Many successful business owners know the value of making as many business and personal connections as possible. Maintaining client and supplier relationships are also very important. On your behalf, Landscape Ontario also spends a lot of time strengthening relationships with many other groups, organizations and individuals. Below are just a few of the connections we continued in 2019.
 

Ontario Horticultural Association (OHA)

The OHA have over 28,000 members across the province. Each year, LO is involved in several projects with OHA and also attends their annual convention, held this past just in Windsor, Ont. The convention included a tour to several LO members at their place of business. One particular stop, at Orchard Farm Nursery, had a very special meaning. Owner, Karl Klinck hosted the group and was proud of the fact that his dad was, in fact, a past president of the OHA.

Each year at the convention, LO donates a tree. This year, a Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) was planted by the Windsor parks department in the beautiful Dieppe Park which runs along the banks of the Detroit River (see photo).

Over 300 people from across the province attended the convention this year and the 2020 event will be hosted by the District 10 group of horticultural societies in the London area.
 

Toronto Botanical Garden (TBG)

LO maintains a seat on the TBG board of directors to offer advice and to stay in touch with the exciting expansion project. The goal is to create a unique, 40-acre botanical garden in conjunction with the City of Toronto, that integrates with the local ravine system. The expansion plans will ultimately involve many of our Associate members (as suppliers), and our Active members when construction gets underway.

The LO Toronto Chapter often use the facilities at the TBG for meetings and recently, funds were donated specifically to support the children’s garden and educational programs for young people at the TBG, which align with LO’s strategic plan of encouraging youth to be actively involved with gardening/horticulture. The ultimate goal is to inspire them to choose the green profession as a career.
 

Environmental Landscaping Management (ELM) program at Seneca College

LO also maintains a seat on this advisory board to represent members. This gives us an opportunity to provide input on course content and to get involved in job fairs. We are also helping support an exciting new program the college would like to launch in 2020 — a four-month Pre-Apprenticeship training course directed primarily at women living in shelters and social housing, who are interested in exploring careers in the agriculture/horticulture sectors.
 

Canadian National Exhibition (CNE)

LO is a member of the corporation which owns the Ex, allowing us to attend meetings that involve horticulture and the flower competitions which remain a popular component of the annual event. Our colleague, Albert Graves from Bloemen Décor, also continues to create amazing vignettes with gnomes and animals made of moss and plants that are widely photographed by visitors. Emphasis here is promoting horticulture and the use of LO members to the public. Speaking of which…
 

AM 740 Zoomer Radio

Charlie Dobbin continues to host a popular phone-in gardening show on Zoomer Radio where she provides gardening updates and advice to the many avid listeners. When Charlie is away, yours truly fills in as host. For two Saturdays in August, I broadcasted from the station’s Liberty Village studio to answer questions and to promote LO members through the Toronto Green Streets Challenge that took place Aug. 18 at the intersection of Yonge and Bloor.

To complete the connections noted above, the entire 5,000 sq. ft. of sod supplied by Fairgreen Sod for the Toronto Green Streets Challenge was then donated to the TBG.

To connect with me, or any of the groups noted above, I can be reached at 905-875-1805, ext. 2303.

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