban backyard with several views, the creativity expressed was well-appreciated by the 33,000 visitors — a new record for show attendance.

The Landscape Ontario information booth, built and planted by the students from the horticultural trades program at Algonquin College, included information about local partnerships between the Ottawa chapter and the community, plus free copies of Garden Inspiration magazine, and an updated brochure listing Ottawa chapter members.

Opening day included a visit by 50 grade one students from Alta Vista Public School. The students walked through the gardens and also visited a number of interactive features within the show, including the Home Depot Test a Tool area, Kid’s Work Shop areas, and Vegepod Raised Vegetable Garden demonstration. The students also got to vote for their favourite garden. Congratulations to Life Long Landscaping, winner of the Kid`s Choice for Best Garden Build, for The Bee’s Dream Palace garden.

The March Ottawa chapter meeting had over 60 attendees, and was once again held in the gardens of Living Landscapes. After the meeting, attendees were given a tour of the gardens and cast their votes for a professionals’ choice award. Congratulations to Wild Ridge Landscapes, winner of Landscape Ontario Choice for Best Garden Build, for their garden, The Outside-Inner Court.

An exciting, new project was also added to the itinerary to coincide with the activities of the week. At the Ottawa Chapter meeting, the winning design was announced for the Ottawa Design Build Challenge. Congratulations to JayCee Ewald, winner of the the first ever Ottawa Design Build Challenge.

A final garden award is chosen by visitors to the show. Congratulations to: Cityscape, Living Green Landscaping, and Roger Willis Contracting, winners of the Living Landscapes – People’s Choice Award for Best Garden Build, for their combined effort titled, In the Night Garden.

Congratulations to all feature garden builders for helping to make the 2019 Living Landscapes a huge success.

The Ottawa Chapter would like recognize the efforts of the Living Landscapes committee: Marc Carriere, Lindsey Ross and Mary Stewart; as well as students from the Algonquin College Horticultural Program, and the Algonquin College Apprenticeship Program, who, under the guidance of program coordinator, Steve Neumann, provided support for both the build and tear down of the gardens. Thank you to the volunteers who spent time in the Ottawa chapter information booth to share information about Landscape Ontario: Steve Neumann, Randi Lee Bell, Tyler Owen, Marc Carriere, Richard Rogers, Guy and Elaine Gariepy, and Denis Flanagan, Landscape Ontario Manager of Membership Services from home office in Milton, Ont.

Thanks also to the support of the following event sponsors, who are members of Landscape Ontario: Gro-Bark (Ontario), Banas Stone, Permacon an Oldcastle company, Central Precast, CityScape, Cohen and Cohen Natural Stone, Lanark Cedar, Johnston Brothers Tree Farm, Techo-Bloc, Beyond the House, Sunbelt Rentals, Greely Sand & Gravel, In-Lite Design.

Planning is underway for the 2020 edition of Living Landscapes, which will take place March 26-29, 2020 at the EY Centre in Ottawa.
 

MEMBER-BUILT FEATURE GARDENS

  •  The 4 Elements, by Les Entreprises Maréchal
  •  Amelia’s Retreat, by Grow Green Landscaping and Construction
  •  The Bee’s Dream Palace, by Life Long Landscaping
  •  Expressions of an Artistic Garden, by Artistic Landscape Design
  •  The Urban Backyard, by Prime Interlock
  •  In the Night Garden, by Cityscape, Living Green Landscaping, and Roger Willis Contracting
  •  The Outside-Inner Court, by Wild Ridge Landscapes
feature garden at home show
VIEW ALL GARDENS