Pubdate: Fri, 26 Jan 2018
Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2018 The Toronto Star
Contact:  http://www.thestar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456
Author: Sonia Day
Page: E8

WILL MARIJUANA SQUEEZE OUT EXCITING PLANTS?

Marijuana is moving in. Big time. So here's something to ponder: Will
a flood of prolific, easy-to-grow pot mean fewer exciting plants for
we gardeners to grow?

Could be. Right now, we're accustomed to taking our pick from a
wonderful selection of inexpensive offerings, mostly because they're
raised in Ontario greenhouses and no longer imported from other countries.

Think of fabulous Phalaenopsis orchids (once rare and pricey, yet now
so common and inexpensive, we're actually getting tired of them);
perfect Christmas poinsettias; a cavalcade of mums in fall; potted
spring bulbs all winter; pansies, petunias, plus many other colourful
annuals; In spring, heavenly hellebores; exotic offerings such as
anthuriums and alstroemerias.

The list goes on and on. There's an abundance of choice, for which we
can thank the practical Dutch. They've always excelled at horticulture
(think of Tulipomania, back in the 17th century) and, over the years,
have come here in droves, pouring millions into those shiny edifices
of glass, steel and plastic that now dot the Niagara region.

Europe's loss is clearly Canada's gain. Yet profit margins in
floriculture (the term used to describe mass production of flowers)
are well known to be razor-thin, and some of the aforementioned plants
can be a royal pain in the neck to grow. So, will our down-to-earth
wizards from across the Atlantic soon conclude that they can make more
money cultivating easy-as-pie cannabis?

It's clearly on their minds. The trade magazine, Greenhouse Canada
reported recently that "the talk of the town at this year's Canadian
Greenhouse Conference was marijuana - openly in show aisles, on the
bus, and during the tours, and over dinner."

Several growers have, in fact, already swapped garden blooms for buds
of a different kind. They include a biggie player, Westbrook, which
has sold one of its four 203,000-square-foot. greenhouses in
Beamsville, Ont., to a company called Up Cannabis Inc. The CEO of that
outfit, Jay Wilgar, hopes to produce 14,000 kilograms of medically
regulated pot a year in the massive glasshouse, where, a few years
ago, I oohed and aahed over row upon row of exquisite Phalaenopsis
orchids. (The symphony of pinks and yellows and whites, the size of a
football field, was a jaw-dropping sight I'll never forget.)

So, is this the shape of things to come? Farewell Phalaenopsis, hello
Hindu Kush?

A spokesperson for Westbrook was unavailable for comment, but another
Niagara grower assured me it's not.

"We have no plans to grow marijuana. The market is still very good for
our plants - and it's the same for growers of many other flowers,"
emphasized Neil van Steekelenburg of CosMic.

Like Westbrook, CosMic is based in Beamsville and produces mostly
Phalaenopsis, millions of them, from cuttings started in Latin
America. Steekelenburg added that their sales - far from bottoming out
- - actually have expanded recently.

That's reassuring news, for sure. Even so, if you have a favourite
kind of plant that started life in one of those local greenhouses
(check the labels) it might be a wise idea to stock up.

That's my plan, anyway. Having dithered for ages about treating myself
to a tall, white Phalaenopsis (which have become amazingly cheap), I
intend going out and buying one right now.

And yes, design snobs, I know these orchids have acquired a hohum
image because they're now available at every supermarket and corner
store. But how long will this last, I wonder?

Horticulture - like everything else - is always changing. Will the
skunky smell of weed soon be wafting through those flower-filled
Niagara greenhouses?

A footnote: Phalaenopsis (called "phals" by collectors) are just a
smidgen of the 30,000 kinds of orchids known to exist in the world,
and the annual show of the Southern Ontario Orchid Society is a great
opportunity to check out rarer species. It's always a fascinating show
jammed with gawkers, so leave big backpacks at home.

Exhibitors of the fragile (and often very valuable) flowers also
request that little kids are closely supervised. Best bet: go early.
At Toronto Botanical Garden, Sat. Feb. 10 and Sun. Feb 11, from 11
a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission $12.
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MAP posted-by: Matt