James Gardens

James Gardens is a public botanical garden in Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada along the Humber River. It was a former private estate sold to the City of Toronto and now managed by the Toronto Parks Department.OverviewJames Gardens consists of broad lawns, numerous flower beds, specimen plantings, rock gardens, nature trails, three large and four small ponds fed by a spring and connected by a stream, a carp pool, and a lawn bowling court. It is connected to the Humber River pedestrian and cycling trail.Each year thousands of flowers and over 75,000 tulips are planted in the beds, whose designs and materials are changed annually in the rock gardens and under the well-pruned trees and shrubs. Each year, there are tens of thousands of visitors, and many weddings and receptions are held on the grounds of James Gardens.HistoryIt was the estate of Mr. and Mrs. Fred T. James. In 1908, Fred James purchased the property from his wife's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Rumney, as well as the adjoining land from the Home Smith Company. This purchase totalled 21acre of hills, valleys, virgin forest, and bush meadow land on the west side of the Humber River in the area then part of Etobicoke.The James family lived in a house situated on the top west corner of the estate at Edgehill Road. Preserved to this day, it is a two-story, red-gabled house built of Humber River stone. The building is now a community recreation centre operated by the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation department. The horse stables were located below the house where the northwest stairs are now. Part of the original wall can still be seen. Various horseshoes, nails and coins have been found in the flower beds.