Cobourg residents can stop and smell the flowers on Saturday (May 10) when the Town of Cobourg hosts its annual greenhouse tour and talk.
To celebrate the beginning of this year’s gardening season, the Town of Cobourg’s community services division is inviting community members to attend an open house from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the town’s greenhouse at 501 Thompson Street in Cobourg.
Cobourg park department’s horticulturist Rick Cromlish and his team are providing guided tours of the greenhouse, where participants will learn how town staff seed and transplant the annuals and perennials that will soon adorn Cobourg’s public flower beds and hanging baskets.
Cromlish, along with parks manager Stu Dafoe, shared some of their goals for the event with kawarthaNOW.
“(Our) hopes for the weekend are to show a preview of the 2025 season’s wide variety of annual flowers and hanging baskets that will be on display throughout the town this summer,” they said.
The open house is also an opportunity “to bring awareness to the public that town staff grow all plant material in-house start to finish.”
The Town of Cobourg greenhouses have been in operation since 1991.
“The idea for the greenhouse came about to grow annual flowers for town facility gardens (and) parks including decorating the downtown core with containers and hanging baskets,” the parks team noted.
The array of greenhouse plants residents will see are earmarked for municipal gardens only, and are not for sale to the public.
When asked about any future plans for expansion, Cromlish and Dafoe said, “there are no plans to grow other plants or vegetables in the future, as we have reached capacity for growing.”
On Saturday, in addition to the tour, residents can also peruse historic photo albums featuring past floral clock designs, grab a cup of complimentary coffee or other refreshment, and stay for a barbecue from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., which is sponsored by Experience Cobourg. There will be a Mother’s Day giveaway, while supplies last.
The town expects the event to be “fun and educational for all ages — a great outing for families and garden enthusiasts,” a media release noted. “Don’t miss this behind-the-scenes look at one of Cobourg’s most colourful traditions.”
The Town of Cobourg’s greenhouse consists of almost 7,000 square feet of growing space, with around 100,000 individual plants grown each year. The greenhouse also features 300 hanging baskets that are grown for Cobourg’s downtown and waterfront.
There are three seasons of growing: one for summer annuals, two for fall mums, and three for poinsettias used in winter to decorate town facilities.
The Town of Cobourg is a multiple-year “Communities in Bloom” award winner.
