Cabbagetown garden art and Hugh Garner Co-Op Green Roof: Toronto Garden Bloggers Fling

June 29, 2015


The teeny tiny gardens of Toronto’s Cabbagetown neighborhood of Victorian homes kicked off our final day of Toronto Garden Bloggers Fling in early June. Due to the tight quarters, pictures of artful vignettes were easier to take than overview photos, and I’m sharing my favorites here.

Cabbagetown neighborhood gardens


Mossy Buddha holding white stones


Another Buddha tucked amid greenery


Asian-style bamboo fountain in a “lake” of flat river rocks


A metal heron strides through chartreuse grasses.


Could he be hunting for koi?


I loved this screen of painted wooden laths in front of a pink garden shed.


What a clever decoration.


Jean of Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog and Brandon of In the Garden were enjoying this garden too.

Hugh Garner Co-Op Green Roof


From Cabbagetown we walked a few blocks to the Hugh Garner Housing Co-Op for a tour of its green roof. Open to co-op members since 2010, the green roof provides shady seating, individual planter boxes on wheels for residents, beautifying gardens, and a rainwater collection system.


Arbors shelter picnic tables for residents to enjoy.


Ninebark creates enclosure and blocks the wind.


Overlapping concrete tiles disguise a reservoir that collects and stores rainwater for use in the gardens.


A frog dances across the tiles, and I’m sure he looks quite at home when it rains.


The green roof is lovely and must be a welcome place for residents to relax, entertain, or grow a few edibles.


Beautiful combos


A fantastic skyline view is also among the garden’s pleasures.

Coming up next: A former brick factory turned community greenspace at Evergreen Brick Works. For a look back at Marion Jarvie’s gold-and-burgundy collector’s garden, click here.

All material © 2006-2015 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

Arbors, Birds, Canada, Community garden, Containers, Decor, Fish, Fling Toronto, Fountains, Garden art, Garden tours 2015, Green roofs, International, Paths, Patios/Decks, Seating, Sheds, Shrubs, Sustainable gardening, Travel, Views, Water features, Water-Saving Garden

15 responses to “Cabbagetown garden art and Hugh Garner Co-Op Green Roof: Toronto Garden Bloggers Fling”

  1. Linda/patchwork says:
    June 29, 2015 at 11:02 AM

    Beautiful!

  2. Lisa at Greenbow says:
    June 29, 2015 at 1:07 PM

    OOooooo I like that roof top garden. I haven’t seen too many of these that make me oooooo. Nice. Those tiny gardens are cute as buttons too.

    • Pam/Digging says:
      June 29, 2015 at 2:46 PM

      Being so far north, they can really grow some lush, leafy plants on their rooftop garden. I also loved the garden structures: arbors, gazebos, bridges. —Pam

  3. Laurin Lindsey says:
    June 29, 2015 at 3:51 PM

    Loved Cabbage Town, kind of reminded me of the Heights in Houston. So many wonderful little vignettes : )

  4. Peter/Outlaw says:
    June 29, 2015 at 6:23 PM

    Oh that rooftop garden and its views are gorgeous! Tiny Cabbage town gardens are charming!

  5. Marilyn Rodriguez says:
    June 29, 2015 at 6:47 PM

    Loving the Toronto gardens.

  6. Christine says:
    June 30, 2015 at 8:33 AM

    Beautiful tours! Love it…

  7. TexasDeb says:
    July 2, 2015 at 10:51 AM

    The roof top vantage reminds me a bit of The High Line. What a lovely neighborhood, it must be such a pleasure to stroll those sidewalks daily.

    • Pam/Digging says:
      July 2, 2015 at 3:00 PM

      It’s not as intimate as the High Line, Deb, which sits much closer to buildings and offers glimpses into residential windows. But it is a lovely city view, for sure. —Pam

  8. Helen at Toronto Gardens says:
    July 4, 2015 at 7:36 PM

    Cabbagetown is a special place, and the Hugh Garner is one very wonderful rooftop garden. Our friends at the Cabbagetown Preservation Association deserve a special thanks for helping us gain access to these gardens.