THE VERTICAL GARDEN

PAGE INDEX

• Project INTRODUCTION
  • Project SPONSORS and CONTRIBUTORS
• ABOUT the Project
• PROJECT and PICTURE JOURNAL
• PRESS COVERAGE

Link to Project PRODUCT (LIVING WALL GARDENS®) information and PRICING

PROJECT INTRODUCTION The 75th Royal Agricultural Winter Fair featured The Winter Garden Show

The 1997 theme was Growing Back to the Future

The Vertical Garden - SPONSORS AND CONTRIBUTORS

Friends of the Winter Garden Show
• The Appel Foundation
• Peter & Melanie Munk
• The Rotman Foundation

• AESTHETICS+DESIGN landscape architects
• The Town of Oakville
• Canaglobe Ltd. (1-800-668-3803)
• Ontario Seed Company
• Jane Brooks
• Mr. and Mrs. M.G. de Bruyn
• Greg Takata and Mike McDonald

• Marius F.M. de Bruyn OALA
• Serge N. Chukseev OALA

PROJECT AND PICTURE JOURNAL

PROJECT JOURNAL

Fair minus 16 weeks

• Winter Garden Show Chair takes up initial contact with AESTHETICS+DESIGN about an envisioned Vertical Garden project.
• Project feasibility commences.

Fair minus 15 weeks

• AESTHETICS+DESIGN takes up initial contact with Town of Oakville to explore possible use of Municipal Greenhouses for the project - to grow the annual plants.
• Irrigation consultant Canaglobe is contacted; they will support project fully.

Fair minus 14 weeks

Fair minus 13 weeks

Fair minus 10 weeks

• AESTHETICS+DESIGN makes proposal to Town of Oakville for use of Municipal Greenhouses for the project.
• Search for annual plants commences (where to find annuals in trays at the end of August in Ontario?)

Fair minus 9 weeks

• Town of Oakville gives verbal approval to proposal made by AESTHETICS+DESIGN about use of Municipal Greenhouses.
• After several days of research (started on the Internet) AESTHETICS+DESIGN finds a Florida grower; obstacle - need to find a plant broker, because the grower will not sell direct. Find a local broker, however they don’t/cannot do business with the Florida grower found. Other Canadian brokers and the local broker cannot find the annuals required for the project. The local broker calls back later in the week saying they may be able to help.
• Project design process commences with co-designer Serge Chukseev, OALA.

Fair minus 8 weeks

• AESTHETICS+DESIGN visits local plant broker. Initial plant order made; annual 144- and 288-plug trays (144 or 288 plants per tray respectively) to arrive the following week from Georgia.
• No vegetable plant plugs available for the small quantities required; AESTHETICS+DESIGN contacts Ontario Seed Company; a donation of bush bean and lettuce seeds are promised. (Lettuce and beans because of their quick growth habit, since time is running out.)
• Vertical Garden layout and planting design finalized. Structural design of wall solved - use tubular scaffolding.
• Later in week, second plant order placed.
• The modular containers to be utilized for the project are picked up from the US by AESTHETICS+DESIGN with the use of the Canaglobe cube van.

Fair minus 7 weeks

• The modular containers are set up in the Municipal Greenhouses and the irrigation system hooked up by Canaglobe.
• The plant broker informs AESTHETICS+DESIGN that plants are not coming (something about hunting season in Georgia! - or was it a case of a misplaced order by the broker? - Project in jeopardy?) The plant broker however found a different supplier in Florida. Plants to be delayed by a week!
• Vegetable seeds arrive from Ontario Seed Company.

Fair minus 6 weeks

• Plants arrive from Florida (guess what: annuals are from the Florida grower originally identified by AESTHETICS+DESIGN. Local broker dealt via an other US broker to purchase plants!)
  Problem:
  • plants delivered not as ordered:
  • too few Impatiens
  • too many Pansies and Dianthus
  • colours are all wrong too
  Solution:
  • no time to reject order since only 6 weeks to Fair time
  • redesign planting layout
• Bush beans and first set of lettuce are seeded into plug trays.

Fair minus 5.5 weeks

• Planting of annuals commences after finalizing plant redesign.
• Problem with fertilizing plants: insufficient nutrients getting to the plants - fertilizer siphons seem to be malfunctioning.
• All beans and lettuce seeds have germinated.

Fair minus 4.5 weeks

Fair minus 4 weeks

• Bush bean plugs are transplanted.
• Some lettuce plugs are planted to test them out since the plans seem very week (possibly because they have grown too fast).
• One of the smaller containers is planted with Dianthus to test the plant.
• Fertilizer problem solved - needed to double up number of fertilizer siphons installed and alter siphon location.

Fair minus 3.5 weeks

• Annual planting for large containers completed.
• First Impatiens flowering!
• Investigating possibility of bringing the Vertical garden exhibit back to Oakville (a shame to waist the plants after the Fair).

Fair minus 3 weeks

• Planting of lettuce plugs completed, except for a few spots.
• Planting of all small containers completed.

Fair minus 2.5 weeks

• Impatiens start to cover containers.
• First Pansies flowering!
• The bean plants are getting too heavy and snap, but continue to grow.
• Lettuce planted a few days ago is looking well.

Fair minus 2 weeks

Fair minus 1.5 weeks

• First bean pod found! A second found the following day.
• Dianthus have produced buds, flowers should be on at the fair.
• Many more Pansies are starting to flower.
• Small containers are doing well after one and a half weeks.
• Impatiens are covering well.

Fair minus 1 week

• Move of containers being organized. Initial help not available for moving day. New help to be found.
• Met with Town Officials at Oakville’s Town Hall foyer to investigate feasibility of setting up The Vertical Garden display within the foyer - bring the exhibit back to Oakville. Potential sponsors to be contacted.

Fair minus 4 days

Fair minus 3 days

• The last 16 containers successfully moved to the Heritage Court at the National Trade Centre.
• Arrangement of wall commences.

Fair minus 2 days

• Wall installation completed, only a few plants were damaged during the move and installation!
• Irrigation line installation commences.

Fair minus 1 days

• Final touches on exhibit setup.
• Main irrigation lines are in; hookup from individual container to main lines to be completed on opening day!
• 6:30pm: The Winter Garden Show Grand Celebration Evening: for the first time the public can see the exhibit. Reviews are good.

Known press coverage specific to THE VERTICAL GARDEN

• The Oakville Beaver

  • Wednesday November 5, 1997
    FRONT PAGE COVER STORY
  
  
  

• Toronto Star

  • Sunday November 2, 1997
    Kate Harries' column: PEOPLE section; page E7