One of the most striking features of St. James Park is the beautiful garden originally based on a Victorian design that surrounds a classically-styled fountain. Locals and tourists alike stop to admire the beautifully planned floral displays which share every colour of the rainbow with those who stop to admire them.
The garden is a favourite spot for wedding photos. Visit the City of Toronto website for information about wedding photography permits.
With park benches installed around the fountain and throughout, the garden is designed as a contemplative place for those who wish to sit for a tranquil moment. When the winter snow starts to melt, visitors may catch a glimpse of purple and white crocuses as they break through the ground and symbolize the onset of spring. People from all over come to visit the brilliant colours of tulips on display. As the seasons’ progress, many different types of flowers bloom making each visit to the garden uniquely different. The garden beds throughout the park are well tended by city staff at Parks, Forestry and Recreation.
The original garden was gifted to the city by The Garden Club of Toronto in 1980. They spent two years researching a proper Victorian Garden for the park and worked with Landplan Collaborative Ltd to design the garden beds. The Victorians had a love for horticulture and the style of their gardens reveal that there was no such real notion of nature and staying true to indigenous plants. Instead, they sought the ornamental impact of elaborate patterns, displays, and colours.
While the garden has been modified some common elements found in a Victorian garden are still evident. This includes footpaths around the geometric shaped garden beds and shrubs that line the borders of the gardens. Fragrant roses and garden decor were mainstay features of any Victorian garden and the St. James garden continues to feature several rose beds, paired urns, ornamental stone statues, and a fountain. The original iron fencing was provided by the Toronto Historical Board (now Heritage Toronto) and the University of Toronto. The list of plants for the originally Victorian Garden can be found here.
The garden was renovated in 2003 by landscape designer Wendy Shearer. Improvements were needed because of the changing environmental conditions (shade where there used to be sun) and aging infrastructure. New plants were selected for the beds, the walkways were updated, fencing was refurbished, and a programmable irrigation system was installed. This was made possible by a generous bequest from Joyce Stephenson Cockburn in memory of the Heron and Stephenson families.
In 2019-20 the garden was expanded on the east side, as part of the St. James Park Revitalization project managed by the City of Toronto PFR and PMA Architects. Two new beds were designed and planted by The Garden Club of Toronto. New fencing, matching the original, was installed around the new perimeter, pathways were widened, and additional seating was added in a circular pattern around the fountain .