The Allan Gardens Conservatory Photo Essay

The Palm House at Allan Gardens
The Palm House at Allan Gardens

Click individual photos to enlarge.

We are introducing a brand new series of Photo Essays! Have a look at amazing Photo Sets all shot by talented photographers. Explore the vibe of the city, its hidden treasures, meet the Torontonians! This time, let's have a look at Toronto through the lens of Benson Kua!

Greenhouse roofs Allan Gardens
The beautiful greenhouse roofs glitter in the summer sun

The Allan Gardens Conservatory

Allan Gardens is bounded by Jarvis Street to the west, Sherbourne Street to the east, Carlton Street to the North, and Gerrard Street East to the South in Toronto's Garden District. Founded in 1858, this remarkable green oasis within the City of Toronto is one of its oldest parks. In the beautiful greenhouses of the Conservatory, you will find rare tropical plants from all over the world! Walk the more than 16,000 square feet of the complex and discover orchids in the Tropical House, a beautiful waterfall in the Cool House, and cacti and succulents in the Cactus House. It's small pieces of different worlds all sitting happily next to each other. This is an unforgettable experience for your kids!

You can take a walk inside the greenhouses all year round, although it might get too steamy during the summer. In that case, there are spacious gardens all around the Conservatory to be enjoyed, home to three kinds of squirrels, the largest flock of pigeons, and a statue of Robert Burns. The good news is that this amazing place is open every day from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. all year round and it's free! Follow the special events such as the Victorian Christmas Show (opening every first Sunday in December) that decorates the premises with thousands of flowering plants and welcomes you with some special events and carols. For Easter, the dome is filled with blue and pink hydrangeas and Easter lilies.

Tired after the long walk, taking in all the beauty hidden in the greenhouses? Open May through October in the historic barn at the north end of the gardens, you will find a cozy garden cafe overlooking the park to grab a coffee.

The Cactus House
Cactus House Allan Gardens Conservatory
You can get a glimpse of Arizona Dream in the cactus section
Visitors Botanical Gardens
Visitors admire the beauty of Botanical Gardens
Tropical flowers
The flowers are all neatly labeled so that you know exactly what you see!
Visitors Allan Gardens Conservatory
Visitors Allan Gardens Conservatory
In full bloom
The flowers in full bloom make you feel like in paradise
Flower Detail Allan Gardens
For keen photographers, the flowers offer endless patterns to work with
Macro Photography Allan Gardens
A little bit of macro photography
Toronto Botanical Gardens
Looking up through the glass ceiling
Statue of Leda Allan Gardens Conservatory
The beautiful statue of Leda and the Swan

All visual content is licensed by Creative Commons - you may use individual photos but you need to link them back to this original page properly and clearly attribute them to us.

Meet the Photographer

 
Benson Kua photographer

Benson Kua

Benson was born and raised in Manila, Philippines and currently resides in Toronto, Canada. He loves taking photographs of everything under the sun (or the moon) but has a soft spot for landscape and nature photography.

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