The rite of spring: a city horticulturist on what it takes to get flowers blooming

Recently, Toronto saw the first of the snowdrops begin pushing through fresh frost and last fall’s leaves. As they did in this 1988 Toronto Star photo of Daniel Bock, these intrepid little flowers stand bravely as annual harbingers of hope that spring is finally here.

Curtis Envoy has tended the City of Toronto’s blossoms for over three decades, starting as a gardener at St. James Cathedral for about 10 years, before moving on to Riverdale Farm for another 10. He later took on the roles of foreperson and then supervisor for the Allan Gardens Conservatory. Today he serves as supervisor of conservatories for the City of Toronto, which includes Allan Gardens, Cloud Gardens, and Centennial Park.

“It’s been a wonderful job and career,” he says.

Envoy’s enviable work environments are some of Toronto’s most beautiful gems, featuring year-round flora. And all are open to the public free of charge.

“This is such a great time of year at the conservatories,” Envoy says. “(They are) very colourful, while it’s still so grey and brown outside.”

In the dark days of winter, Envoy and his team prepare for spring displays by applying warmth and light on bulbs in their greenhouses located at High Park. “We do a little forcing to bring spring to Toronto a little earlier,” he explains. “We have tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, primulas, pansies, cinerarias. We’ve given up on forcing crocus because the squirrels eat them all.”

A stroll through Allan Gardens downtown or the Centennial Park Conservatory in Etobicoke will transport visitors through warm tropical greenhouses, arid cactus wings, goldfish and turtle ponds, and ever-changing seasonal displays. As such, Envoy says, “the conservatories are worth a visit several times a year.”

The flowers are not limited to the confines of these elegant glass buildings, he adds. “A lot of the bulbs we plant in the conservatory are then planted in the outside gardens where they naturalize.”

A day in the life of a horticulturalist is a busy one. “Most of the growers start their day early at 6:30,” Envoy says, “going through the greenhouse deadheading spent flowers, pruning, picking off yellow leaves, taking out old displays and refreshing them with new plants, sweeping the paths and watering, then opening the doors to the public at 10 a.m.”

Once visitors arrive, the growers continue tending their plants, but also “put on their public relations hats,” Envoy says. “They answer all kinds of questions about the plants and (give) gardening advice.”