Parkdale Park

Nice community garden with nearby community center. Will sometimes find hosted events like the earlier pet palooza/pet stores.

The playground is large and fun. Multiple slides, swings, climbers, monkey bars, merry go round, and a digger keep kids occupied for hours. A train and Jeep appeal to vehicle-oriented kids. Gravel base.

Tons of seating around the park. A couple tables. Lots of trees, so it's shady in the summer.

I have been a member of the Parkdale Community Garden (PCG) for a number of years. Each year it gets better. I created this rough layout for the benefit of garden visitors , both members and non-members. The catalyst behind the garden was the visionary and activist Audrey Smith, who began in 2013 to work with the Parkdale Community Association to design a urban food forest meeting place. Her name is on the plaque on the garden shed called Parkdale Station. Although Audrey has moved on to other projects her stamp on the Garden is indelible.

The centre of the circle is the Perennial Circle which was planted in 2015?. Plants include a Nanking Cherry, Artemisia schmidtiana ‘Nana’ Silver Mound, Autumn Joy sedum, Historic tall bearded Iris ‘Mrs. Andrist’, and many others.

The raised beds surrounding the Perennial Circle are "rented" out to PCG members and the produce belongs solely to the members.

Ringed around the raised beds are the food forest guilds based on Audrey's design. Thanks to a generous TD Green Street grant hundreds of additions were made in 2015 including fruit bushes and trees and the undergrowth perennials. Unlike the raised beds, much of the produce from the guilds is shareable. This includes raspberries, apples, cherries, rhubarb, and Saskatoon berries.

The Children's area includes a huge, clean, well-managed sandbox where parents and children can take advantage of the adirondack chairs and catch up on some garden reading using the Little Library.

To the south east of the sandbox is the Herb Circle which is enclosed to keep the hares out. People are welcome to snip off some chives, tarragon, mint, lemon grass, oregano, stevia, and much more. In May 2018, the chives are ready for some harvesting and there is a lot of lovage being cut back.

To the north of the sandbox is another Perennial bed and to the east in a second Perennial Circle. Both these areas came into existence in 2015? when a team of 30 Brookfield volunteers active in the construction of The Henry, worked with PCG members to transplant 100s of plants from an individual gardener's laneway garden (now Parkdale Lane) to these beds. The second Perennial Circle has a Mock Orange, Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ Feather Reed Grass, a Peonie, and many other perennials. The other bed contains many Irises, Hemerocallis ‘Stella de Oro’ day lilies, and much more.

The red rectangle is the tool shed built by Marcel Hebert in 2014-5?, Parkdale Station honouring Parkdale's historical tram route.

Behind the took shed is a deceivingly simple but actually very sophisticated composting operation where compost teas and scientifically-tested compost is produced. Using an off-site high-tech digital microscope soil scientist "amateur" identifies good nematodes etc as part of the educational process.

Regular Speakers Series are organized and hosted in the adjacent Parkdale Community Association building.

Great community garden, and a great place to relax and go for a walk. There's an outdoor rink for the winter time, and community garden for the summertime. A great way to be involved with the community and the Arts as well.

Nice community park with a playground and diamond. It also has a great community garden too. It is part of the Parkdale Community Centre.