The much-loved LEAF Learning Garden has a special home in the hearts of many LEAFers. This unique patch of flowers, shrubs and trees allows people to experience and learn about a wide collection of native species while providing habitat for our urban wildlife.
But LEAF’s quiet little corner of the park often goes unnoticed by park users as it sits sandwiched between two fences that keep the garden as a secret oasis. Until now! Thanks to the playful imagery of James McLean, the entrance to the garden now beckons attention from almost every corner of the park.
“I wanted to create a sense of movement with floating leaves moving towards the entrance of the garden. Along with the leaves I included local flowers like poppies to follow the native plants that are found in LEAF gardens. For the creatures in the mural, my style gives a sense of a person or animal that is happy and vibrant. Adults and kids connect to the whimsical nature of these creatures and often ask questions like “What is that? Is it a cat? Is it a person?" The viewer gets to decide for themselves or make up their own creature using their imagination. I think this helps bring us back to our inner child and brings joy. When I was very young I was inspired by bright murals and hope that this can do the same for the kids that play in the park. It was amazing to have the help of LEAF volunteers. I was really happy to see people who were new to painting get comfortable and have fun with it.” – James McLean
The garden has been a great success since it was officially launched in 2010 and each year we improve upon our original design and programming. The City has approved our plans to expand and enhance the garden entrance in 2014 and 2015. The mural is our first major step and has already made a really positive impact on both the garden and the park.
“The mural provides a splash of colour to a rather ugly wall. It's pretty and thought provoking. I like it!” – Joe Agg, LEAF Outreach Volunteer
We are grateful to James for sharing his creativity, to all the LEAF volunteers who helped bring the mural to life, and to Brooke McIntosh, Store Manager at Dulux Paints on St. Clair who generously donated materials for the project.
We are also endlessly thankful for the dedicated efforts of our tenacious volunteer stewardship team who tends and cares for the LEAF garden throughout the season. Without them, there might not be much in the garden worth exploring!
To become a Garden Steward, sign up to become a LEAF Volunteer and join a stewardship team in 2015!
Erin MacDonald is LEAF’s Volunteer and Stewardship Coordinator.
The LEAF Learning Garden is supported by Ontario Power Generation's Biodiversity program and the City of Toronto’s Park, Forestry and Recreation division. Special thanks to Diane, Lance and Dave, our local parks staff for all of their assistance! And, we couldn’t do it without the support of Ward 21 Councillor Joe Mihevc, and his amazing assistant, Beth Gosnell!
James Mclean has been creating character art under the moniker Toye for 15 years. He has shown his art in Toronto, Montreal, New York, Oakland and Sydney. His work is known for its playful nature and use of textures and patterns.
Dulux Paints in Hillcrest can be found at 556 St. Clair Ave. W.