You Grow Girl™

I forgot to mention that in late August we visited the Toronto Music Garden. I took notes but of course I can no longer locate the notes. This quote from the website will have to do.

Yes I know it all sounds very pretentious, and in not knowing the music I was unable to visualise what was supposed to be going on. However, I have to say that it is the best garden in Toronto that I have personally seen (as of yet). Their use of grasses was perfect and I couldn't imagine the garden being nearly as exciting as it was in late August when the grasses were at their peak. Some were so large they completely obstructed your view to other areas of the garden.

I love the way the whole thing was setup as little spaces and when you were within those spaces you couldn't see into other spaces. While outside each "room" you couldn't see what was to come until you got there which added to a feeling of intrigue and surprise. A lot of this was acheived via windy paths and large foliage.

My favourite room was Sarabande. It is comprised of a spiral pathway lined with evergreens and Japanese maples. In the centre is a large rock that is carved in the centre as a basin for water that is meant to "reflect the sky" and allow the viewer to contemplate.

The other section that most impressed me was, I believe, Courante. It is another windy path that circles upwards through lush Russian sage and tall grasses. The foliage is so dense it envelopes some of the pathway and you have to literally push through it. What is interesting is that on the way down you take a completely different route and you can't view those coming up or vice-versa. That aspect of the design impressed me the most. The entire hillside was covered in extremely tall grasses that hide the entire trail on both sides from view.