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Returning Parkdale to its Roots 

Apr 22, 2026 | Articles

Celebrating Earth Day with South Parkdale Community Pollinator Gardens 

Hidden under Parkdale’s sidewalks and boulevards is an ecosystem that’s fighting to flourish. For Earth Day this year, PARC wants to spotlight a local group looking to return Parkdale to its roots. We’re celebrating our partners at the South Parkdale Community Pollinator Gardens, and its members. 

About the South Parkdale Community Pollinator Gardens 

The South Parkdale Community Pollinator Gardens (SPCPG) is a neighbourhood organization that builds and maintains pollinator and habitat gardens on Tyndall, Springhurst, Spencer, and Dunn, right here in Parkdale.  

Since planting their first garden in 2022, the group has grown to 14 gardens across the neighbourhood. SPCPG explores what it means to unlearn typical Euro-centric gardening practices, to work toward decolonizing our gardens, and to build green spaces that are welcoming to all.  

Gardening as a Political Act 

Ally is a PARC team member, and a leader in the SPCPG. She describes gardening as a political act: a reclaiming of land that has been stripped of its origin. One of SPCPG’s core missions is to help their neighbours understand that native North American plants aren’t just beautiful. They are essential to sustaining life on the land we inhabit.

The relationship between native plants and pollinators is ancient. Without native plants, we lose native pollinators. Without squash bees, there is no squash – the chain is that direct. 

 

You might have heard that bees are becoming endangered. You may first think of honeybees, but they are actually European imports. It’s native bees — like the Rusty Patched Bumblebee — that are disappearing, because the plants they evolved alongside are being replaced by species that are invasive to North America. And it’s not just bees. Many things we do to take care of our garden, we do without thinking they would cause harm to nature.

    1. Pulling out milkweed and goldenrod removes critical host plants that species like the Monarch butterfly depend on to survive.
    2. Bagging dead leaves removes the overwintering habitat of firefly eggs.  
    3. Cutting and removing hollow plant stems eliminate nesting sites for native bees.

    These acts, while well-intentioned, quietly unravel what nature has built over centuries. But the fix isn’t complicated. It’s about leaving spaces to naturally thrive. Nature knows how to care for itself, when we let it.

    Green Space Grounded in Community 

    PARC member and SPCPG volunteer Ryan first got involved after spotting a sign at his building. What he found is something that connected him to his own history. Ryan’s father was a devoted gardener who spent decades tending his plants. “Being in the garden connects me to my past,” Ryan says. “My father spent countless hours tending to his plants and making them look beautiful.”

    But Ryan’s connection to the garden isn’t only personal. “Gardening raises awareness about how we can give back to nature,” he says. “Too often, we take without giving anything in return.” 

    That instinct to give back is at the heart of what SPCPG is building. Community gardeners have long understood what research is now confirming: that gardening is a grounding practice that measurably supports mental health outcomes. The act of connection with nature allows people to cope with stress, to build community connection, and to find belonging on the land we inhabit.

    In Parkdale, that belonging is something worth fighting for. Research from LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests) shows that lower-income and racialized communities tend to have less green space and fewer environmental benefits when compared to wealthier white neighbourhoods. Green space isn’t a luxury. It’s a matter of equity worth fighting for. 

    At the heart of SPCPG’s work is a quiet reframe of what beauty means. As Ally puts it: “Beauty is in the relationship between the plant and the pollinator. What I would want people to know, is that every plant is beautiful, where it’s from.” 

    With help from South Parkdale Community Pollinator Gardens, we can slowly work toward returning Parkdale to its roots. 

    Get Involved!

    SPCPG hosts educational events, tours, and workshops every month, and they’re looking for community members to join them — no experience required!

    Follow them on social media:
    Instagram or Facebook

    Join their mailing list by emailing:
    spcommunitypollinatorgardens@gmail.com

    We acknowledge that Toronto (Tkaronto) is on the traditional territory of many nations including the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, Chippewa, Wendat, and Huron peoples. Tkaronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and is home to many diverse First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples.