While I was out of town, my community garden compatriot Ann McGuire kindly offered to check in on the little garden I had adopted and tended at a busy Toronto street corner.

Ann dropped by to water and check on the mix of existing perennials declaring themselves, as well as the new pots of geraniums I had added during my spring guerrilla garden mission.

The garden was coming into peak form — “filling in and looking summery,” as Ann put it. She identified a couple of perennials that were putting on a show — like the succulent sedum, with its touch-of-pink blooms, and two-toned phlox, vivid against the dark green of an ornamental conifer.

The site of the adopted garden is on the grounds of a local church that runs a weekly food bank program in this neighborhood. I decided to spill the beans to the church pastor. A few days later, Pastor Jim replied to my email:

“Thank you for your kindness and helpfulness in caring for our garden. I noticed that someone had beautified it! It has been a challenging time for a lot of people, and our food bank does keep us occupied.” The Pastor agreed to chat more later about the role of the food bank in this east end community.

Meanwhile, back-up guerrilla gardener Ann, a retired teacher and volunteer at the Toronto Botanical Garden, went down with a gardening injury. A misstep at her community garden plot resulted in some tendon damage. Ann soldiered on with her community garden plus watering trips to the guerrilla garden, while getting physio for her ankle. On a visit back to the big city, I swooped in to do some weeding to help out.

Ann quoted poet Robbie Burns’ line: “The best-laid schemes o’ mice and men gang aft agley.” Indeed, our best gardening intentions can often go awry, but we will find a way.

By August 2021, the bulk of work has already been done to improve the guerrilla garden. The injured Ann drove by to check on the site at Pape and Cosburn Avenues and reported that: “the garden looks quite full, lots of colour, small shrubs creeping and crawling into the empty spaces.” Mother nature also cooperated, with some rain through late summer.

The garden adjoins a busy bus stop and bright red public bench, where many local residents can take a load off in the hot summer.

The guerrilla garden will get more attention come this fall. Robbie Burns’ “Ode to a mouse” rings true — gardening plans often go sideways, and every which way, instead of straight ahead. But we will forge on.

Thanks Ann for the teamwork!