Spring 2019

Volume 26 Number 1

An autumn market bouquet includes zinnias, coneflowers, Queen Anne’s Lace, dusty miller and a pink sunflower, along with other delights. Photo by Rosemary Hasner / Black Dog Creative Arts.

Life at a Flower Farm

Mar 19, 2019 | Tralee Pearce

Meet the women behind the blooms at Petals Flower Co., Purple Hill Lavender Farm, Stonewell Farm, Broadside Flowers and Caledon Hills Peony Farm.

A charming bouquet showcases several luscious peony varieties. Photo by Tessa Angus.

The Peony Pro: Caledon Hills Peony Farm

Mar 19, 2019 | Tralee Pearce

Looking for a rare peony variety? Diana Hillman’s got you covered with rootstock from North America and the Netherlands.

Florist and flower farmer Amber Swidersky sells her blooms at the Shelburne Farmers’ Market. Photo by Rosemary Hasner / Black Dog Creative Arts.

The Florist Farmer: Petals Flower Co.

Mar 19, 2019 | Tralee Pearce

Melanthon’s Amber Swidersky creates lush bouquets with blooms just steps from her floral studio.

At their family farm near Creemore, Emma Greasley, left, and Jessica Ridding flank their father, Brian Greasley, between rows of lavender. Photo by Jessica Crandlemire, Light and Shadow Photography.

Sister Act: Purple Hill Lavender Farm

Mar 19, 2019 | Tralee Pearce

How Emma Greasley and Jessica Ridding transformed the Creemore farm where they grew up into a lavender dream.

An array of ‘Café au Lait’ dahlias. In summer, Amanda covers their buds with organza gift bags to ward off earwigs. Photo Courtesy Broadside Flowers.

The Green Thumb: Broadside Flowers

Mar 19, 2019 | Tralee Pearce

Terra Cotta landscape gardener Amanda White’s own garden is brimming with foxgloves and dahlias.

Lee Anne Downey sits at her kitchen counter with the lavender oil she pressed last summer at Stonewell Farm. She is developing ideas for a small-batch line of lavender products to debut this year. Photo by Rosemary Hasner / Black Dog Creative Arts.

The Doer: Stonewell Farm

Mar 19, 2019 | Tralee Pearce

At Lee Anne Downey’s new lavender farm in Erin, small-batch products and intimate retreats are in the works.

Postcard from Bee City

Mar 19, 2019 | Anthony Jenkins

What happens in Bee City stays in Bee City.

A six-spotted tiger beetle. Photo by Robert Noble.

Incredible Insects

Mar 19, 2019 | Don Scallen

The benefits of the bugs in our backyards.

Eduardo Lafforgue enjoys a java at The Common Good Café and General Store in Belfountain. He cites the store and the heritage building it occupies as the kind of business that could effectively target the tourist trade even as it maintains its cozy rural character. Photo by Pete Paterson.

The Next Chapter at Headwaters Tourism

Mar 19, 2019 | Liz Beatty

Industry veteran Eduardo Lafforgue steps into the executive director role at Headwaters Tourism armed with a bold vision for the future.

Poet on parade: Harry Posner. Photo by Pete Paterson.

Day of the Poets

Mar 19, 2019 | Anthony Jenkins

Orangeville’s festival promises to “saturate the air with poetry.”

This amber vase was specially cut by Robert Hughes, Jack’s twin brother, for his wife. Such one-of-a-kind pieces are highly valued by collectors. The glasses with the ruby-red bases, cut on blanks from a one-off shipment from Czechoslovakia, are likewise valued for their rarity. Photo by Pete Paterson.

Corn Flower Glass: New Life for a Canadian Icon

Mar 19, 2019 | Ken Weber

A stunning display of Corn Flower glass is turning heads in a brand new gallery at the Museum of Dufferin. Why this impressive collection has its home in Dufferin and how it got there is a remarkable story of creativity, commercial success and delightful coincidence.