Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Visiting a few gardens in Cabbagetown…

Let’s go back to June and the Garden Bloggers Fling in Toronto...

On Sunday morning we set off for a “pre-opening preview” of the annual "Hidden Gardens and Private Spaces of Cabbagetown" garden tour. We weren’t allowed access to all the gardens open later that day, but a select few. Are you curious about the name? “Cabbagetown's name derives from the Irish immigrants who moved to the neighbourhood beginning in the late 1840s, said to have been so poor that they grew cabbage in their front yards.” (source) Cabbages in the front yard!? (the horror!)...What sounds like was frowned upon then is the height of hipness in Portland these days!

A few scenes from the gardens we visited, in no particular order because, well, I can’t remember what was what…it’s all run together...

There's an idea here for me (different metal finish and different plant choices)...something to think on...

This scene is so very "East Coast" to my West Coast eyes...

This is more familiar.

Sometimes you've got to make adjustments.

That's a big planter!

It was huge...

The contents.

The horizontal slats disguise a carport, brilliant eh?

The car is in the garden, basically, but you don't see it. Of course I'd be tempted to grow a vine or two...

After finishing up in the neighborhood we walked on to tour a green-roof that was billed as “the first of its kind in Toronto.” Enroute we walked past this…

No nursery stops were included in this Fling itinerary, no doubt because most of the attendees would be passing through U.S. customs on the way home and plant purchasing was a moot point. But it was June, and a week without visiting a nursery was torture for me. I abandoned the group and let myself get briefly distracted…

I’m so glad I did.

I needed this!

The odd coloration here is due to the blue tarp covering this sales area, presumably to keep it dry.

Okay, on to the roof-top! And the view...

"The Hugh Garner Housing Co-operative, built in 1983, is located in the historic Cabbagetown / St. James Town area of downtown Toronto. The 181 unit non-profit housing co-operative is home to a vibrant community of varied economic and cultural backgrounds. As is typical for co-ops, the members participate in its operation. The roof membrane was scheduled for replacement in 2003 and the Green Roof Committee, with the backing of the Board of Directors and Membership, took it upon themselves to further the goals of the Co-op by instigating the green roof project." (source)

"The design mimics a rural, park-like setting. Barrier free paths lead to intimate seating areas. A raised gazebo provides shade. The garden has been designed with the security of the users in mind (no blind spots and all items fixed so they can't be blown or thrown off the roof). A wide variety of planting including native trees, shrubs and perennials add visual interest, while the 'stream' feature ties the space together" (source)

I would be up here every (sunny) day, if I lived in one of the co-op homes.

The Weigela (on the right) was huge, I'd never seen one that big (not that I'm an expert, not by any means).

I believe I heard there was a leak or some such issue with the "stream" feature. Thus the poor frog was high and dry.

The other side of the "stream" feature...

And now we jump ahead, to the end...Cabbagetown visit over we're about to board the bus for our next destination (to be continued...).

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

19 comments:

  1. Nice roof & carport. Most all plants also very alien to these west coast eyes. Keeping the opuntia dry--ha ha!

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  2. That roof has quite a view, and I'm surprised at the size of the shrubs and trees. I'm still trying to figure out why they call it a "stream" -- surely it's more of a pool or fountain?

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    1. Since we didn't make it up to the CN Tower this was my big "see the surrounding area" moment, from the roof top. Good question about the stream. Maybe it has to do with the flow?

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  3. Great views from the roof and garden ain't bad either!

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    1. Can you guys get up on your roof? Is it flat? (do I see a roof garden in your future?)

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  4. As we keep infilling, roof gardens seem the way to go. Crazy about that giant planter...if only JJ could get her hands on it for the planting.

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    1. Oh my yes...I wonder what crazy combo she'd come up with?

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  5. Love the carport idea (with vines). Nice! A lot of these gardens do
    look East Coast to my eyes, too.

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  6. waou! this big planter is fantastic.
    I would loke the same one!

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    1. Fun isn't it? Imagine a huge agave in there.

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  7. Looks like you had a fantastic time ! Wall to wall gardens - who could ask for more ? Clever disguise for a carport too!

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    1. Wall to wall gardens...that's my dream neighborhood.

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  8. I loved cabbagetown and that rooftop garden. So much creativity. They did kind of run together, though.

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    1. Thank you, I thought it was just my issue.

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  9. Cool rooftop garden (oh that view!) and some fun ideas from Cabbagetown.

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  10. Great shots! I'm finally going through my pictures, too. And I dallied at the market to admire the combo "get a beer, buy a plant" concept. In my case, I just got a cold coffee drink!

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  11. As far as I know, Loree, the "stream" is part of their rainwater reclamation system. It didn't have water in it when I saw it the year before, either.

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