The guardians of the garden
Toronto’s Maple Cottage seeks more volunteer caretakers,
Amrutha Simon is one of two volunteers keeping a traditional Victorian, cottage-style garden at a Toronto historic landmark alive.
Maple Cottage is tucked away on Laing Street in Leslieville. However, people outside of the neighbourhood don’t seem to know much about it, said Simon.
It’s a space for everyone to enjoy and it’s been a respite during the pandemic, said Simon, who along with long-time volunteer Elaine Genus, maintains the gardens, including the cost of basic supplies such as mulch, soil and plants.
The gardens can be accessed through a pergola arch from either Laing Street or Maple Leaf Forever Park located behind the cottage.
Follow a pathway lined with butterfly bushes and cherry blossom trees, along with perennial beds that focus on pollinator-friendly and native plants, as well as an herb garden. “It’s like you’re in a magical garden when you stand here and you’re surrounded by monarchs,” said Simon.
“The cottage is actually a traditional Ontario worker’s cottage and the architecture is very significant; there are very few of these left. I don’t know if people know that. I don’t know if people outside of Leslieville know about the cottage or the gardens and the significance of the space,” said Simon.
Maple Cottage and the property, owned by the City of Toronto, were designated a historical landmark in 1992. Though some historians dispute it, some say that a majestic silver maple tree that once stood in the front yard may have inspired Alexander Muir to write “The Maple Leaf Forever” in 1867. A plaque stands just inside the gate of the front yard of the cottage where Muir once lived, commemorating Muir and the song.
Another plaque, that Simon found in a shed and hopes to repair, commemorates the official opening of the garden in 2005, acknowledging the development of the perennial gardens by volunteers of the Maple Cottage Garden Club in partnership with the City of Toronto. But today, Simon and Genus are the only volunteers who remain.
This hasn’t discouraged the two women from continuing to care for the garden — a hidden gem in the city — but they say there is a need for volunteers and support to keep the gardens alive.
“I never really stop to think about what we do, I just do it. It’s quite a bit for two people, but we’re not complaining; it’s more of an ask for help,” said Simon, who started working in the garden nearly four years ago after meeting Genus, who began volunteering 15 years ago, when there were still many of the original volunteers. The number of volunteers gradually faded away — many were older, moved away or were unable to help, said Genus. “It was just me for about seven or eight years. I would do what I could.”
The cottage fell into disrepair, leaving it unusable as a community space. This was a bustling community spot with arts and craft classes, yoga meetups and children’s birthday parties, said Genus.
“It was always busy, it was full of life. I’d love to see it go back to that again.”
The women hope the city might renovate the cottage so it can be used again for community events and as a space for people to learn about gardening. “It would be great to get the local kids out here and to teach them about plants, pollinators and the needs of the ecosystem. That’s so important for the next generation to learn,” said Simon.
So many people don’t have space to garden, so this can be a space that connects people to nature, said Simon, who spends about six to eight hours a week working in the garden.
Maintaining a volunteer-run public garden comes with its challenges, from finding volunteers and acquiring plants and mulch to theft. “Once we caught a landscaper with his truck stealing plants from us and so we followed him. We didn’t go too close to him, but he got the message and didn’t come back,” said Genus.
“I dug out a bed overtaken with creeping bell flower, an invasive species, and filled it with native plants that were on sale at the end of the season. In two to three years, that bed is going to look beautiful and be great for pollinators. It would be great to have some easy support, like giving us some compost and mulch,” said Simon.
“We need people to help and if they have any donations — plants, stepping-stones, extra mulch or soil, whatever it is — we’ll probably take it,” added Simon, who has been able to acquire some plant donations through local Facebook community and gardening groups.
“This is part of the community. Yes, part of it is we get that personal joy and satisfaction, but the other part of it is giving back to the community.”
Visit the gardens at 62 Laing St. in Leslieville and Maple Cottage Community Garden Facebook Page to donate materials or get involved.