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 called the Civic Garden Centre.

Edwards Botanical Gardens
The Edwards Gardens
Location of the gardens in Toronto
TypePublic park, Botanical garden
LocationToronto, Ontario
Coordinates43°44′02″N 79°21′34″W
Created1956 (1956)
Operated byToronto city council
WebsiteEdwards Gardens Park
Part of a series on the
Don Valley
Rivers
Parks
History
Environment

It is a former estate garden featuring annuals, roses and wildflowers and an extensive rockery. It is located on Wilket Creek, one of the tributaries of the Don River West Branch. The estate's title was once held by Alexander Milne, a Scottish weaver who settled there after the War of 1812 and left in 1832.[1] Although the property remained in the Milne family, it was left in neglect. The land and the woollen/saw mills were bought by Rupert E. Edwards in 1944 and he created a magnificent garden there.[2][3] He sold the property to the Municipality of Metro Toronto in 1955 to become a public park, and it became Edwards Gardens in 1956. Toronto Botanical Garden (formerly Civic Garden Centre) relocated into the Milne home on the site in 1959.[4]

Edwards Gardens is one of several parks located along Toronto's ravines, many of which are connected by hiking and cycling trails, and connected to the shores of Lake Ontario. The park's manicured lawns and flower beds make it a popular destination for wedding parties to take photographs.

In 2013, Edwards Gardens won an Award of Excellence under the Regional Citation (New Directions) category from the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects for their sustainably designed parking lot.[5]

Following the example of some botanical gardens, Edwards Gardens put an accent on cheaper landscaping and event hosting instead of living collections, which tend to be neglected. However, most important botanical gardens consider living collections as a major conservation piece and their importance only grows as more and more wild species are threatened by climate change and by habitat loss due to human expansion.


See also

References
  1. Sauriol, Charles (1984). Tales of the Don. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Natural heritage/Natural History Inc. p. 177. ISBN 0-920474-30-6.
  2. "Classic or contemporary, Bridle Path takes cash". Canada.com. Postmedia News. 3 February 2007. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  3. "Toronto Botanical Garden: History". Toronto Botanical Garden. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  4. Hindmarch, Leanne. "Weston Family Library at the Toronto Botanical Garden" (PDF). The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries, Inc. Newsletter. Denver, Colorado, United States: CBHL: 22. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  5. "2013 Awards Edwards Gardens Sustainable Parking Lot Retrofit". Ontario Association of Landscape Architects. Retrieved 20 March 2015.

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