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Even before record snowfalls buried much of the country and the American economy officially hit the skids, the organizers of this year's Canada Blooms show in Toronto were betting that a little sixties-style flower power just might appeal to a winter-weary, recession-fearing populace right now.

How right they were.

By the time Canada's largest flower and gardening expo closes its doors tomorrow evening, an estimated 100,000 people will have taken in the 2008 show's ode to the Swinging Sixties, complete with a sea of gerbera daisies, a botanical salute to 1967's The Graduate and even a company of go-go dancers during Wednesday's opening-night gala, called Love in the Garden.

"There has been so much darkness and gloominess in the news and in the world lately," says Colomba Fuller, the show's artistic director. "We wanted to create a happy, hopeful show that recalled the idealism and optimism of the late 1960s and early 1970s, when people wore flowers in their hair and even the prime minister sported a rose in his lapel."

And so they have. In Mrs. Robinson's Garden, an eye-popping installation by Toronto's Landscapes by Lucin, vibrant Warholian portraits of Anne Bancroft as the famous cinematic seductress frame the space, which also features a dividing wall made of Campbell's Soup cans.

In the Gardening Life entrance garden by Plant Architect Inc., meanwhile, a red Volkswagen Bug with black spots (it's meant to evoke a ladybug) strikes a note of trippy nostalgia - not least for a time when gas prices were considerably lower.

Automobiles, surprisingly, figure prominently (if also tongue-in-cheekily) at this year's show. In an installation sponsored by the Ontario Toyota Dealers, the back end of a hybrid Prius car made out of sand juts from a mound of flower-covered dirt in a symbolic "return to the earth."

And in the "green playground" sponsored by the Toyota Dealers and designed by the Toronto firm Gardens for Living, children can meander through a willow forest, create their own sand sculptures and learn how to plant seeds and care for plants.

Fun and (visual) games aside, Canada Blooms has long been a harbinger of horticultural trends in this country - a tradition that continues this year.

In the past, green roofs, living walls, dry stone walls and container planting have all gained greater currency as a result of being featured here.

This time around, native plants, culinary gardening and the Japanese art of ikebana are just a few of the phenomena to have a spotlight thrown on them.

Another key theme of the 2008 show is water conservation and the concept of xeriscaping (the creation of drought-tolerant landscapes that don't require any supplemental irrigation).

To show how attractive xeriscapes can be, for instance, the City of Toronto has teamed up with three neighbouring municipalities and the Toronto Botanical Garden to create the Beautifully Parched Garden, an elegant four-section plot employing a variety of ecological techniques to collect, use and save water while supporting a beautiful range of drought-tolerant plants.

"Our region," says Margo Welch, executive director of the TBG, "has been experiencing record-breaking summer droughts, so it is important that we start considering alternative landscaping that conserves water resources."

"It's all about instilling a greater respect for and friendliness toward nature," Canada Blooms's Fuller adds.

To that end, the Backyard Ecotopia mounted by Landscape Ontario, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and others also encompasses an inspiring array of eco-friendly garden-design features, from solar panels and porous pavements to nifty composters and funky nesting boxes intended to attract insect-eating birds and bats.

Bat boxes? Xeriscapes? Ikebana? The range of garden wonders on display at this year's instalment - the show's 12th - are uncommonly varied.

Even if it hadn't adopted its hippie-era guise, there would still be plenty of reasons to turn on, tune in and drop by.

Canada Blooms 2008 runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow in the South Building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Tickets cost $18 for adults, $16 for students and seniors and $10 after 5 p.m. For more details, visit http://www.canadablooms.com.

Food for thought

Need confirmation that culinary gardening is big? Check out the speaker subjects at this year's show. Yesterday, for instance, offered Designing with Vegetables. Today at 4:30: Endangered Herbs. For tips on turning those heirloom tomatoes into haute cuisine, organizers have also enlisted an impressive line-up of chefs. Today and tomorrow, Peter George of the CN Tower's 360 restaurant is slated to whip up dishes inspired by the herb gardens at the base of the structure. Who knew granny's potager was such a hot commodity?

Return Of The Native

"There is no doubt that native plants [flora indigenous to Canada] have emerged and will continue to emerge as a major trend among gardeners," says Charlie Dobbin, the show's horticultural director. Encompassing everything from trees, shrubs and vines to wildflowers and grasses, native plants tend to be hardier than imported plants and support local fauna such as birds and insects better. Look for two spring showstoppers - serviceberry and dogwood - at the show this weekend. Pussy willow branches, $9.99 a bunch at Grower's Flower Market & Gifts (416-920-2442).

Asia calling

The show took inspiration from around the world this year, but Asian influences - from feng shui for the garden to the island flora of the south Indian Ocean - are particularly marked. Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, was the subject of a seminar, as was Japanese gardening in general. Clearly, the Land of the Rising Sun is riding high with green thumbs. Bonsai, $149.95 at Teatro Verde (http://www.teatroverde.com).

Pushing daisies

In theory, gardening and psychedelia may seem like an odd combination, but consider their common bonds. The gerbera daisy - this year's emblem - comes in a riot of eye-popping hues. Weeds are unavoidable in either milieu. The real revelation of 2008's feature gardens is the effectiveness of Mondrian-style panels, Campbell's soup cans and Warhol-like portraits of The Graduate's Mrs. Robinson as structural support. Canada Blooms, are you trying to seduce us?

Great outdoors

Entertaining al fresco has become increasingly popular, but products for outside use have tended to lack style. No more. This season, chic melamine plates, elegant shatterproof glassware and a new crop of sophisticated outdoor fabrics are upping the smartness quotient of outdoor living. You may not eat indoors until fall. Tangier salad plate by Danica, $5.95, Gingko dinner plate by Danica, $6.95 at Teatro Verde.

Brighten up

For those who crave colour after a long white winter, this weekend's show offers a rainbow of options. From flowers and foliage to accents and even tools, brightness and boldness definitely trump bland. Aesthetics aside, there are practical advantages to owning a colourful trowel. Among other things, you'll always see where you set it down. V&A garden trowel, $35.99 (with cultivator) at Indigo (http://www.indigo.ca).