A noun. A verb. A blog.
Only two Toronto neighbourhoods with garden-themed names come to my mind. One is Rosedale, north of Bloor Street edged on the east by the forested slopes of the Don Valley. Its winding streets are lined with grand, historic mansions. Rosedale got its name from the profusion of wild roses that once grew on the hillsides […]
A quick but timely post specially for us east-enders: Celena’s Bakery has opened on Danforth near Woodbine. I can write about this in a garden blog with good conscience for two reasons: One: See what’s on top? Rosemary! A fresh sprig tops Celena’s surprising and delicious Rosemary Raisin Bread. We have been back for seconds. […]
This time last year, it was raining. There was snow on the ground… you remember what snow is, don’t you? Not just that baby powdering we got yesterday that almost melted by today. In December 2009 and January 2010, Toronto had roughly one-quarter of our usual snowfall. It looks like February is following the same […]
I’m lucky to live so close to Ashbridges Bay Park on Lake Ontario. I can get there in a matter of minutes, and sister Helen and I have spent hours walking here, peering at trees & shrubs, trying to identify what’s growing, and gathering round rocks from the beach. The park has a mix […]
I have birds on the brain. That can happen when you read a lot of garden blogs. Inevitably, the topic of backyard chickens crops (corny anatomy pun: sorry!) up. Originally, I was going to use this photo in a post about our dad, bless his cool buckled shoes. (This week would have been his 83th […]
When the weather outside is frightening… we prescribe Allan Gardens for an injection of the tropics. Sarah and I recently dropped by an hour before closing for quick, medicinal treatment from their Christmas display. That jumble of colour at the bottom right above doesn’t make a great photo, but it does represent the joyous profusion […]
There are trees in this picture. They are my excuse for writing off topic about the animated Christmas* windows on Queen Street between Bay and Yonge. You’ll notice I didn’t write: at The Bay on Queen Street. That’s because, to me, these will always be the Christmas windows at Simpsons. For those playing along in […]
If you’ve travelled along Queen Street East, you’ve passed the white-picket fence enclosed Ashbridge Estate. This is the family homestead of one of the east end’s earliest settlers. The Ashbridges – from whom Ashbridge’s Bay gets its name – were Loyalists from Pennsylvania, granted 600 acres that stretched from the waterfront of Lake Ontario to Danforth […]
Toronto Gardens isn’t the only blog about gardening in Toronto. Or about Toronto gardens. Here are a few we follow – and we’d love to hear about others that are missing. YouGrowGirl We can’t begin such a post without mentioning Gayla Trail, who has set and raised the bar in garden blogging since 2000. We […]
All the trees on the street are usually bare before my next door Norway maple (Acer platanoides) drops its leaves. Look here; it’s still green, in this picture taken yesterday. It doesn’t matter if I rake. The day before the first big snow, this guy typically drops the whole shebang. Whomp! Then we’re shovelling up […]
Starting last night, me, my battered notebook and a classroom of other garden keeners join Toronto horticulture-guru Marion Jarvie for three sessions at the Toronto Botanical Garden‘s George and Kathy Dembroski Centre for Horticulture. She’ll be talking small, shady, city gardens. That’s how I got the scoop on some dates you’ll want to add to […]
Toronto is often described as a city of villages and Parkdale, on the west side of town, is one. We confined ourselves to one street for Sunday’s visit. Here are some observations. This may not be the face of Parkdale, but it will do for a start. Parkdale citizens are brave enough to plant Japanese […]