It turns out that you don’t necessarily have to travel to the Amazon to get a sense of what it’s like to trek through the jungle. A simple trip to the Junction Triangle – and more specifically, Urban Gardener – will satisfy your hankering for an abundance of tropical greenery.
At the corner of Dupont and Edwin is where you’ll find Urban Gardener. It’s one of the more established and long-standing businesses in the neighborhood and offers tons of plants, repotting services, and plenty of unique items from very talented makers. They’re quite literally a resource for all things plants.
The shop’s owner, Erin, started the company 7 years ago, though business started out a little differently than what it looks like today.
Initially, Urban Gardener was a full landscape and design company. But they also happened to sell tropical plants, which is why they opened up the store in the first place: mainly to be part of a community and be able to get to know a neighbourhood so people could meet them and see real faces behind the services.
Now, Urban Gardener is fully out of the landscaping business and now just sells tropical plants, cacti, succulents, pots, plant-care products, fertilizers, soils, and other items.
They’re also somewhat known as “plant whisperers”, if you will, and offer as much free advice as they can.
Urban Gardener is also proud to support a lot of makers. In fact, it’s one of Erin’s favorite parts of the job. A lot of items in the shop are obviously plant-related, but a lot of stuff isn’t. For instance, you’ll also find items such as candles, and household goods like tea towels. Regardless, everything is locally-made, or at least made by independent makers.
Going back to the plants: they’re all year-round houseplants. They’re from tropical climates, so you can keep them on your patio or deck – as long as they’re brought indoors by mid-September once the mercury on the termometer starts to dip. New plants come in every week, so they’re constantly refreshing the kind of plants they have.
Interestingly, Urban Gardener started carrying grow lights a couple of years ago. Since a lot of homes in Toronto are older without great windows, there may not be enough natural light for houseplants to soak in. These grow lights can be very useful, especially for homes with large plants that require lots of light, but don’t have sufficient natural light. They keep plants happy and healthy!
Now, why did Erin choose the Junction Triangle to set up shop? The answer is quite simple: the location is perfect for connecting with the community, which is one of the main reasons the store was opened in the first place. Plus, the storefront is south-facing, which is perfect for feeding oodles of natural light to the plants on display.