It was the Ontario Lily Show yesterday at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington. RBG is again under renewal. I can’t help but contrast the funding in the U.S. and in Canada. I expect that it isn’t that the US receives more government funding. It is that there are more super-rich people there who support and fund their favourite institutions. Brian was recently in Chicago and commented that the Chicago Botanical Gardens were large and perfect with immaculate maintenance.
That’s not the case with RBG. It isn’t that I want immaculate gardens, but when gardens are presented as ornamental display gardens, then they end up with the expectations of an ornamental garden. That means weeding and caretaking that matches with this ornamentalist approach. It is like having a lawn and then maintaining it poorly - not mowing it regularly and having major weed infestations.
With that, there still is great delight in the Royal Botanical Gardens displays. The lily ponds are beautiful and the rose garden is a showplace. Its renovation a few years ago make it more inclusive of all kinds of plants and has been very successful.
The Lily Show has decilned in numbers of lilies each year. Members are growing older, the lily beetle has diminished interest in growing and showing lilies, and competitive flower shows have dwindled in numbers and interest. - young people have other inclinations. It still remains a wonderful show and in particular, the floral arrangements are creative and beautiful.
Isn’t the black water of the RBG lily pond so amazing!
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