Cullen: Celebrating our public gardens
August 13, 2010
Mark Cullen
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Each year I try to get to Great Britain to tour their gardens. As a passionate gardener who likes to talk/write on the subject, it seems logical that I go to the world’s great gardening mecca to view the best that there is and talk with some of the most seasoned gardeners in the world.
There are over 1,000 paid admission gardens in the U.K. There are about eight (that I count) in Canada. I admit that the comparison is hardly fair. For one, the British were gardening with great commitment long before they even came to Canada. More accurately, I suppose, our country was a struggling outback colony when the first European settlers were doing well if they could put food on the table all year, never mind grow plants for their beauty exclusively. At the same time, the gentry of Great Britain were funding horticultural expeditions to China and beyond in search of rare and unusual plant material.
Canadians have come a long way since then. And while all of your neighbours may seem to be heading up north for yet another weekend at the cottage, you may be wondering what you are going to do with your weekend in the sweltering heat of the Big Smoke. I am here to dispel the myth of the heat sink we call the city. Take a look around and you will discover a wealth of great public spaces that are cool, green, colourful, and for the most part, free. Welcome to the Toronto that I know. Here are my favourite gardens.
Toronto Music Garden
Let’s start our tour of great Toronto area gardens with my favourite — the Music Garden on Queens Quay West. Inspired by Bach, designed by “garden composer” Julie Moir Messervy and frequented by the famous and not-so-famous alike, this is a gem that everyone deserves to discover.
The great cellist YoYo Ma collaborated with Julie on the design of this award-winning, 2.5 acre (1 hectare) garden. “I am thrilled that the Toronto Music Garden has become a living space that continues to grow, to nurture and be nurtured,” he says.
There are free concerts at the Music Garden each week throughout the summer with ample seating most of the time. Whether you go for the concert, the wonderful collection of plants, the quiet and solitude or out of idle curiosity, you will not be disappointed. I guarantee it.
Go to www.toronto.ca/parks/music_index.htm
High Park
Most everyone knows High Park for the large pond (Grenadier), the giant oak trees, the extensive trail system and the small zoo. But did you know that there is a formal garden that is just as picturesque as many public gardens in England? Find your way to the restaurant (which is really a snack bar) and cross the road to the south for a spectacular view of the pond and a formal garden that dates back to the 1950s. It is a Kodak moment, as they say. Bring out-of-town guests here, bring a picnic, take your time and give it a chance to work on you. There is no way that you can go home feeling anything but relaxed and indulged.
Go to www.toronto.ca/parks/highpark.htm
Casa Loma
Ask a Calgarian if they have visited their amazing zoo lately, or ask an Edmontonian if they have visited the Muttart or a Haligonian if they have relaxed in the Public Garden this summer. You know that the likely answer is, “well, no.” That is because we can, so we do not. Living in the GTA we are all aware of Casa Loma but until out-of-town guests arrive, we seldom think of going there.
I suggest that you make the trip and pay the admission ($20) just to see the gardens. Donated by the Garden Club of Toronto almost 25 years ago, this was one of Toronto’s first $1 million public garden projects. It not only has stood the test of time, it looks better than ever. I would wager that it is worth several times the original invested amount, if you were to replace it. A wise investment indeed.
It is all at once colourful, formal, a plant paradise, cool and green and a haven for hummingbirds and butterflies. The original owner, Sir Henry Pellatt, would be pleased.
Go to www.casaloma.org
Spadina House
With the upsurge in interest in food gardening, this is a must see. Grapes grown the way that they are supposed to be, a delightful pottager garden featuring popular vegetables and herbs, a gift shop and free admission (to the grounds). Learn how to grow great veggies using time-tested design and techniques with inspiration from more than a century ago. Right next door to Casa Loma on the east side. Worth the trip, even if you do not have time for the castle.
Go to www.toronto.ca/culture/museums/spadina.htm
Toronto Botanical Garden
Perhaps this is my favourite . . . my heart is certainly here, I can say that! It is headquarters for Canada Blooms, appropriately enough, and was one of the early gardens that my dad Len Cullen worked on in 1951 and 1952.
But much more than that, the TBG is a thriving hive of horticultural activity with daily programs for the young and not-so-young. After you have toured the extensive public gardens “at the top of the hill” — which include the recently designed and renovated gardens and the Kathy and George Dembroski Centre for Horticulture, an authentic straw bale shed, two Piet Oldorff-inspired gardens (the “ornamental grass man” from the Netherlands) — you must head into the valley and up the other side to visit the Children’s Garden. Follow the signs. Another project spearheaded and funded by the Garden Club of Toronto, this is state-of-the-art.
And it works! Children’s gardening programs are ongoing throughout the gardening calendar. Go to www.torontobotanicalgarden.ca for more information on the great Toronto Botanical Garden and its wonderful programs.
Are there other great public gardens in Toronto? Why yes! Go to www.toronto.ca/parks/parks_gardens/garden_index.htm to find some more. The idea here is not just to fill a weekend but to fill the rest of your summer with the wonders of our great, colourful public spaces.
Question of the Week
Q: When can nematodes be applied for grub control?
A: Beneficial nematodes are microscopic worms which are native to Canada. Apply beneficial nematodes in the spring (May) when soil temperature is 10C or warmer. Nematodes can also be applied in autumn (end of August to September) eliminating grubs and preventing damage the following spring.
Next week: I will take you to the 905: Riverwood, Mississauga, Parkwood and the Oshawa Valley Botanical Garden, the Royal Botanical Garden and more.
Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, author and broadcaster. You can sign up for his free monthly newsletter at www.markcullen.com, and watch him on CTV Canada AM every Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. ( www.ctv.ca/canadaam.com). You can reach Mark through the “contact” button on his website. Mark’s latest book, The Canadian Garden Primer, is available at Home Hardware and all major bookstores.