Edwards and Toronto Botanical Gardens

[AlvinofDiaspar]

From the Star:

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...al-garden-into-international-destination.html

City website:
http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/c...nnel=aa1519cb2c521510VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

June 2017 Presentation:
http://www1.toronto.ca/City Of Toronto/Parks Forestry & Recreation/02Parks and Trails/Park Projects and Improvements/Files/pdf/EdwardGardens/EG-TBG-PublicOpen House3-2017_presentation.pdf

From the presentation:

AoD

 

[W. K. Lis]

The problem I see is the location. It's at Lawrence Avenue East and Leslie Street. The nearest rapid transit station/stop will be at the Sunnybrook Park (formerly Leslie) Stop, to the south, at Eglinton Avenue East and Leslie Street (about 2 kilometres).

Maybe a relaxing and educational walkway, with presentations or exhibits along the way from the stop to the Botanical Gardens is needed. As it is, a bus ride from the stop to the Gardens, still means an asphalt desert to safari across.

Don't like it!

 

[Torontovibe]

I wish the parking could be put underground or built into an attractive complex, freeing up that large above ground parking area. Yes, they need a much better entrance for people taking public transit!

 

[Northern Light]

I wish the parking could be put underground or built into an attractive complex, freeing up that large above ground parking area. Yes, they need a much better entrance for people taking public transit!

What I tried to persuade them to look at was partnering w/the church/school located on Leslie just adjacent to the park/gardens.

Either getting them (church/school) to relocate outright or in the alternative, to consolidate their buildings and underground their parking freeing up space for TBG parking.

This would have allowed the elimination of most/all parking at the existing site and you could have put a grand pedestrian bridge from the parking to the existing site as a showcase entrance.

They didn't seem to be interested.........cost/logistics etc. They'd made up their mind early to stay w/the existing footprint.

It's a shame really as it artificially limits them.

 

[interchange42]

I spent half a day at Montreal's fantastic Botanical Gardens in May thinking "they really outdo us on this…", and that will still be the case with these plans: we simply have nowhere near the space they do. Despite that, I'd love to dream bigger, but these are fairly realistic expansion plans, and barring a benefactor showing up with $10 million or more, bigger is unrealistic. Glad they've got some ambition to improve the grounds significantly! (At least the surface parking lot is getting physically smaller while a structure is planned close to Leslie. More parking in total, but some land close to the valley edge gets turned over for more gardens: good.) Meanwhile, I'd happily walk or bike up the valley from Sunnybrook Park station to get to the gardens.

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[W. K. Lis]

Compare with a map of the Montréal version:

 

[W. K. Lis]

They should plant (and maintain) an arboretum walkway from the Sunnybrook Park station/stop to the Botanical Gardens.

 

[jje1000]

I spent half a day at Montreal's fantastic Botanical Gardens in May thinking "they really outdo us on this…", and that will still be the case with these plans: we simply have nowhere near the space they do. Despite that, I'd love to dream bigger, but these are fairly realistic expansion plans, and barring a benefactor showing up with $10 million or more, bigger is unrealistic. Glad they've got some ambition to improve the grounds significantly! (At least the surface parking lot is getting physically smaller while a structure is planned close to Leslie. More parking in total, but some land close to the valley edge gets turned over for more gardens: good.) Meanwhile, I'd happily walk or bike up the valley from Sunnybrook Park station to get to the gardens.

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The GTA does have another botanical gardens- the RBG in Hamilton which is significantly larger, though emptier.

I think the impact really does depend on the types of gardens planted- the more heavily planted areas are almost always the more impactful and visited areas, whereas areas like arboretums might as well be part of any other park (I always find them underwhelming). This, plus the benefit of terrain could mean that a smaller, more heavily planted park may end up more spectacular than a larger, emptier one.

For instance, the Butchard and Van Dusen Gardens in Vancouver are spectacular, even though the total areas of the parks aren't much larger than the Toronto Botanical Gardens.

I think they'll get some good bang for their buck with the new woodland gardens, teaching gardens and general garden expansions.

 

[freshcutgrass]

The City of Toronto has already decided that cutting the grass is too expensive, let alone planting flowers.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

The GTA does have another botanical gardens- the RBG in Hamilton which is significantly larger, though emptier.

I think the impact really does depend on the types of gardens planted- the more heavily planted areas are almost always the more impactful and visited areas, whereas areas like arboretums might as well be part of any other park (I always find them underwhelming). This, plus the benefit of terrain could mean that a smaller, more heavily planted park may end up more spectacular than a larger, emptier one.

For instance, the Van Dusen Gardens in Vancouver are spectacular, even though the total area of the park isn't much larger than the Toronto Botanical Gardens.

I think they'll get some good bang for their buck with the new woodland gardens, teaching gardens and general garden expansions.

Maybe one way to think of it isn't so much so a botanical garden but a botanical landscape - using the TRCA owned ravine as an organizing spine.

AoD

 

[interchange42]

The GTA does have another botanical gardens- the RBG in Hamilton which is significantly larger, though emptier.

I think the impact really does depend on the types of gardens planted- the more heavily planted areas are almost always the more impactful and visited areas, whereas areas like arboretums might as well be part of any other park (I always find them underwhelming). This, plus the benefit of terrain could mean that a smaller, more heavily planted park may end up more spectacular than a larger, emptier one.

For instance, the Van Dusen Gardens in Vancouver are spectacular, even though the total area of the park isn't much larger than the Toronto Botanical Gardens.

I think they'll get some good bang for their buck with the new woodland gardens, teaching gardens and general garden expansions.

For arboretums to really work, you need far more space than you'll find in Edwards Gardens. The massive RBG and Humber Arboretum up in Rexdale are better set up in that regard. The space is needed not just for more species, but for full groves of trees of the type being displayed.

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[Johnny Au]

There needs to be more topiaries as well.

There should be a topiary contest as well.

 

[W. K. Lis]

There needs to be more topiaries as well.

There should be a topiary contest as well.

To those who don't know what "topiaries" are, think of a very, very manicured foliage.

 

[TrickyRicky]

Much like interchange I found that last time I was in Montreal I found their botanical garden to be one of the most compelling experiences on offer that doesn't have a local equivalent here in Toronto.

Only a portion of the grounds have intensive planting and use. We especially enjoyed the greenhouses as well as the Asian gardens that encorporate architecture and cultural programming (even if in a slightly Epcot center-y way with curiously blue tinted water).

 

[interchange42]

The First Nations Garden blew me away this year too. Just beautiful. Frogs ribbiting away, turtles sunning themselves on rocks…

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