Gardens of St. Cuthbert’s

St. Cuthbert’s gardens – vegetable, pollinator, perennial, and the ‘Green’ – provide an oasis in the heart of midtown Toronto. You don’t need to be a church member or have a green thumb to join us tending to the gardens! There are many ways to contribute including through time or donations of money, gardening supplies, organic seeds and/or seedlings. Other ways to help – such as weekly runs to the Flemingdon Food Bank – are invaluable. Want more information about how to get involved? Please send a quick email to gardnangels@gmail.com

Community Vegetable Garden

The community vegetable garden is a vibrant, busy place where volunteers come together with a common goal – provide fresh produce for the Flemingdon Food Bank while making new friends and getting some exercise and fresh air. What started in 2013 as a small project by the St. Cuthbert’s Sunday School “Church Kids” has grown into a thriving vegetable and herb garden. The crops are free of pesticides and herbicides and watering from cisterns of collected rainwater allows volunteers to work sustainably.

New helpers are always welcome so whether you have a few hours a week or can pitch in for an hour each month, please consider joining us. Or just stop by to see how things are growing!

Pollinator Gardens

The perennial gardens are lovingly tended by a group of dedicated volunteers who believe in creating a beautiful garden space for the whole community to use and enjoy, as well as promoting a sustainable environment for all. Large sections of the property have been converted to pollinator and native plant gardens.

A large pollinator garden nests at the south west corner of the property. This perennial plot was expanded in 2021, with lots of grants and donations as well as support from volunteer gardeners. Many indigenous plants are included to support  pollinators like bees and butterflies. A second small pollinator garden grows within the fenced vegetable garden, to improve cross-pollination.

In 2023, St. Cuthbert’s was the proud recipient of the annual Leaside Garden Society’s award, recognizing a non-residential property that has made a significant effort to beautify the community. The gardeners were recognized for “creating a tranquil and pleasing garden”, and for being an “inspiration to the neighbourhood and to all who pass by”.

The Bayview Garden

The Bayview Garden was officially opened in fall 2022. The intent of the extensive landscaping completed at the Bayview Avenue church entrance and St. Cuthbert’s Road was to open the space up, inviting the church and community to come together beyond the physical walls of the building. The Bayview Garden includes a large welcoming plaza, a new more accessible front entrance to the church and easier access to the Green. With the benches and fountain, this garden space provides a tranquil area for rest, prayer and meditation for parishioners, neighbours and the community at large.

The Bayview Garden’s vast array of native plants and perennial bloomers is lovingly tended by the same core team of volunteer gardeners from the church and community.

The Green

Affectionately known as “the Green”, this is the central large lawn that is bordered by the perennial and vegetable gardens. The Green is a hidden gem enjoyed by neighbours and groups of kids who come to play catch, bring their dogs to play fetch or just to gather with a small group of friends to seek shade under a tree, coffee or lunchbox in hand. Visitors to the Green linger at picnic tables chatting, and some may reflect on the Land Acknowledgement plaque beneath the nearly 200-year-old Heritage White Oak tree.  Members of the community are always welcome to enjoy this space.