Traffic-calming gardens
Visitors to Stratford (as well as many residents) are sometimes surprised to discover that John Street North ends with a large traffic circle known as Churchill Circle. Homes in that neighbourhood were constructed to accommodate service personnel returning from the Second World War.
Alderman Harry Palmer was a visionary who saw the traffic circle as a traffic-calming measure to help make streets safer.
If you explore the neighbourhood, you will discover other safety features advocated by Alderman Palmer, such as the gentle curves of Glastonbury Drive that encourage slower driving speeds.
About the gardens
Within Churchill Circle is a large and very lovely public garden. Ample parking is nearby and the garden is a very pleasant place for leisurely exploration. Large rocks are conveniently placed for visitors to sit, rest and enjoy the surroundings.
Four gardens in one
Churchill Circle actually holds four gardens, or quadrants, each tended by a team of Garden Stratford volunteers. The quadrants alternate with predominantly “warm” and “cool” colours, with some common features, such as a serviceberry tree in each quadrant.
A pollinator haven
Churchill Circle garden is well known as a pollinator garden with many plant varieties such as bee balm, lupin, lavender, Helen’s flower and delphinium. Each was chosen to attract butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects. Monarch butterflies are among the species that are reliable visitors.
Try to visit the Churchill Circle garden several times over the season, because there is always something new and interesting to see.
Awesome work by our volunteers
One recent warm summer day, as members of Garden Stratford were working to keep the Churchill Circle garden beautiful, a young cyclist riding around the circle called out, “You’re doing an awesome job with that, folks!”
If you happen to visit Churchill Circle when our members are doing an “awesome job”, please take a moment to follow the cyclist’s example. The gardeners will appreciate it, and you will have a part in maintaining the garden’s beauty.