Crossing the border

When I heard the Perennial Plant Association’s National Symposium was going to be in Niagara Falls in 2023, I was pretty excited. I hadn’t been to Canada since I was a kid. I had some of those fuzzy memories of riding the Maid of the Mist with my parents. I wondered if the falls would hold up to my recollections. So I made sure my passport status was OK and headed north of the border.

The PPA team did a super job hosting the event. The conference sessions were insightful, and I had some great conversations on the show floor with exhibitors. But the tours were the best part. See some of the highlights on pg. 10.

Not every cool stop on the tour(s) made it into the story. I enjoyed strolling around Blue Sky Nursery and learning about their irrigation program and seeing their potting crew in action. Landscape Ontario was an interesting stop with a fascinating history. The Ontario Nurserymen’s Association, founded in 1958, changed its name in 1964 to the Ontario Nursery Trades Association and then folded into Landscape Ontario in 1973. Today, it is the province’s premiere horticultural trades association, with 3,000 members.

In addition to its purpose of bringing more people into the horticultural trades, Landscape Ontario maintains an impressive trial garden. Rodger Tschanz from the University of Guelph and his team manages the gardens year-round. Rodger shared his knowledge during the tour, answering questions from attendees. The trials also allow Landscape Ontario to do research projects to support the green industry, like a recent study that aims to determine which flowering plants are most attractive to pollinators: those with native or exotic origins.

Another highlight of the trip was the visit to the Royal Botanical Gardens, the largest in Canada and home to more than 2,400 acres of gardens and nature that spans Hamilton and Burlington, Ontario.

From the natural beauty of the Woodland Garden trail to the meticulously-manicured rose garden, RBG was a great place to unwind after a day of inspiration. I’ll be sure to save the date for the 2024 National Symposium, July 29 to Aug. 1 in Asheville, N.C.

And yes, Niagara Falls still lives up to the hype. Touristy, sure, but justifiably so. It’s a natural wonder that can leave you breathless.