Opening Night in Toronto with Lee Valley Tools

Setting for our opening night at the Toronto Fling – the King Street store of Canada's own Lee Valley Tools

As Canadians, we are excited and proud to have Canada's own Lee Valley Tools as a major sponsor for the Garden Bloggers Fling 2015 in Toronto. I know you will be, too.

As a gardener, I find poring through the Lee Valley catalog an exercise in acquisitiveness – I want that and that and that and that! They have a knack for finding intriguing things, and the tools branded Lee Valley are invariably well made. A browse through the store, with it all on display, not only neat stuff for gardeners but mysterious paraphernalia for woodworkers, is like visiting the Olde Curiosity Shoppe. Fascinating.

Lee Valley Tools is our generous host – and Lee Valley's 590 King Street West store is the setting – for our welcome event, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 4th. It's an interesting, 25-minute walk or a short street-car ride from our hotel. Getting-there details will follow in our itinerary soon.

Here's the official Lee Valley Welcomes the Toronto Fling invitation from Lee Valley itself:

Mingle with fellow garden bloggers and meet Lee Valley’s gardening experts while enjoying delicious refreshments and hors d’eouvres. Enter for chances to win throughout the evening. Plus, get to know the Canadian-owned and operated retailer that has earned a reputation for manufacturing and selling high-quality, hard-to-find gardening, woodworking and hardware products for over 35 years. Lee Valley’s products are available globally online and in stores across Canada. @LeeValleyTools #LeeValley #GBFling2015

And here's what they're not saying, but is important for you to know: Leave room in your suitcase! You will NOT go home empty handed.

Toronto Fling Headgear Challenge

Vicki's banana slug and ferns won the first unofficial Fling Fascinator challenge in Seattle hands down.

Blame me (that's Helen) by way of Kate Middleton for the first time a fascinator appeared at a Fling. I threw out the gauntlet, which a brave few took up – and, lo, it was fun. For everyone.

Things stayed quiet for a while. Then, last year, the Portlanders surprised us (AKA showed us all up) with their Fabulous Floral Fling Fascinators. Yes, that's the technical term. Even meadow man John Greenlee got into the grass-hatted act, proving that fascinatoration is not just a girl thing. And now someone has asked if we're doing something for Toronto – so they won't be shown up again.

So, yes, Andrea: Here's your challenge for Toronto in 2015! Inspired by the early 20th-century heritage of two of our Fling spots – our hotel the Fairmont Royal York and historic Parkwood Estate (more on this later) – we're letting Downton Abbey go to our heads! Bring on the fancy headgear.

To show that a hat can amaze, cross borders and pack well, too, have a look at this link. Cool, eh?

Vanessa went Allium-allium-oop! in Portland.

Ann was a walking garden in Portland, too.

Kate was great in living crown and matching jewels.

Even Helen's lazy, last-minute dollar-store do (left) had that "just do it, anyone can" attitude. 

And sometimes, as in Asheville, a hat just becomes an unofficial Fling thing.
Participation is optional, but anything goes. So, hey, will you play?

Why Fling? Our never-fickle Flingers tell all

Brit blogger Neil Jones looking very at home at his first Fling in Portland last year

Still undecided about whether to Fling? Well don't remain undecided for too long, as we have fewer than 10 spaces left. For those on the fence, read these great, go-Fling stories from past attendees.

Helen Battersby of Toronto Gardens (that would be me, one of this year's organizers) says it's all about the people. You'll see that my post Fling folk are Repeat Befrienders is a common theme.

Gail Eichelberger of Clay and Limestone in Tennessee loves the gardens as well as the people.

Garden Rant's Elizabeth Licata jokes that we have gardens in Canada, too. But one of her main draws to any Fling is experiencing each city – and Toronto has lots to offer. I agree.

Down in Louisiana, hearing about the first Fling in Austin in 2008 actually turned Jean McWeeney on to blogging about her garden. And from 2009 on, she's been to every one. Flinging can be addictive.

And one of the organizers for that Austin Fling, Texan Pam Penick calls the Fling one of the best garden tours around – while reinforcing the people points made by all of us.

First-timer Tammy Schmidt of Casa Mariposa (Virginia) describes the Fling it so well: "I could say it's a party or at least the mother of all garden tours, but it was really a homecoming."

As more people post, I'll add to the reasons why. Now you have to ask yourself, why not?

Toronto Fling – early sponsorship highlights

Cool bags for each of our bloggers is just one way the TBG is sponsoring the Toronto Fling. A roomy felt shoulder back with two inside pockets and room for your pen and smart phone (or my pen and smart phone, in this instance).

Not only cool, but made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. 

We're so grateful to the sponsors who are helping to make the Toronto Fling special. Our first sponsor, and one of our most supportive, has been the Toronto Botanical Garden, which will also be where we hold our Fling dinner.

But we're also delighted to welcome the Royal Botanical Garden, Garden Design Magazine and Corona Tools to our list of sponsors – and only await digital logos from them to add them to our sponsor column on the right.

Want to join the great list of Garden Bloggers Fling sponsors? Click here for more info.

Fling Preview: Shaw Festival gardens, Niagara-on-the-Lake

This art-filled space is one of three very different gardens we'll visit in Niagara-on-the-Lake

We've been lucky on our Niagara excursion to be teaming up with the Shaw Guild Garden Tour, the 10th annual fundraiser for Niagara-on-the-Lake's wonderful Shaw Festival Theatre. Three of the gardens on the tour will be held open, exclusively for us, on our optional Niagara day, Monday, June 8th. And as the tour itself is just the Saturday before, the gardens are likely to be in top form. (For local folk lured to this post, you'll find ticket information at the link above.)

A few places are still available for our Niagara day. Contact Helen at GBFling15 [at] gmail [dot] com. Yes, we will swing by for a photo op at the Falls – from the photogenic Canadian side, natch.

Right on Lake Ontario, with views of Fort Niagara. You'll want to live here. Yes, you will.