The UFDGs are small gardens composed entirely of native perennials, shrubs and trees. Etablished by LEAF in 2010 in partnership with the TTC, they grow the urban forest by introducing more native plant species to the city and provide an opportunity for residents to play an active role in greening their communities.
How to Visit the Urban Forest Demonstration Gardens:
All the UFDGs are open to the public. Our gardens are located outside five TTC subway stations: St. Clair station (Pleasant Boulevard entrance), Spadina station (Walmer Road entrance), Bathurst station (Markham Street entrance), High Park station (Quebec Avenue entrance) and Old Mill station (Old Mill Trail entrance).
When you do visit the gardens, please respect these spaces by:
- Keeping them clean. Please do not litter or leave any belongings in the gardens.
- Keeping the plants safe. Please do not walk or allow pets to walk in the garden beds or damage the plants.
- Keeping everything in its place. Please do not remove any plants, garden labels, signs or other garden materials.
Also, please make sure that you are following the appropriate COVID-19 guidelines laid out by the City of Toronto when visiting our gardens, including proper social-distancing and wearing a mask or face covering.
Each garden is cared for by a group of volunteer Garden Stewards throughout the year. Whether it’s planting, watering, weeding, litter control or mulching, our Garden Stewards do whatever they can to help the gardens thrive!
Want to join in? The first step in becoming a volunteer Garden Steward is to join the LEAF Volunteer program.
Brian Millward is the Stewardship Coordinator at LEAF.
The LEAF Urban Forest Demonstration Gardens are supported by the Toronto Transit Commission.