The Toronto Botanical Garden (TBG) is located at 777 Lawrence Avenue East at Leslie Street, in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Termed "The little garden with big ideas", the TBG is nearly four acres and features 17 themed "city-sized gardens". Located in the north-east corner of

Edwards Gardens Edwards Gardens is a botanical garden located on the southwest corner of Leslie Street and Lawrence Avenue East in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is also the site of the Toronto Botanical Garden, a private not-for-profit organization previously c ...

, the TBG is a non-profit horticultural and educational organization with a mission to connect people, plants and the natural world through education, inspiration and leadership.

History

Formerly known as the Toronto Civic Garden Centre founded in 1958 by the Garden Club of Toronto, the TBG opened formally with the designation of a botanical garden in 2003.

Raymond Moriyama Raymond Junichi Moriyama (October 11, 1929 – September 1, 2023) was a Canadian architect. The private practice in Toronto he co-founded with Ted Teshima, Moriyama & Teshima Architects, was renowned for designing many major buildings across ...

designed the Civic Garden Centre's main building that opened in 1965.

Funding

Unlike many other large botanical gardens in North America, the TBG does not receive funding from the provincial or federal governments, and it produces over 95% of its operating budget from self-generated income through membership fees, fundraising events, course revenues, and from the generosity of individual and corporate donors.

The gardens

Approximately four acres make up the 17 themed gardens of the Toronto Botanical Garden. The newest, and largest, addition is the Woodland Walk made up of native trees, shrubs, perennials, and a wildflower meadow, representing the

Carolinian forest The Carolinian forest refers to a life zone in eastern North America characterized primarily by the predominance of deciduous (broad-leaf) forest. The term "Carolinian", which is most commonly used in Canada, refers to the deciduous forests which ...

and prairie savannah native to this region of Toronto. Next is the Entry Garden Walk, sponsored by the Garden Club of Toronto and designed by Dutch garden designer

Piet Oudolf Piet Oudolf (; born 27 October 1944) is a Dutch garden designer, nurseryman and author. He is a leading figure of the "New Perennial" movementhis designs and plant compositions using bold drifts of herbaceous perennials and grasses which are ch ...

. This garden is made up of perennials & ornamental grasses which have self-sown to create the sophisticated meadow that greets visitors. A water curtain and water channel are two key features complementing the Arrival Courtyard and West View Terrace, respectively. The building has two

green roof A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage ...

s, one flat space planted with native perennials, the other slanted and planted with sedum varieties. Part of the TBG's Silver LEED Certification includes the collection of rainwater from the water features as well as the building, which is stored in two cisterns found in the perennial borders. Garden staff work from a straw bale shed also with a green roof of native perennials.

Children's education

Since 1998, Toronto Botanical Garden has offered a variety of programs designed to stimulate children's curiosity about nature and gardening through hands-on experiences. Each year TBGKids educates over 6000 children through school visits, summer and March break camps, family programs, and outreach initiatives. Children learn in the beautiful and unique Teaching Garden which incorporates demonstration plots and an organic vegetable garden sown and harvested by children. The TBG donates produce from the Teaching Garden each year to the North York Harvest Food Bank.

Weston Family Library

The TBG's Weston Family Library is the largest private horticultural library in Canada. The library's resources surround themes of domestic horticulture, such as landscape design, flower arrangement, plant species, growing herbs and vegetables, urban agriculture, and many others. Collections include children's titles, reference materials, magazines and journals, DVDs, historical and rare books. Only members may borrow materials from the Weston Family Library, but the space is open to the public and anyone is allowed to browse and use materials within the library. The library offers courses and programming for adults and children, and features an art gallery with rotating exhibitions with horticultural themes.

Adult education

Toronto Botanical Garden offers 20 courses a year for adults in botanically related disciplines such as gardening, urban vegetable gardening, container gardening, urban beekeeping, botanical art, floral design, nature, photography and wellness. Special events include the HortiCULTURE Salon Series, TBG Lecture Series, Royal York Rooftop Tour and Lunch, bus tours, and Grow, Cook and Relish Series. Classes offered include elements such as lecture-style instruction, discussions, and in many cases, hand-on elements. Course offerings vary each season, and are designed to provide TBG members and the public with seasonally appropriate information to help them in their own gardens, as well as fulfilling the mission of connecting people with plants and the natural world.

Sources

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