Members of horticultural societies in Simcoe County know all too well the blast of enthusiasm to be gained from sitting through a presentation by Paul Zammitt of Plant World in Toronto.

Zammitt recently left his position as perennial manager and plant buyer at Plant World, and has been hired as the new director of horticulture for the Toronto Botanical Garden, to commence on March 1. A spokesperson for the TBG has announced that he will be responsible for the management and future direction of the gardens and plant collections, along with spearheading the organization's strength in delivering exceptional gardening education to the public.

Many television gardening shows, magazines and Canada Blooms have featured Zammitt, with his award winning container designs and helpful ideas. I'm sure there will be some exciting changes to look forward to at the TBG, with his outstanding personality and knowledge of perennials.

Once again, Fiskars is sponsoring Project Orange Thumb, which invites community gardening groups across the United States and Canada to apply for grants. Twenty grant recipients will receive up to $1,500 in garden tools and up to $1,000 in related materials such as green goods.

Gardens and gardening projects geared towards community involvement, neighbourhood beautification, sustainable agriculture and horticultural education are eligible. Community garden groups, as well as schools, community centres, camps, clubs and treatment facilities are all encouraged to apply. This is not a contest or sweepstakes and only group applications, not single individuals, will be considered for grants.

The application deadline is Feb. 17, so visit www.projectorangethumb. com for the rules, regulations and the 2009 application, if your group could benefit from one of these grants.

Canada Blooms will run this year from March 18 to 22 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre's South Building.

The show runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Advance tickets can be purchased at Sobeys for $16, and children under 12 receive free admission.

Speakers on Wednesday, which is Organic Gardening Day, will include Mark Cullen with Denis Flanagan, Majorie Mason, and presentations from Master Gardeners across Ontario. Ron Rossini is a Master Gardener who will be speaking on tomatoes. This man knows his stuff about the plant, as he grows many kinds, including heritage varieties.

Design Day is Thursday with Cullen/Flanagan again, Frank Kershaw, Zammitt, Lorraine Mennen, and other Master Gardeners.

Friday, Plant Day, will see some of the same speakers, but will also include Dugald Cameron, Peter Keeping (clematis) and more.

Saturday is Ecology Day, featuring celebrity flower arranging, a Master Gardener expert panel, Marjorie Harris, Miriam Goldberger and many other well known speakers.

Finally, Sunday is Urban Gardening Day, with talks on environmentally friendly roofs, living green, and maintaining healthy trees in an urban environment, to name a few.

Do you have gardening questions? Contact me at lavendercottage.rogers@gm ail.com.