Every summer in Toronto, urban gardeners nurture an endless array of plants and flowers, whether in balcony pots, manicured backyards or pollinator-friendly patches buzzing with life.
Though a timeless summertime pursuit, gardening is also currently trending. From Kylie Jenner’s butterfly sanctuary to Mindy Kaling’s veggie-growing adventures, the pastime has blossomed into one of today’s most social-media-documented activities, with more than 200 million #gardening-tagged posts on TikTok.
But gardening also offers rare benefits in our overstimulated, screen-obsessed times: peace, patience and a connection to something green and real. Here, we spotlight a trio of Toronto residents who’ve found joy, calm and a little wild magic in their personal garden retreats.
The gardener: Jennifer Reynolds
Jennifer Reynolds’s Riverdale garden is a lush, layered retreat and a certified wildlife habitat. What began more than 20 years ago as a rubble-strewn lot is now a vibrant urban ecosystem, alive with birdsong, bees, berries and towering ginkgo trees. “I wanted to build something beautiful and green, yes, but also ecologically generous,” Reynolds says. With its sculptural trees, seasonal colour and welcoming spirit, Reynolds’s garden reflects her own evolving philosophy: that a city yard can be both sanctuary and home, for humans and wildlife alike.
What vision did you have for your garden on day one?
“My vision from the start was to create something lush and layered — a space that felt structured but natural, with various levels, not just flat planting beds along the perimeter. I imagined trees for shade and privacy, a patio to gather around and a mix of ornamental and edible plants and big cast iron urns spilling with seasonal colour.”
What’s your approach to colour and/or fragrance in your garden?
“Green has always been my favourite colour. I especially love chartreuse — it has always been my signature colour in garden design — and you’ll find it used prudently in my space, from my beech trees to perennials like hostas, heuchera and tiarella.
My planting style leans toward natural and sensory. I love subtle fragrances: the sweet perfume of crabapple blossoms in spring, the herbal scent of lemon verbena and thyme when you brush past, the freshness of cedar mulch in the summer heat. Even my hostas bloom with delicate, fragrant flowers. At the back of the garden, the climbing hydrangea gives off a sweet, surprising scent, too. The garden smells like the seasons unfolding.”
Do you have a garden disaster story?
“Years ago, I tried to grow a small patch of lawn at the back of the garden. My son was a baby, and I wanted a soft, sunny spot for a little pool, a sandbox and a few toys. Unfortunately, the local raccoon moms had the same idea — and night after night, they’d tear up the turf and dig through the soil. It was a losing battle. Eventually, we gave up on the grass and built a little playhouse back there instead. That turned out to be the best decision: It became a haven for neighbourhood kids, a place of imagination and creativity. Today, it’s used as a garden shed, but the spirit of it still lingers.”
What has gardening taught you?
“Gardening has taught me everything. It’s taught me how ecosystems work — how everything depends on everything else. It’s taught me how to read the seasons: not by the calendar but by when things bloom, fruit or go to seed. It’s given me a sense of place and time that’s deeply rooted in nature. And it’s taught me resilience. No matter what’s happening in the world, the garden keeps going. As soon as the ground warms up, nature presses play — and suddenly the buds break open, the birds return and the whole space comes alive again. It’s endlessly hopeful.”
The gardeners: Barry and Jacqui Dixon
The richly layered Dixon garden is an ever-evolving landscape of colour, conifers and calm. Tucked into its northern Leaside neighbourhood, it stretches 135 feet to the ravine edge of Serena Gundy Park and nods to British garden traditions and Canadian favourites alike. “You don’t need a cottage to relax,” say the Dixons. “Our garden gets us outside, keeps us moving and helps us decompress.” From dogwoods and magnolias to myriad evergreens and Japanese maples (there are 27 of the latter at last count), this is a garden shaped by passionate and patient green thumbs.
Your garden was recently on the Leaside Garden Tour; what is the best thing that a visitor has said about your garden?
Barry: “As people reached the edge of the house and the garden opened up, it was “Wow!” Then, “How many gardeners do you have?’ The answer is ‘just us’.”
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about gardening?
Jacqui: “Nature is in control and you need to work within her whims. You can never be perfect in the garden because stuff happens. Plants do their own thing and sometimes die or get too big, no matter what you want or try.”
What are the most important plants in your garden?
Jacqui: “Conifers for their winter interest, and I love dogwoods and magnolias.”
How do you use your garden differently through the seasons?
Jacqui: “In spring and summer: peace and relaxation with the work. In fall and winter: appreciating the colours and quiet, and planning any changes for next spring. And always, time to enjoy the dogs and our grandson.”
What is new to your garden this year and why did you add it?
Our garden is constantly evolving as it matures and plant life cycles take place. This year, we added clematis, have a mail order with perennials coming this week and two Japanese Maples to plant to add to the many we have.
What advice would you give a newbie gardener?
Jacqui: “A: Get in good soil and the right depth. B: Be aware of the areas of sun, shade and wind. C: Read, take classes, visit gardens and check out nurseries, and even mail order. And D: Apply the concept of layering your garden planting.”
Finish this sentence: “The perfect city garden is …”
Jacqui: ” … the one that gives you pleasure.”
The gardener: David Goveia
Perched on the third-floor deck of his narrow “south Cabbagetown” home, David Goveia’s garden is anything but ordinary. Part Bohemian sanctuary, part stage set, it’s an ever-evolving patchwork of potted plants, perfume bottles and trinkets — gifts from friends, remnants of travels, pieces of memory. “I use my garden to put good energy into the world,” says the former makeup artist, who spends hours each day tending to his space, puttering, deadheading and feeding its flocks of birds. Eclectic, soulful and defiantly personal, it’s a garden that eschews labels—“very you,” a friend once called it. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
What has your garden taught you?
“I laugh, but I’ve learned not everyone’s their best every day. This girl [pointing to a pink orchid with drooping blossoms potted on the wall] decided to get undressed last night. I watered her too much about three days ago, because the leaves looked wilted …. I learned now if you water a flowering orchid — hmm, it’s not so good.”
Where do you get gardening tips?
“I use the Picture This app. Just take a picture of [the plant you’re interested in], and its info comes up immediately. I will bring that to the plant store, which I do at least two or three times a week. I don’t really look at the tags. It’s whatever catches your eye first, that’s what you should buy.”
Do you have a favourite plant this year?
“Yes, my yellow trumpet tree; it’s on its third performance. But you have to deadhead; once you deadhead, things keep moving.”
What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made in the garden?
“Not a mistake, because everything I learn from, but I think it’s simply the old, silly one about not overwatering, because if a plant dries up, water the hell out of it, and put it in the shade to rest.”
