Tag Archives: The Leaf

nursery…

22 Saturday Mar 2025

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had a lovely wander around The Leaf on Wednesday…

I went on my own for the first time and for anyone who knows me, that is pretty good…

the cacao trees are looking a bit sad, but most of the Tropical Biome looked good…

I spent quite some time watching the fish… they were very active swimming around the pond and a number of plants have been trimmed back so they are also much easier to see;-)…

the orchids in the Mediterranean Biome are still doing very well, with tons of blooms on them…

and the biggest surprise was the Butterfly Garden, which had more butterflies flying around than I’ve ever seen here…

zoo staff were letting a good number emerge from the nursery and there were many people admiring them as well… it is always fun to hear what the keepers have to say about the butterflies… they record each one as they release it…

then I took one last walk through the biomes as I waited for my ride…

arches…

21 Friday Feb 2025

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as you enter the Mediterranean biome there are dozens of amaryllis in various stages… some nearly done, while others are fully open… many with multiple petals…

absolutely gorgeous…

and then you step into the Babs Asper display area… twelve hundred orchids in one place;-)… heaven…

the Blooms in Winter display is so lovely, a perfect place to enjoy the beauty of orchids…

there are a number of arches to walk through and benches to sit on and enjoy the views…

orchids everywhere, beautiful shapes and sizes…

what a delight;-)…

can’t wait to go back;-)…

thinning…

20 Thursday Feb 2025

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had a wonderful time at The Leaf on Tuesday…

first I spent time at the registration desk where they had to make me a new card as mine had stopped working… apparently the website has been misbehaving a bit, so hopefully the new card will solve that issue;-)…

then we went through the biomes… there were a number of baskets of orchids throughout the Tropical biome…

very humid, and it was obvious that there had been a serious trim and thinning of many of the plants…

the cacao trees had been cutback and all the pods have been removed…

the koi were very active… while we were there one of the zoo keepers came along and fed them… clearly the fish were waiting for them, lol…

the dwarf banana is just starting with a new set of banana fingers…

my housemate pointed out the difference between the dwarf and regular bananas… the dwarf has the banana fingers coming out of the flower, whereas the full-size banana has a flower at the end and the fingers below…

there are always subtle changes in the Tropical biome each time I visit;-)…

FDV…

25 Saturday Jan 2025

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on Wednesday, my daughter and I spent six hours at The Leaf…

upon arrival we were surprised and delighted to discover a coat check for members… my coat was free and we paid $2 for my guest…

we were a bit early and shared a Rice Krispies square and hot chocolate while we waited for our entry time to the Biomes…

we had a great time in the Tropical Biome where we came across the head gardener and had an excellent conversation about the cacao trees and chocolate…

we visited the Mediterranean Biome to see the Fleurs de Villes displays and met and talked with at least four of the designers…

lunch at Gather was a delicious tomato bisque and grilled cheese focaccia for me, and duck poutine for my daughter…

for dessert she had the honey cake and I enjoyed the squash creme brûlée, which was delicious, lol…

back to visit both biomes where we learned about orchids from a regular gardener talk in the Tropical Biome, talked with two of the zoo staff who shared lots of information about the butterflies and the 52 koi in the pond…

we also got to hear a few violin pieces by Gwen Hoebig, who was one of the models for the FDV displays… my daughter took this photo…

it was hard to pick a favourite, but this time I chose the hoop dancer…

exhibition…

21 Tuesday Jan 2025

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Monday was another delightful day at The Leaf…

our group went to view the Fleurs de Villes display after our birthday lunch at Gather…

as always, a walk through the Tropical Biome is rejuvenating…

we had such fun as each of us shared different points of interest as we wandered through the lush vegetation…

we visited the cacao trees, saw coffee beans, enjoyed new vistas of the fish, chatted about the banyan tree, spotted many heliconias, and got dripped on a few times, lol…

we moved on to the Mediterranean Biome for the Fleurs de Villes exhibition…

all of the mannequins (that represent the arts in the city) were very nicely done… we met two of the designers and spotted things we liked at every display… it was amazing to see the details that had been included…

after we’d been around once, most of us went around one more time, as we each made a decision on our favourite and filled out the ballot which we received as we entered the space…

the Fleurs de Villes exhibition is always stunning and such a delight to have had here two years in a row;-)…

one more visit to the exhibition in a few days…

poinsettias…

24 Tuesday Dec 2024

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made it to the most recent display at The Leaf…

we went around 7 so it was fairly dark in the Tropical Biome… a great time to go as there weren’t many visitors…

there were a few lit up flamingo topiaries and throughout the space there were lit signs about various birds…

there was also a cute Christmas tree made from individual plants…

the display in the Mediterranean Biome had lots of trees, lights, and poinsettias…

I also spotted a few amaryllis… some just starting to open, others in full bloom…

the trees were filled with ornamental birds and some birdhouses…

only spotted one of the seven succulent wreaths…

my plan is to go again in the daytime to see how it looks in the light;-)…

always a treat…

favourite…

22 Sunday Dec 2024

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I have two favourite spots in the Tropical Biome…

I always stop and visit with the cacao trees to see how they are doing, particularly as my daughter loves to visit them when she’s in town, lol…

and then there are the koi… standing on the bridge watching them swim around is such a joyful time for me…

they move much slower at night as many of them as sleeping, but I got a nice picture of this one… it is usually difficult to get good photos because of the light reflecting in the water so I was pleased with this one…

we are truly blessed to have this wonderful spot to visit all year round;-)…

ring…

14 Thursday Nov 2024

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what a wonderful surprise I received this morning;-)…

as I was taking my poached eggs out of the water, I heard the doorbell ring… I was expecting a parcel so wasn’t surprised, but when I opened the door, my daughter was standing in front of me…

she had come to town to attend a concert with one of her friends and had planned to include a day with me;-)…

what a super treat…

we quickly booked a trip to The Leaf so she could see her beloved cacao trees… we had a great time there, checking out the trees, watching the koi, and realizing how much growth has taken place since we were last there together in June…

she was able to get a few nice shots of the koi which she shared with me.

we enjoyed time in the Yasuragi display and read up on all the bonsai, including new ones which hadn’t been there the last time I visited… the stories behind them are very interesting…

spent a few minutes with the butterflies…

it is sad that they are still in the netted enclosure and not flying freely around the space…

one last wander to see the cacao trees and koi, a bit of fun in the gift shop, and then we headed home…

some relaxing time together and then I dropped her off at the airport to head home…

I am blessed;-)…

focaccia…

22 Tuesday Oct 2024

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our most recent visit to Gather Craft Kitchen & Bar at The Leaf was great…

we had a bit of a giggle because we were seated exactly where we were the last time we were there, lol…

it is a nice spot as you can people watch as everyone is entering and leaving The Leaf…

I had mussels, which were tasty… we shared some focaccia bread, and my grandson had the beef short rib ragu…

always a treat ;-)…

thrived…

20 Sunday Oct 2024

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another delightful visit to The Leaf…

we arrived around 4:30 pm Thursday and the biomes were nearly empty of people… which was wonderful for us;-)…

it really is astonishing how the plants have thrived since the opening in December 2022…

the Tropical biome is lush with greenery and it was fun to notice changes since I was last there…

then we moved into the Mediterranean biome… for the first time ever, it was very cool…

the Yasuragi display is lovely… we spent quite a bit of time studying the bonsai and noting how old many of them were…

what an amazing art-form…

can’t wait to go back and enjoy this beautiful space…