Pondside Gardens of Eden in Toronto
Three private homes in the Swansea neighborhood were the first gardens we saw in Toronto during the Garden Bloggers Fling. Swansea borders on the Humber River, Lake Superior (Correction: Lake Ontario – sheesh, for dumb), and High Park, one of Toronto’s largest and most popular parks.
The first garden we saw made the biggest impression on me. Once I came round the back of the house, my eyes were drawn through the relatively narrow yard to a path entrance.
The water, the big old trees (some covered with ivy), the weeping willow, and the lush greenery made me think of a north woods Eden, a tranquil forest primeval.
Where exactly the path leads cannot be seen, but the waters of Grenadier Pond lie in the middle distance (I thought it way too big to be a pond, but that’s a minor point).
The path descends a steep slope towards the pond. The rough stonework provides a stimulating contrast to the abundant foliage.
I admired how the steep and rocky slope was beautifully and cunningly planted, in patches and in little gems here and there. Love these Maidenhair Ferns (Adiantum pedatum).
More ferns.
These look like some kind of Hardy Geranium, but I’m not sure.
Double Columbine growing with Irises, sadly not in bloom.
I don’t usually like double Columbine (or double flowers generally), but in this case I could make an exception.
As you descend, a Gazebo comes into view. Talk about an ideal place for your morning coffee. The only drawback being the steep slope, which some of us may not be alert enough to navigate early in the morning, especially when carrying a cup of hot liquid. An underground two-way escalator seems like the obvious solution.
There was also a second garden incorporating the shore of Grenadier Pond. A patio provided a view of the water, another good location for morning coffee or other refreshments. Those are custom-made iron railings.
Here too you can descend on a stone path to get closer to the water.
There is an impressively large dry stone retaining wall.
This garden also featured some interesting metal sculpture. I like how these accompany the Foxgloves growing in the wooden container.
There was a third garden, this one not on the pond. Its main feature was a more formal boxwood garden. It was very nice, but I just don’t get excited about boxwood. Just a question of personal taste.
There was, however, a very impressive hedge of white Rugosa roses along the street.
And a huge Double-File Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum) in full flower.
I generally like to wait until the gardening season is over before I write posts about the Fling. However, there’s too much good stuff to hold back everything until then. Much more to come.
gardeninacity 