Oshawa Greenhouses

The City of Oshawa is very proud of our award winning parks and beautification sites. Recognized since 1995 by the Communities in Bloom Program, we have received top awards in all Provincial, National and America in Bloom categories.

The first seed starts in Oshawa's greenhouses located behind Parks Headquarters at 919 Farewell Street. This is where all the floral plant materiel displayed throughout Oshawa during the summer/fall season is grown. In the fall when flowerbeds are dismantled for the winter, many plants are returned to the greenhouse for storage and propagation. Standard hibiscus, lantana, solanum, jasmine, bananas, cannas, coleus, ornamental grasses, carpet bedding plants and other choice tender plants winter in the greenhouse.

Each Gardener is responsible for the maintenance of a specified area. North Oshawa, South Oshawa, Kinsmen Valleyview Gardens, Downtown and City Hall are the primary areas. Gardeners in each of the areas plan for the yearly needs of their area. These total plant needs are put onto a master list and the full time gardeners produce most of the plant material through the winter. In spring when temporary staff return, they too assist with the plant production.

In 2012, we will place 600 hanging baskets in the downtown area and 25 baskets at Lakeview Park.

Approximately 70,000 annuals will be planted throughout Oshawa with 10,000 carpet bedding plants enhancing Civic Fields, Kinsmen Valleyview Gardens, Simcoe North (Pleasure Valley) and Northview Library.

With the fall and winter program, much needed pruning of the many shrub beds in parks, along street boulevards, at City Hall, Kinsmen Valleyview, Parks Headquarters and along Colonel Sam Drive is carried out. Once pruning of these major areas is completed each year, wood chips are applied to these shrub beds to help suppress weeds, conserve water and recycle what is pruned.