Natasa Kajganic remembers her 2012 visit to London, England’s Columbia Road Flower Market being an all-encompassing multi-sensory experience. “A narrow cobblestone road lined on both sides with tents bursting with colorful flowers,” she remembers. “A smell of nature and freshness, while vendors shouted their deals.” Upon her return to Canada, she was surprised there wasn’t something similar here, so she decided to start the very first Toronto Flower Market in 2013.
That first year featured just 12 vendors; now more than three dozen floral folks share their beautiful bouquets at in TD Commons Park at CAMH once a month during the summer, beginning May 7. (They even ran a virtual market via Shopify during 2020.)
The Toronto Flower Market nurtures the forming of bonds between farmers, florists and consumers, she adds. “Only together can we develop long-lasting social impact, which in turn will benefit local economies and bring Canadians the best quality flowers.”
As Mother’s Day approaches, check out these recos from a few Toronto Flower Market vendors on where to find your very own fab floral arrangements.
Shannon Whelan, Euclid Farms (Queen West)
“I love grabbing market bunches at the corner of Avenue and Davenport. There are four flower markets in a row: Grower’s Flower Market & Gifts, Jong Young Flower Market, Ken’s Flowers and Yang’s Fruit & Flower Market. They offer a lot of local flowers. If you’re someone who likes to make your own arrangements at home, I highly recommend perusing these spots.”
Christal Webber, Centered by Plants (Ajax)
“Crystal Star Nursery is a family-owned business in East Gwillimbury that carries a wide selection of plants, including beautiful flowering ones like orchids and hoyas, plus many unique varieties that are suitable for all levels of plant owners. They’re special in the plant community because they’ve been around for a long time and are run by some amazing people.”
Sylvia Cheng, Growing Tkaronto Floristry (the Junction)
“Garden Ardent is a fellow urban farmer florist; they grow and design in Markham. Winse Lam creates unique bouquets from locally grown specialty-cut flowers from her neighbourhood. She has 6,000 specialty bulbs planted for spring 2022, so you can reach out to her de ella for a stunning custom bouquet. ”
Siva Chan, FairyPatch Flower Farm (Stouffville)
“Field Notes is a flower farm located in Uxbridge where Marie Injeyan grows rows and rows of field-grown flowers ecologically and makes beautiful bouquets and wedding arrangements.”
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