"TORONTO HORTICULTURE SOCIETY"
N 43° 39.710 W 079° 22.470
17T E 631061 N 4835598
This plaque is located in front of the green house in Allen Gardens in Toronto
Waymark Code: WM8VGE
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 05/17/2010
Views: 15
TORONTO HORTICULTURE SOCIETY
Founded in 1834 under the patronage of Sir John Colborne, lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada (1828-36), this was the first horticultural society organized in this province. Established to encourage the introduction and cultivation of improved varieties of fruits, plants, and vegetables, its first president was the Honourable George Markland, inspector-general of Upper Canada. An oval of five acres was donated to the Society by the Honourable George W. Allan and on September 11, 1860 the Horticultural Gardens were opened by the Prince of Wales (Edward VII). Additional land was leased from the municipality of Toronto in 1864 and in 1888 this park was turned over to the city. It was named Allan Gardens in 1901.
From: Wikipedia
Allan Gardens
Allan Gardens is a park and indoor botanical garden in Toronto. The garden and the main part of the property was donated by George William Allan, a one-time Mayor of Toronto and long-time Senator.
The park, one of the city's oldest (since 1858), is bounded by Jarvis Street on the west, Sherbourne Street on the east, Carlton Street on the north and Gerrard Street East on the south in Toronto's Garden District.
In the centre of the park is a Victorian conservatory known as the Palm House, built in 1909 to replace the pavilion burned in 1902. Rare tropical plants from all over the globe are nurtured inside. Admission is free. The trees in the park represent the northern tip of the Carolinian forest with species such as black cherry, American beech, red oak, sugar maple and sassafras. Most are over one hundred years old. The park is home to three varieties of squirrel, the gray, the black, and, unique to this park, the red tailed black squirrel. The park is also home to the city's largest flock of pigeons, a roving peregrine falcon and a statue of Robert Burns.
The University of Toronto greenhouse (1931) was moved to the site.