Toronto has been teasing us lately… is it really June already? Feels like March to me. But maybe that’s mainly because it’s not only taken so long for temperatures to get warmer, but for gardens and the city green to be in full bloom. Luckily we have had some glimmer of colour appear in the city in the form of 99 Sudbury’s Toronto Flower Market that first appeared last month. Taking place monthly from May to September, the second round is popping up tomorrow on Saturday June 8th from 10am to 3pm.

Because many of my readers (myself included) may not have a full garden to plant in, I called upon the Toronto Flower Market founder, Natasa Kajganic, to guide us through what the balcony and patio-focused folk should purchase from the market to amp up their outdoor game. Here’s what she had to say:

For condo/apartment gardeners with a green thumb-in-training:

Try potted annuals and hanging baskets so that you can refresh each season. Perennials are trickier for balconies as you have to have inside space once temperatures hit freezing. you can pick from arrange of annuals at Toronto Flower Market — Petunia Premium Mixes in hanging baskets and window planters from Dutch Mill Gardens or 4″ pots of a wide selection of flowering annuals such as Begonia, Angelonia, and Pentas from Dodd’s Greenhouses.

 Be honest about the amount of sun exposure in your garden (backyard or balcony).

Plants require specific amounts of sunlight to grow. Ask the growers at the market how much sun is required, if the plant requires full sun that usually means 8 hours of direct sunlight per day, semi shade can range from 4- 8 hours.

For those that have no green thumb and fancy cut flowers:

make sure the vase you are using is free of bacteria. You might think it’s clean but bacteria is still there, so use bleach or anti-bacterial soap for healthy, longer lasting cut flowers. Because the flowers at Toronto Flower Market are cut at the farm the day before, your blooms will last 3x longer if you take care of them regularly, so don’t forget to give them fresh water every few days.

New to the June 8th market, market designer Courtney Wotherspoon will be selling a limited number of hand-painted pots and labeled herb sticks as special additions to any garden. For clay pots, remember to add rocks to the bottom before adding soil to ensure the plant gets the moisture it needs to grow.

For more information on the Toronto Flower Market please click HERE