Toronto Music Garden in Winter

Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #55! I’m glad you’re here. Please come on in, help yourself to a cup of coffee, or tea, or hot chocolate at my coffee station and let’s chat.

Week 5/52

One of Toronto’s gems is the Toronto Music Garden. I wrote about it here. I love that the garden is open year-round with no entry fee. Its location right by the waterfront and next to Spadina Quay Wetlands also means there are always more plants and urban wildlife to see than what’s already in the garden.

Toronto Music Garden entrance in winter
Toronto Music Garden entrance in winter

This winter I had the pleasure to visit the garden on several occasions, with and without snow. The lack of leaves shows off the beautiful shape of the trees and their branches.

Beautiful tree and its branches.
A beautiful tree and its branches

While walking in the Toronto Music Garden, I discovered four charming birdhouses, watched and listened to many birds. The birds were vocal and quick to hide.

I also watched Danielle Hyde, a multi-disciplinary Indigenous artist, @CoCreation_Art, spray painted a colourful park mural on a storage building at the east end of the garden. The mural reflects the garden surroundings: People, plants, flowers, birds, butterflies, ducks, and water.

North side
North wall
East side
East wall – The door lock is between the two red and purple flowers
South side
South wall – The doors are easier to see at this angle
West side
West wall

I look forward to visiting the Toronto Music Garden again in Spring when many beautiful flowers bloom.

How has your week been?

Shared with #ThursdayDoors, #PPAC34, #SundayStills.

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99 thoughts on “Toronto Music Garden in Winter

  1. Dan Antion February 4, 2022 / 8:27 am

    I like that they have bird houses in a public park. It’s nice of them to welcome the birds. The murals do a great job of transforming the drab utility of the storage buildings. Street art can be interesting. Thanks for joining Thursday Doors, Natalie.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 1:57 pm

      Dan, This garden attracts many birds and has several pretty birdhouses. The murals on the storage buildings were done by spray painting. I was so impressed with the artist’s skills. Have a great weekend!

      Liked by 4 people

  2. leannelc February 4, 2022 / 8:45 am

    Hi Natalie – thanks for sharing that beautiful multi-sided mural and also those really cute little birdhouses/ I love that you find new things to photograph and share each week – it adds a bright spot to my evening.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 1:59 pm

      Hi Leanne, I’m happy my post and photos add a bright spot to your evening. I enjoy exploring, taking photos of colourful objects, and sharing them on my blog.

      Liked by 2 people

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 2:00 pm

      Yes, this garden is beautiful year round. Thank you Dawn for stopping by. Have a great weekend!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Janet Alcorn February 4, 2022 / 9:23 am

    So pretty! I love gardens in winter. You can see their bare bones and feel the promise of spring beneath your feet.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 2:02 pm

      Janet, Your last sentence describes my winter experiences at this garden so well. Thank you.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Gary A Wilson February 4, 2022 / 9:42 am

    The beauty of these places must be easy to miss in the winter. Thanks for making the so accessible to the coffee share folks.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 2:04 pm

      Thank you Gary for your comment. I enjoy walking in this garden and sharing some of its beauty with my blog readers and coffee sharers.

      Like

  5. Jill Weatherholt February 4, 2022 / 9:48 am

    I love that they have public housing for the birds…that’s great! Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos, Natalie.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 2:06 pm

      Jill, This garden seems to have a rotation of birdhouses. I’ve seen new ones every season. Birds love coming here and me too. Have a wonderful weekend!

      Liked by 1 person

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 2:08 pm

      Jo, I’m glad you love the heron mural. The artist sprayed paint from a can and turned a bland utility surface to a beautiful bird image. Thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend!

      Like

  6. Marsha February 4, 2022 / 12:23 pm

    I think Toronto must be the most beautiful city on earth, Natalie. Each week you bring us different places to enjoy. Thanks so much for your beautiful post link to PPAC.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 2:12 pm

      Marsha, I’m so happy you think Toronto is beautiful. I love this city and continue to be pleasantly surprised by what I discover every week. Thank you for providing a forum (PPAC) for me to share my discoveries. Have a wonderful weekend!

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Suzanne@PictureRetirement February 4, 2022 / 12:35 pm

    Natalie, Toronto seems like a city with a lot going on, no matter the season. Thanks for letting us follow you around. Virtual explorers…

    Liked by 3 people

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 2:15 pm

      Suzanne, You’re right that Toronto is a city with a lot going on year round. It’s less crowded in winter and in the pandemic so I’ve been taking advantage of this quieter time. Thank you for stopping by. I love that we’re both virtual explorers.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Thistles and Kiwis February 4, 2022 / 2:00 pm

    Every Saturday morning I sit with my second cup of tea and open up your posts for my virtual tour of Toronto. It is such a…small pleasure! I’ll try and join coffee share this week.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 2:18 pm

      Barbara, I’m so happy that my post is part of your Saturday morning. Small pleasures sustain us. I look forward to your coffee or tea share any weekend.

      Liked by 2 people

  9. Ally Bean February 4, 2022 / 2:36 pm

    A beautiful place to visit. Thanks for taking us along. I do like seeing a park in various seasons, so IF you go back in the spring I will enjoy that as well.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 6:15 pm

      Ally, I’ll be back to this garden in the spring and take photos for sure.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. rawsonjl February 4, 2022 / 3:06 pm

    What a beautiful park. We have been going broke trying to keep the birds fed at our house; they empty our feeders every few days!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 6:16 pm

      Joanne, Once you start feeding birds, they’ll keep coming.

      Like

  11. Teresa February 4, 2022 / 3:20 pm

    Every week, I am excited to see your posts for Thursday Doors, Natalie.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 6:19 pm

      Thank you, Teresa, for your lovely comment. I’m happy to hear you’re excited to see my posts for Thursday Doors.

      Like

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 6:19 pm

      Yes, this garden is beautiful year round.

      Like

  12. Debbie February 4, 2022 / 3:38 pm

    The gardens looks as if it is a lovely place in all seasons Natalie and those birdhouses are certainly worth showcasing! Thanks for taking us along with you 🙂 Happy #weekendcoffeeshare

    Liked by 3 people

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 6:22 pm

      Thank you, Debbie, for joining me. The gardeners take great care of this garden. I’ll be back in spring time and take photos of spring flowers.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Sue from Women Living Well After 50 February 4, 2022 / 5:58 pm

    Another lovely tour of Toronto for me, thanks Natalie. This week we visited Mt Tamborine. I thought of you and your ‘backyard’ discovery tours. I hope you enjoy seeing some of my photos from the day. Thanks for hosting #weekendcoffeeshare and have a beautiful week. x

    Liked by 3 people

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 6:26 pm

      Hi Sue, I’m so glad you’re doing discovery tours in your own backyard. There are lots to see and experience safely even during the pandemic. I look forward to reading your posts.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Terri Webster Schrandt February 4, 2022 / 7:49 pm

    The music garden is quite picturesque, Natalie, especially in the snow! I love the murals on the storage houses and how they beautify an otherwise drab area. How cool to watch an artists at work! Love the bird houses and will share this link on Sunday Stills as we feed the birds 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Natalie February 4, 2022 / 8:04 pm

      Terri, I’m so happy that my post is on prompt with Sunday Stills this weekend. I’ll link up and do pingback when your post goes live 🙂 The artist’s skills were unbelievable to watch. She sprayed paint from cans and turned a bland surface to beautiful murals. The more I study the murals, the more details emerge.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Retirement Reflections February 4, 2022 / 11:08 pm

    This is such a beautiful garden year round. You live in a wonderful city. Thank you for always exploring and sharing with us!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Natalie February 5, 2022 / 9:40 am

      Hi Donna, This garden is definitely a jewel. I enjoy exploring, taking photos and sharing them on my blog. Thank you for your ongoing encouragement.

      Like

  16. Jennifer Jones February 5, 2022 / 1:18 am

    Another beautiful garden in your city Natalie. I love the art and those birdhouses are gorgeous. We have many birdhouses on our property but they are definitely not as cute as these. In my opinion the winter landscape is just as beautiful as summer.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Natalie February 5, 2022 / 9:43 am

      Jennifer, How nice that you have many birdhouses on your property. I think painting birdhouses would be a fun project. I love the four seasons, each brings unique features to our surroundings.

      Like

  17. Susanne February 5, 2022 / 6:18 am

    That looks like such a beautiful place, Natalie! I visited your older post and was of course immediately impressed by the allium collection! I think such places are a bit depressing in the winter but I appreciate how you see the beauty of the trees without leaves. The painting of the butterfly is lovely and the birdhouses look fantastic. Hope you’ll have a good weekend and week ahead!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Natalie February 5, 2022 / 9:48 am

      Susanne, This garden is gorgeous in spring and summer with a huge variety of plants and flowers in bloom. Toronto gets many sunny days in winter so blue skies, evergreens and white snow give natural colours. Hand-painted birdhouses and murals add visual interests as well. Have a wonderful weekend and the week ahead!

      Like

  18. Writing Sparkle February 5, 2022 / 9:13 am

    I have never been to the Toronto Music Garden. It looks like a great place to visit. Thanks for sharing Natalie.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Natalie February 5, 2022 / 9:50 am

      Shari, This garden is beautiful year round, especially in spring and summer with many flowers in bloom. Thank you for stopping by. Have a great weekend!

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Lizl/Liz Bennefeld February 5, 2022 / 11:26 am

    Love the bare tree branches. I have taken so many autumn and winter photos of the trees. Quiet week, here. Cold and pretty much barren of activities, other than Al’s volunteer work, two days, and (finally, after months) a visit for the Scamper pups at their new groomer. Finally! Best wishes!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Natalie February 5, 2022 / 4:48 pm

      Lizl, The Scamper pups look good. I’m glad you love the bare tree branches. Have a nice weekend and a great week ahead!

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Christie Hawkes February 5, 2022 / 4:51 pm

    Those murals are beautiful, Natalie, and who doesn’t love singing birds. Thanks for sharing.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Natalie February 5, 2022 / 5:13 pm

      Christie, I’m glad you like the murals. The artist did a great job. Thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend!

      Like

  21. Jo February 5, 2022 / 5:27 pm

    Those murals are lovely, but I adored the birdhouses. Thanks for sharing this garden in another season.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Natalie February 5, 2022 / 6:15 pm

      Those birdhouses are cute, especially the one that says Hi 🙂

      Like

  22. csuhpat1 February 5, 2022 / 7:05 pm

    What a cool place. Love the murals and can’t wait until you visit it in the spring.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Natalie February 5, 2022 / 7:18 pm

      I’m glad you love the murals. I look forward to visiting this garden again soon.

      Like

  23. Kirstin February 5, 2022 / 7:32 pm

    Wow! I think in the months that I’ve participated…not sure how long that’s been, you always have something new and cool to share from Toronto….how wonderful that would be. I just love all the murals and I think I would enjoy the music garden.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Natalie February 5, 2022 / 7:57 pm

      Kirstin, I think you’d enjoy this garden, especially in spring and summer. There are a lot to explore and enjoy in Toronto. I’m fortunate to live in such a beautiful city.

      Like

    • Natalie February 6, 2022 / 10:27 am

      Alex, I’m glad you like my photo of the garden entrance. Have a great weekend!

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Maria February 6, 2022 / 10:37 am

    Thank you for taking us to Toronto Music Garden, I remember when you wrote about it earlier. It’s a different type of beauty in the winter. It’s truly wonderful to have seasons. Thank you for the coffee!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Natalie February 6, 2022 / 10:55 am

      Thank you, Maria, for stopping by. I love four seasons, each is unique. We’re getting closer to spring and soon I’ll see early spring flowers. I’ll hop over to read your coffee share post shortly.

      Like

  25. CadyLuck Leedy February 6, 2022 / 11:06 am

    Street Artists are amazing to me! They can whip up a beautiful mural in no time flat!……..I love going to gardens in all the Seasons, because you always see things you didn’t see before and they look so different in each Season too! Cady!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Natalie February 6, 2022 / 11:24 am

      Welcome, Cady, to my blog and thank you for joining me for a weekend coffee share. Like you, I love going to gardens in all seasons. I’ll visit your blog shortly.

      Liked by 1 person

  26. Astrid February 6, 2022 / 2:59 pm

    You are so good at noticing the beauty of nature even within such a large city, I admire you for it! The Music Garden sounds fantastic.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Natalie February 6, 2022 / 6:12 pm

      Thank you, Astrid, for your kind words. I enjoy exploring this garden whenever I visit it.

      Liked by 1 person

  27. Rowena February 7, 2022 / 3:44 am

    Natalie, it must’ve been incredible to see those stunning images emerge from a simple spray can. I love all your walls, and each appeals to me in a different way. It’s rained through much of our Summer and this Omnicron wave has dampened things too.. Autuwn and Spring are my favourite seasons when the edge of the cold and heat has been knocked off a bit.
    Hope you have a great week.
    Best wishes,
    Rowena

    Liked by 2 people

    • Natalie February 7, 2022 / 8:35 am

      Rowena, I’m glad you like the murals in my post. The artist has amazing skills. I hope the weather improves for you. We’re expecting mild temperatures this week so I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.

      Liked by 1 person

  28. Ju-Lyn February 8, 2022 / 5:31 pm

    Had a peek at these gardens at “not-winter” time – it’s amazing how transformed a place is with the change in seasons & its accompanying flora. The birdhouses are so adorable. It must have been fascinating to watch the murals being created!

    Like

    • Natalie February 8, 2022 / 5:44 pm

      Yes, the four seasons are distinct here. The artist showed amazing skills to create the murals from paint sprays.

      Like

      • Ju-Lyn February 8, 2022 / 6:16 pm

        It is indeed amazing to watch mural artists at work – their workspace, scale & tools are fascinating as it is challenging!!!!

        Like

  29. robertawrites235681907 February 13, 2022 / 1:18 pm

    This is a really lovely garden shed, Natalie. Great outdoor art. The garden is beautiful.

    Like

    • Natalie February 13, 2022 / 1:27 pm

      Robbie, Although this garden is beautiful year round, it’s gorgeous in spring and summer. I look forward to revisiting it in spring. The artist did a great job on the shed. Thank you for stopping by.

      Like

    • Natalie March 5, 2022 / 4:28 pm

      Thank you so much, Marsha, for featuring my post. An excellent reason for me to celebrate this weekend 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      • Marsha March 5, 2022 / 8:05 pm

        I’m glad. You have a good reason to celebrate. 🙂

        Like

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