George Leslie 1804-1893

Photos and transcription by contributor Wayne Adam - Posted January, 2010

Here, on the southeast corner of Leslie Grove Park, at Queen Street East and Jones Avenue, is a 2009 Heritage Toronto plaque. Here's what it says about this gardener:

Plaque coordinates: 43.662796 -79.333029

Leslieville is named for gardener and businessman George Leslie who established the Toronto Nurseries in the area in 1845. His greenhouses and extensive fields produced everything from flowers to ornamental shrubs and trees. Leslie's trees were transplanted to provide shade in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, in Allan Gardens, and along some Toronto streets. By the 1870s, Toronto Nurseries advertised itself as the largest business of its kind in Canada.

At the same time as Leslie was earning an international reputation as a horticulturalist, he and his family played important roles in the growing community of Leslieville - including that of postmaster in the Leslie Post Office located in their family store. The Leslie legacy lives on in this park, once the family's property. Leslie Grove was the affectionate name given to the now lost, leafy oasis of the Toronto Nurseries.

Related web pages
George Leslie
greenhouses
Allan Gardens
Leslieville

Related Toronto plaque
Mount Pleasant Cemetery

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Entrepreneurs

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