Landscape Design
Urban Gardens
Patio of the Week
Backyard of the Week: Leafy Park-Like Retreat in Toronto
Layers of lush evergreen plantings frame a gravel oval in this tranquil urban garden
Invasive weeds had completely overrun this backyard in Toronto’s Junction neighborhood before landscape designer Sander Freedman transformed it into a lush green retreat. Channeling the gardens of Europe, Freedman used gravel and greenery to create a relaxed, park-like feel. Now, several years in, the garden has matured into what Freedman originally envisioned it to be. “It’s the kind of garden that just gets better as it grows in,” he says.
Everything centers around a gravel oval, an attractive, flexible space where the homeowner can entertain and relax. “When the oval is clear, it’s very cottage-like and park-like and very open. When [the homeowner] puts furniture on it, it becomes much more urban-feeling,” Freedman says.
The gravel, selected for its look and cost, sits on top of a weed barrier and a compacted aggregate base. Interlocking paving stones surround the oval, held in place with mortar. The oval “makes the yard look bigger because it’s wide,” Freedman says. “It takes your eye off the rectangular space.”
Four honeylocust trees (Gleditsia triacanthos) anchor the oval’s corners, adding shade and structure to the yard. “They’re about the most thin-leaved canopy tree you can get here to let light in and still get a canopy without shading the entire yard,” Freedman says. The arrangement of the trees also creates a feeling of enclosure and intimacy in the open yard.
The gravel, selected for its look and cost, sits on top of a weed barrier and a compacted aggregate base. Interlocking paving stones surround the oval, held in place with mortar. The oval “makes the yard look bigger because it’s wide,” Freedman says. “It takes your eye off the rectangular space.”
Four honeylocust trees (Gleditsia triacanthos) anchor the oval’s corners, adding shade and structure to the yard. “They’re about the most thin-leaved canopy tree you can get here to let light in and still get a canopy without shading the entire yard,” Freedman says. The arrangement of the trees also creates a feeling of enclosure and intimacy in the open yard.
Stone patios anchor both sides of the oval, connected by a short path of flagstone pavers. Here, on the rear edge of the garden next to an existing shed, landscaping blocks enclose a patio containing three types of rock: pea gravel, river rock and flagstone, all installed on an aggregate base. The material mix breaks up the monotony of the large rock square while meeting the low-maintenance, low-budget requirement. “It’s a family of materials,” Freedman says. “The mixture of rock really works.”
A small statue of a boy sits at the center of the river rock, adding interest while also solving a design dilemma. “There was a tree stump there that was too big to ground out,” Freedman says. The statue rests on top of the stump, while the rock conceals the rest of the tree’s remains. “It was easier to hide imperfections with larger rock,” the designer adds.
Designer tip for gravel: Despite gravel’s many benefits, it can often drift into other parts of the yard — or into the house — causing some people to avoid it. To prevent drifting, Freedman made the gravel layer less than 1 inch thick and laid it over a well-compacted base. “It pretty much stays in place,” he says.
Shop for garden statues and other yard art
A small statue of a boy sits at the center of the river rock, adding interest while also solving a design dilemma. “There was a tree stump there that was too big to ground out,” Freedman says. The statue rests on top of the stump, while the rock conceals the rest of the tree’s remains. “It was easier to hide imperfections with larger rock,” the designer adds.
Designer tip for gravel: Despite gravel’s many benefits, it can often drift into other parts of the yard — or into the house — causing some people to avoid it. To prevent drifting, Freedman made the gravel layer less than 1 inch thick and laid it over a well-compacted base. “It pretty much stays in place,” he says.
Shop for garden statues and other yard art
Lush plantings frame the yard, growing under trees, spilling onto pavers and spreading along the fence line. “Because it was meant to be natural and park-like, I wanted it to be green,” Freedman says. Two rows of arborvitaes (Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’) follow the lines of the gravel oval, screening the yard from an alley on one side and a neighboring property on the other. English ivy (Hedera helix) fills in the yard’s nooks and crannies without taking over. “There isn’t a lot of area for it to grow,” Freedman says, adding that the hardy plant survives Toronto’s cold, snowy winters.
In addition to the mostly green plant palette, the garden features a smattering of flowers spring through fall. Native coneflowers (Echinacea sp.) and black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) fill in under the locust trees, adding color and attracting beneficial wildlife. Hydrangeas, including oakleaf (Hydrangea quercifolia), panicled (H. paniculata) and ‘Annabelle’ wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’), line the edges of the yard.
In addition to the mostly green plant palette, the garden features a smattering of flowers spring through fall. Native coneflowers (Echinacea sp.) and black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) fill in under the locust trees, adding color and attracting beneficial wildlife. Hydrangeas, including oakleaf (Hydrangea quercifolia), panicled (H. paniculata) and ‘Annabelle’ wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’), line the edges of the yard.
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A single working woman who often hosts gatherings and events at home
Location: The Junction neighborhood of Toronto
Size: 3,000 square feet (279 square meters); 30 by 100 feet
Designer: Sander Design Landscape Architecture
The backyard serves a variety of uses: It creates a green retreat for the homeowner to relax and entertain in, improves the home’s visual appeal and gives someone on the third-floor terrace something attractive to look down on.
The design combines the client’s need for it to be low-cost and low-maintenance with Freedman’s vision. “It’s almost like a strolling garden with sitting areas. It’s a much more open, natural space than it is programmed for use of furniture,” he says. “That worked with the budget, the space and her taste.”
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