Toronto garden cleanup: A Cabbagetown backyard before and after

A Cabbagetown backyard garden cleanup

My client, Willem, called me to clean up this Cabbagetown  backyard and path that were overrun with petty spurge (Euphorbia peplus), morning glory and grass seedlings. Here are some before and after shots of the clean up:

Toronto garden cleanup Cabbagetown backyard path
 before Paul Jung Gardening Services

Toronto garden cleanup Cabbagetown backyard path
after Paul Jung Gardening Services

Lovers of bedding plants: get thee to James Gardens!

They're here for a good time, not a long time....

My client Dale lives near James Gardens in west-end Toronto. I've profiled/critiqued the use of annuals before in a post titled "Toronto's James Gardens, in Technicolor" and was curious to see what this year's annual beds would be like. 

If you like drifts of hot colours, you'd be happy here. I just feel sad that all these annuals will be trashed in a couple of months when frost arrives. (I admit my bias towards perennials and shrubs.)

 I do understand that the city has to give visitors and/or taxpayers a reason to visit and value for tax dollars: a big wow factor. And all these beds keep a small army of gardeners employed seasonally with watering, weeding, etc.

What's also noteworthy: I didn't see many pollinators!

Here are some pictures from my very brief visit before seeing Dale:

James Gardens annuals layers late summer by
garden muses- a Toronto gardening blog

James Gardens late summer agastache by
garden muses- a Toronto gardening blog

James Gardens late summer annuals by
garden muses- a Toronto gardening blog

James Gardens late summer pastels by
garden muses- a Toronto gardening blog

James Gardens late summer primary colour annuals by
garden muses- a Toronto gardening blog

James Gardens layers annuals late summer by garden muses- a Toronto gardening blog

James Gardens primary colour annuals late summer by 
garden muses- a Toronto gardening blog

James Gardens annuals late summer by
garden muses- a Toronto gardening blog

By Paul Jung, author of "garden muses: a Toronto gardening blog"

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Leslieville front garden cleanup

Late summer Leslieville front yard weeding in east-end Toronto

I like a challenge and this Leslieville front garden certainly provided me one! It was full of thistle, quack grass, and a few Tree of Heaven saplings thrown in for good measure. 

This project is also an excellent case study for why you shouldn't use landscape fabric under a layer of pea gravel. This practice is completely useless when it comes to ongoing maintenance as weeds will grow under and through the fabric or simply on top.

Toronto garden cleanup Paul Jung Gardening Services Leslieville front before

Leslieville front garden cleanup Paul Jung Toronto Gardening Services after

Toronto garden cleanup Paul Jung Gardening Services Leslieville front yard  before

Toronto garden cleanup Paul Jung Gardening Services Leslieville front after