Conservatory provides winter refuge

If this year's long winter is getting you down, the Westmount Conservatory at 4626 Sherbrooke St. West is offering a little taste of spring. The annual spring flowers display is back, and features narcissus, tulips, lilies and many other blossoms to brighten up a cold day. There is even a miniature house and a family of rabbits at the south end of the Conservatory.

And if you've wanted to fly away all winter, but never had the chance, there are also plenty of tropical plants, like palm trees, banana trees, and birds of paradise on display to get visitors thinking about warmer days.

The floral display, which was arranged by Mélanie Bänninger and Hélène Bazinet of the Greenhouse with help from horticulturalist Claudette Savaria and other Public Works personnel, is expected to last until April 13. Conservatory hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7:45 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. For more information, call the Public Works Department at 514 989-5213.

Remember Westmount: things are going to get dark this Saturday evening. The city will shut its non-essential lighting off between 8 and 9 p.m. as part of Earth Hour, an initiative aiming to raise awareness about energy consumption. Residents are encouraged to participate as well. Westmount will be among numerous international cities, like Sydney, Chicago, Copenhagen, Tel Aviv, and Toronto, to go dark on Saturday. Earth Hour started in Sydney, Australia on March 31 last year, when 2.2 million residents, 2,100 business and even national monuments like the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, turned their lights off for one hour. As a result, Sydney’s energy consumption was lowered by just over 10 per cent, which, according to Earth Hour’s official website, is the equivalent to taking 48,000 cars off the road for 60 minutes. For more information on Earth Hour and how to participate, visit www.earthhour.org.