Blooms
An Illustrated History of the Ornamental Gardens at Ottawa’s Central Experimental Farm
Richard Hinchcliff
Blooms
An Illustrated History of the Ornamental Gardens at Ottawa’s Central Experimental Farm
Richard Hinchcliff
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Contents
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Introduction
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Foreword. .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Growing the Gardens. .
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1886–1911 — Blossoms in the Wilderness . . 1911–33 — The Gardens in Transition . .
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1933–59 — Plants for Canadian Gardens. .
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1959–86 — Shifts in Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 1986– present — New Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Plants and Gardens . . Roses. .
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Lilies . .
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Lilacs. .
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Peonies . .
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Irises and Daylilies. . Flowering Shrubs. .
Rosybloom Crabapples Chrysanthemums
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Perennials Maps. .
Endnotes
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Bibliography. .
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Image Credits. . Index. .
251 257
Rock Garden. . Annuals
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Macoun Memorial Garden
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Acknowledgements . .
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About Friends of the Central Experimental Farm. .
. . .
‘Miss Canada’ lilac
‘Ottawa’ Siberian iris
280 292 295 298 302 304
‘Carmenetta’ rose
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Introduction
T
he photograph opposite was taken on May 21, 1898. Ladies and gentlemen are gathered on the main lawn of the Central Experimental Farm for a garden party. Some are strolling around the grounds; most are at a large marquee, where “all the daintiest refreshments imaginable” 1 are being served. In the foreground is part of the Director’s Gardens. There are signs of spring, such as blossoms on a lilac to the left. The star-shaped evergreen hedge shelters beds of tender perennials. Farm Director William Saunders, genial, grey-bearded, passionate about flowers, and 62 years of age at the time of this party, planned the gardens 12 years earlier, when the Farm was a wilderness of forest, scrub, rocks, and swamp. In charge of the gardens was newly appointed Horticulturist William T. Macoun, a lanky 29-year-old protégé of Saunders, who loved poetry and was ready to recite some verse at any occasion — indeed, probably at this garden party.
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There have been many changes over the years; the gardens have been moved, redesigned, expanded, contracted, neglected, restored, and rebuilt. Most recently, staff and volunteers have restored rose, peony, lilac, and iris collections and created new gardens to honour the work of Ottawa’s Isabella Preston and Felicitas Svejda, world-famous plant hybridizers. Today, photographers come to capture wedding parties rather than garden parties.
Research, Education, and Beauty
above ‘Gatineau’, one of Isabella Preston’s Siberian irises, illustrated by Arthur Kellett. opposite Macoun Memorial Garden and the historic Cereal Crops Building.
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introduction
The changes that the gardens have undergone can be explained in part by the interplay of three drivers: research, education, and beauty. In the early days, the three were in perfect alignment. These were heady and rewarding times for those in horticulture at the Farm as they introduced Canadians to the joys of gardening by giving them new, made-in-Ottawa plants, the knowledge they needed to grow them, and a model garden for inspiration. The popularity of chrysanthemum shows at the Farm and expansion of the florist industry after World War II encouraged a shift in emphasis from garden plants to cut flowers. Eventually, research on ornamental plants was combined with all other plant research at the Farm, and although experiments in planting and trials of new flowers continued for a while, the ties between research and the gardens were loosened. As nurseries flourished and other information sources emerged, the educational benefit of the gardens was diluted. When all research in ornamental horticulture ended at the Farm, the continued existence of the Ornamental Gardens was threatened. Beauty prevailed, as staff and volunteers maintained the gardens, and recently there has been a new educational drive. Not only are there floral displays of award-winning plants, but also collections of the flowering plants that first bloomed at the Farm. As a result, Canadians can learn about the achievements of the creators of those plants who, with imagination, patience, and perseverance, earned international acclaim for themselves and Ottawa’s Ornamental Gardens.
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Growing the Gardens
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contemporary visitor to Ottawa’s Central Experimental Farm, now surrounded by a metropolis that’s home to more than a million people, may find it hard to imagine that this site was carved out of near wilderness when it was founded in 1886. Thanks to the vision of the Farm’s first director, William Saunders, ornamental gardens were part of this transformation. Early research at the Farm helped settlers in Canada learn how to effectively use their new land for agriculture, but in keeping with attitudes that changed with the times, ornamental horticulture was promoted as well, for the benefit of both individual gardeners and society at large. Although horticultural research eventually fell by the wayside, the Ornamental Gardens remain a landmark to this day. Here, we look at their evolution.
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above
“Dynamite, drains, and — last fall and this spring — 40 or 50 labourers have been the genii which have made 400 acres of rough land, only very partially cleared before, into a rich undulating plain.” The Ottawa Journal, June 11, 1888
right
The wilderness has been transformed in this 19th-century promotional illustration of the Central Experimental Farm.
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growing the gardens — 1886 –1911
1886-1911 Blossoms in the Wilderness At the outset the Central Farm was void of all attractiveness save that of its beautiful situation and outlook, but by judicious planning and planting the wilderness has been made to blossom. 1 William Saunders, 1898
B
efore 1886, the site for the Central Experimental Farm was “liberally sprinkled with stumps and stones, and encumbered with 140 acres of second-growth timber and 40 acres of swamp.” 2 William Saunders, who was appointed director in October of that year, was pleased that so much of the land had to be cleared. That way it was “virgin soil” for experiments. Although it was too late in the year for much work to be done at the Ottawa farm before winter set in, about 20 acres of fields were cleaned and ploughed, unnecessary internal fences were removed, an office building was erected, a stone cottage was repaired for use by the Farm foreman, and a small greenhouse was built. The Farm was one of five experimental farms established across Canada to help farmers adjust to climates, soils, and land that were new to them. In difficult times, they had neither the time nor the resources to experiment. An Act of Parliament of June 2, 1886 gave the federal government authority to proceed with the system of research farms. Saunders chose Ottawa to represent the central Ontario and Quebec climate zones.3 He established other farms at Brandon in Manitoba, Indian Head in Saskatchewan (then in Northwest Territories), and Agassiz in British Colombia, all on the new Canadian Pacific Railway line, and at Nappan in Nova Scotia, on the Intercolonial Railway line.
above This poster from the late 19th century promoting western migration has illustrations of the five government experimental farms. The Central Experimental Farm is in the centre.
growing the gardens — 1886 –1911
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Director’s Garden: A Source of Great Delight Saunders began the first flower gardens at the Farm on the main campus lawn, across Elm Avenue from the main dairy barn. They were directly in front of his residence, which provided a fine vantage point from which to monitor the blooms. (The William Saunders Building, opened in 1936, now occupies the site of his residence.) Lilies were among the early plantings. In a letter to her husband in August 1890, when he was away visiting other experimental farms, Sarah Agnes Saunders wrote that six beautiful Lilium auratum (Gold-banded or Golden-rayed lily) were open in the garden.24 While the gardens formed a delightful backdrop for formal garden parties on the lawn and attracted many visitors, they were also test beds. One of the duties of Canadian experimental
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growing the gardens — 1886 –1911
farms, according to the legislation, was to test “the merits, hardiness, and adaptability of new or untried varieties” 25 of fruits, vegetables, plants, and trees. This gave Saunders a mandate for his horticultural research, including the use of ornamental gardens. The performance of plants was measured and used in recommending the best varieties for the area. Plants that proved hardy and adaptable in Ottawa were also tested for their bloom time, length of blooming, height, colour of the flowers, and perfume. Results were useful to nurseries and especially to private property-owners wishing to begin or improve a garden. “The flower borders containing many species and varieties of annual and perennial plants had a splendid show of bloom all season,” wrote Saunders’ protégé, William T. Macoun, in 1895, “and the special beds prepared for pansies, peonies, geraniums,
roses, irises, lilies, and clematis were a source of great delight to those who visited the Farm.” 26 Tulips, hyacinths, and narcissus performed well, within the protection of a large, star-shaped evergreen enclosure. Eleven new flower beds were made in the fall of 1895, wrote Macoun, six of which were to feature the most attractive wildflowers found in Ontario, Quebec, the Maritime provinces, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, and British Columbia. “These will, it is believed, prove of special interest to those visiting the Farm from different parts of Canada.” below
Ornamental Gardens in the late 1890s, on the main lawn south of the director’s residence, between Birch and Maple Drives. An evergreen enclosure for tender plants is at right, and rose beds are in the centre. The main dairy barn is at right rear. The two residences at far left and far right remain as heritage buildings at the Farm.
There is [at the Farm] no stiffness, no ugliness, no pattern, no figure work, no striving for the ornate and no heartbreaking misfits. The gardens look as though they grew as nature planted them. The trees and shrubs have been gathered from the ends of the earth, but in type, form or colour they do not clash. There are simplicity, unity and beauty everywhere. The genius who planned and executed this magnificent work is Dr. William Saunders. He has given to it the thought and study of a lifetime. For more than twenty years he has been working out his designs. He is still improving, still perfecting, still polishing the details of his masterpiece. … If the Central Experimental Farm stood for nothing else than as an illustration of what nature will do when given a chance, the total cost to the country would be amply repaid.27 Walter James Brown Weekly Globe and Canada Farmer, 1909
growing the gardens — 1886 –1911
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The rose garden became a feature at the Ornamental Gardens after they were moved in 1911. Hybrid Perpetual roses are in the bed in the foreground, Hybrid China and White Moss roses are in the bed immediately behind. A pergola for climbing roses is in the background. First published in a 1915 bulletin on roses, this photograph was later hand-coloured, as were several others in the “Saunders Collection” at the Canadian Science and Technology Museum (see image credits).
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growing the gardens — 1911–33
1911 - 33 The Gardens in Transition This period, spanning Macoun’s working life, was transitional in Canadian gardening. We emerged out of a pioneering, clearing-the-land phase and into a garden-as-art phase.1 Edwinna von Baeyer, 2003
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uring his 25 years as director of Experimental Farms, William Saunders built a successful research facility in a beautiful landscape. He revealed his love of ornamental horticulture by personally supervising the planning and planting of gardens and, through his unique blend of research, education, and passion for beauty, launched programs that have led to today’s Ornamental Gardens. When he retired in April 1911, he left Hans Güssow and William Macoun in charge of the Farm’s ornamental grounds, men with decidedly different backgrounds and approaches. Effective January 1, 1911, Saunders placed Hans T. Güssow in charge of the Arboretum and Botanical Garden. Güssow, who had been appointed dominion botanist two years earlier at the age of 30, believed that a true botanical garden should be “for purposes of economic application and scientific study.” The focus, for him, was to be on research rather than “pleasing landscape effects or floral displays.” After Saunders had retired, Güssow wrote that in previous years, “there has been no desire to make a Botanical Garden in the true and wide meaning of the term, the grounds serving mainly as a trial ground for ornamental trees and shrubs, deciduous and evergreens.” 2 Saunders had always focused on the ornamental, to showcase the Farm as a model for farmers and their wives in beautifying their surroundings, and to demonstrate suitable plants for that purpose. He built the Arboretum and Botanical Garden on the most attractive part of the Farm and, when it was planted, proclaimed it a national Botanical Garden. Before he retired,
William T. Macoun, 1869 –1933
however, he probably accepted advice from Güssow, his young dominion botanist, that the Botanical Garden needed a stronger basis in science. Similarly, James Fletcher and his successor in 1909 as dominion entomologist, Charles Gordon Hewitt, had pushed Saunders for more fundamental research in their field.3 Güssow was born in Breslau, Germany in 1879 and studied at the universities of Breslau, Leipzig, and Berlin, specializing in applied botany, plant pathology, and bacteriology. He lived
growing the gardens — 1911–33
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growing the gardens — 1911–33
A Real Love for the Work Preston had quickly proved her worth but remained a day labourer. In support of Macoun’s appeal for her promotion to a permanent position, Director of Experimental Farms E. S. Archibald wrote a personal letter to the deputy minister. “I might say that I have watched her work at this Farm very carefully during the summer months,” he wrote in November 1920, “and she has been a most energetic worker in both breeding and correct labeling in the Ornamental Department. … Miss Preston, in addition to excellent training and an excellent record as a Hybridist at Guelph, has one great qualification so very difficult to discover in Assistants — namely, a real love for the work.” 50 Preston was finally made permanent, as specialist in ornamental horticulture, on September 9, 1922. As well as originating new plants for Canadian gardens, building an international reputation for herself and for the Central Experimental Farm, she was also busy re-building, planting, and maintaining the Ornamental Gardens. And plant labels
were important; before her time there had been complaints from the public about incorrect labelling. By 1929, Macoun could write that the collections were “well labelled and visitors were able to make notes on the varieties that pleased them best and in this way are in a position to order the choicest things from the nurserymen.” 51 Under Preston’s care and Macoun’s direction, the gardens flourished. Beds were built to show the new collection of lily species that had been grown from seed. Lilacs were moved from the Arboretum to the Ornamental Gardens, and new varieties were added. A new rose garden was built in 1926; a year later, 500 rose varieties were in the collection. The perennial gardens were a favourite of Preston. They “were a source of delight as she watched the numerous varieties develop,” wrote Edwinna von Baeyer. “She also enjoyed seeing her own introductions in the mixed border. She grew everything from delphiniums to perennial asters.” 52
opposite Isabella Preston among the bearded irises, with lilacs in the background. left
Lily beds in Isabella Preston’s experimental garden. She wrote that “growing lilies from seed is at all times a fascinating occupation, and when one is fortunate enough to find the right pollen to fertilize a species that seldom sets seed, it is particularly so.”53 Note the Cereal Barn (now a heritage building) and former water tower. For information on these handcoloured photographs, see the image credits on page 295.
growing the gardens — 1911–33
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growing the gardens — 1933–59
1933-59 Plants for Canadian Gardens It isn’t simply a matter of luck if lilacs and crab apple trees bloom in places on the prairie where winter is severe, or if bulbs planted by hopeful amateurs produce tall clusters of glowing lilies and clumps of iris in exquisite shades of blue. … It’s a matter of a lady from Lancashire. 1 Rosa L. Shaw, Chatelaine magazine, 1943 (referring to Isabella Preston)
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sabella Preston’s greatest successes with lilacs, lilies, crabapples, roses, and irises had been achieved by the time of Macoun’s death in 1933. And she was getting recognition and acclaim for her work. She certainly wasn’t finished. Macoun had always wanted to have a Canadian version of the sweetbriar or eglantine rose, known for its fragrance (and thorns). After his death, Preston began experiments to find one that was suitably hardy. She also continued to look for a yellow lily, for new types of Rosybloom crabapples, and for her elusive white Siberian iris. There was much to show off in the gardens. Lilies were resplendent in the border beside the rose pergola. The Lilac Walks were full of fragrant French hybrids each May. The collection of roses was rearranged during 1935–37, and there were around 200 varieties of peonies. Irises were arrayed alongside the lilacs, and Rosybloom crabapples were planted beside the Prescott Highway (now Prince of Wales Drive). There was something in bloom in the perennial borders throughout the season, and there were colourful displays of plants on trial in the beds of annuals.
The New Dominion Horticulturist Malcolm Bancroft Davis succeeded Macoun as dominion horticulturist and head of the Horticulture Division at the Central Experimental Farm. By 1933, the division had grown signifi-
cantly with new research programs in cold storage of fruits and vegetables, plant physiology, and nutrition. Much of the initial research in these areas had been conducted or led by Davis. Born and raised in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Davis attended the Nova Scotia Agricultural College and graduated from McGill University. After joining the Horticulture Division in December 1913, he left to serve with the Seventh McGill Battery of the Royal Canadian Artillery in Europe during World War I, returning to the division as Macoun’s chief assistant in 1919. Wishing to continue experimental work in horticulture,
left
Malcolm B. Davis, dominion horticulturist from 1933 to 1955. Davis supported the work of Isabella Preston, recognizing the stature she had brought to the division.
opposite A hand-coloured photo of the gardens in the 1930s shows ‘Grace Marshall’, a Stenographer lily which received an Award of Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in England.
growing the gardens — 1933–59
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“I above
Isabella Preston in 1943. The lady from Lancashire had become the grand lady of Canadian horticulture.
below
‘Isabella’, one of the Preston lilacs.
opposite
Hand-coloured photograph of Isabella Preston among the bearded irises, with lilacs in the background.
must confess I don’t know anything about Miss Isabella Preston of Ottawa, beyond her name and her reputation as a hybridizer of lilacs (syringae) and the exciting crosses she has made between Syringa villosa and Syringa reflexa. I wish I did know more. She must be one of those great gardeners, a true specialist devoting a whole life to the job — how enviable a decision to take, how wise to concentrate on one subject and to know everything about it instead of scattering little confetti bits of information over a hundred things. Such thoroughness and such privity of knowledge carry one back to medieval dates when leisure was the norm. I picture Miss Preston to myself as a lady in a big straw hat, going round with a packet of labels, a notebook, and a rabbit’s tail tied to a bamboo stick.” Vita Sackville-West 7
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growing the gardens — 1933–59
growing the gardens — 1933–59
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growing the gardens — 1933–59
Scenic Driveway Through the Farm A new scenic driveway through the Farm drew added attention to the garden displays and influenced ornamental planting around the grounds. There was a debate in Ottawa in 1936 about how to connect the driveway along the Rideau Canal with the new Island Park Drive in the west end of the city. The Federal District Commission (forerunner of the present National Capital Commission) had initially planned a route that skirted the Farm. The prime minister intervened. William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canada’s longest-serving prime minister, loved the Farm, believing it to be a showcase of scenic beauty. In his diaries he described horseback rides and automobile drives to the Farm in the early 1900s and many visits thereafter. His last recorded visit was in June 1950, a month before he died. The proposed route for the driveway, he wrote on May 11, 1936, “is no good at all, no scenic beauty — there is one through the Farm by a row of trees planted years ago, which is just the thing, and if brought via the Arboretum would command one
of the finest views in Ottawa. … The Ottawa Experimental Farm and Arboretum are ‘show’ places and should be brought in the driveway picture.” 19 Mackenzie King was successful in getting his route approved and wrote, “I returned from Westboro by a drive through the Experimental Farm. Nothing could be lovelier in neither Winter nor Summer than by that particular route.” 20 In May 1939, Prime Minister King accompanied King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in their ceremonial carriage ride through the Farm. He accompanied President Franklin D. Roosevelt by car along the driveway in August 1943 and Harry S. Truman in June 1947. With the new Driveway, “the grounds have taken on more than ever the place of a public park in the capital,” wrote Preston’s colleague Warren Oliver. “This calls for a higher standard of maintenance as well as a different type of treatment than was used formerly. … Materials are now being used in such a way as to educate the public to their proper landscape value rather than on their value as individual specimens.” 21
opposite Elm Avenue, renamed the Federal District Commission Driveway, was connected to Island Park Drive and became part of Ottawa’s scenic driveway (1950s photo). It provided an opportunity for the Horticulture Division to use plant materials “to educate the public to their proper landscape value.” It is now known as the National Capital Commission Driveway. below Beds of irises might have been seen through the elm trees beside the driveway (hand-coloured photograph).
growing the gardens — 1933–59
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P lants and Gardens I
t may be difficult to improve on the glories of nature, but in Canada, where the growing season is short and the climate harsh, ornamental horticulture has benefitted greatly from the work of dedicated researchers at the Central Experimental Farm. During the heyday of the Horticulture Division, specialists introduced new hybrids, conducted tests on other species and varieties available on the market, and created inspiring displays, all of which ensured that Canadians could enjoy magnificent blooms that survived from year to year in their own gardens. The remainder of this book looks at the Farm’s stunning past and present collections of flowering plants, many of which are world-renowned.
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Plants and — Plants and
Roses In his private garden a man may have two or three rose bushes, or perhaps a dozen, and thinks he is doing pretty well. The Experimental Farm has thousands… And we have it at our doorstep.1 Editorial, The Ottawa Journal, 1951
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n 2002, the restored Heritage Rose Garden was in its first full glory. There may not have been the number of roses there were 50 years before, as described by an editor at the Ottawa Journal, but they were worth going a long way to see. A few years earlier, volunteers and garden staff had dug out beds, replenished the soil, and researched and rearranged plants to balance old roses with repeat bloomers and old ramblers with modern climbers. The roses thrived in their central rectangular beds and in the borders by the garden’s fences. The Explorer Rose Garden, with its more rustic fences, contrasts with the formal Heritage Rose Garden. It is dedicated to the Explorer roses bred at the Farm by Felicitas Svejda. Her work was the culmination of 100 years of rose-making, begun by William Saunders and advanced by Isabella Preston.
o pp os i t e
‘Frontenac’, one of the Explorer roses released in Québec in 1992.
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the Farm. She also obtained seeds of the parent species from the Japanese island of Hokkaido and from Bar Harbor, Maine. “As plants of Rosa rugosa were found thriving very close to the seashore at Bar Harbor, Maine,” she wrote, “they should be resistant to salt spray.” 33 This would be a desirable trait in a rose planted alongside Canadian roads that are treated with salt in winter. Svejda developed a six-year scheme for evaluating her seedlings for winterkill, flowering, and resistance to disease. Her
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Roses — The Roses of Felicitas Svejda
evaluation process was painstaking; as she said, nature cannot be rushed. The seedlings were planted outside without protection, and, after three years, those that passed the tests were selected and put on trial for another three years. Sharon Saunders, a staff member who was involved in later trials by Svejda, remembers “laying out tiny rose plants in row upon row in our nursery. I also recall the continuous weeding of these small plants. Work would begin Monday at one end
of the field and by Friday hopefully it was finished so the cycle could start again the next week. I learned a lot about patience working that endless field.” 34 Of about 2,000 seedlings in her first trials, only two flowered for 12 weeks or more, but one of these, with pink double flowers, became the first in the Explorer rose series. Naming it ‘Martin Frobisher’, Svejda released it to the trade in 1968, and it became available in the spring of 1970 to gardeners, who no doubt appreciated the absence of thorns on its upper branches. Four other hybrid rugosa Explorer roses were released over the next 14 years. Before each was released, there was another step in the testing process: Svejda sent the roses across Canada and the U.S.A. for trial at other research establishments. ‘Martin Frobisher’, for example, was tested at Milwaukee, Wisconsin and at Palmer, Alaska, where it survived winter without cover. In 1983, there were 20 test locations across Canada and four in bordering states of the U.S.A., chosen to represent different plant hardiness zones. Results of the trials were compiled and provided to interested nurseries.
Everblooming Roses Hardy roses for the Canadian prairies … should be everblooming. … A new type of rose is in the offing.35 Felicitas Svejda, 1974 The first five Explorer roses, the rugosa descendants, have two main flowering periods and bloom sporadically in between. In her search for the everblooming feature, Felicitas Svejda experimented with other rose types. One was the Kordesii rose (Rosa kordesii), originated in 1940 by W. Kordes of SchleswigHolstein, Germany. It had Japanese rose and Memorial rose (R. wichuraiana) parentage. The Kordesii rose was a repeat bloomer and survived under winter snow at Ottawa. From her experiments with this rose, Svejda obtained offspring that she was to use as seed parents. The roses she worked with to find pollen parents were from an Albertan breeder. Born in France in 1903, Robert Simonet came to Edmonton, Alberta, at the age of 16. At 27, he started his own market garden and bred a wide range of ornamental plants for prairie use. The Simonet roses that Svejda chose were very hardy, surviving Ottawa winters without damage. Svejda began experiments with the Kordesii rose and the
Among the first Explorer roses released were ‘Jens Munk’ (opposite), ‘Henry Hudson’ (top), and ‘Charles Albanel’ (above, foreground).
Roses — The Roses of Felicitas Svejda
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Roses from the Central Experimental Farm40 by William Saunders41 ‘Agnes’ ‘Grace’ ‘Mary Arnott’ by Isabella Preston ‘Algonquin’ ‘Agassiz’ ‘Amy Hedrick’ ‘Antenor’ ‘Ardelia’ ‘Caribou’ ‘Carmenetta’ ‘Chippewa’ ‘Conestoga’ ‘Cree’ ‘Erie’ ‘Huron’ ‘Iroquois’ ‘Langford’ ‘Lucasia’ ‘Micmac’ ‘Millicent’ ‘Mohawk’ ‘Nascapee’ ‘Ojibway’ ‘Orinda’ ‘Patricia Macoun’ ‘Poliarchus’ ‘Regina’ ‘Rosania’ ‘Silvander’ ‘U.P. Hedrick’ ‘Valeria’
by Felicitas Svejda released in ottawa
‘Alexander Mackenzie’ ‘Champlain’ ‘Charles Albanel’ ‘David Thompson’ ‘Henry Hudson’ ‘Henry Kelsey’ ‘J. P. Connell’ ‘Jens Munk’ ‘John Cabot’ ‘John Davis’ ‘John Franklin’ ‘Martin Frobisher’ ‘William Baffin’ released in quebec
‘AC De Montarville’ ‘AC Marie-Victorin’ ‘AC William Booth’ ‘Captain Samuel Holland’ ‘Frontenac’ ‘George Vancouver’ ‘Lambert Closse’ ‘Louis Jolliet’ ‘Nicolas’ ‘Quadra’ ‘Royal Edward’ ‘Simon Fraser’ other named roses
‘Bonavista’ ‘Elmira’ ‘Moncton’ ‘Sydney’ ‘Ottawa’ (genetic stock) by Allan Chan ‘Flamingo Queen’ (see page 106)
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Roses
above
‘Millicent’, painted by Arthur Kellett in the 1930s.
Some of the Lost Roses of Isabella Preston
‘Poliarchus’ was an open-pollinated R. harisonii seedling. Preston wrote that it “has single pale pink flowers which fade rapidly to cream.”42
‘Iroquois’, a R. spinosissima rose by Preston with flowers, she wrote, that are “mauvish-pink, opening out to show the yellow anthers.”44
‘Orinda’ at the Farm, 1928. It “makes a fine large bush,” wrote Isabella Preston, with flowers that are “deep cream and semi-double.”43
‘U. P. Hedrick’, a “vigorous bush with abundant dark green foliage. The stems are reddish-brown … The flowers are single, large and pink.”45
Roses
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Our climate is very hard on roses, the cold and the dry heat both being extreme, and our soil also is too light and hot, but in spite of these drawbacks, we have a great show of bloom in late June and always some flowers until the snow comes.55 Isabella Preston (on roses at the Farm), 1924
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Roses — Early Gardens
Preston and Oliver divided the rose collection into three sections. Hybrid Perpetuals and older dwarf Polyanthas were in one area, Hybrid Teas and newer Hybrid Polyanthas in another. In the third area, they brought together old Damask, Gallica, Moss, and Cabbage roses with hardy species and new hybrid bush roses. It was “a more open though still formal arrangement of beds,” wrote Oliver, “so that the different classes and varieties could be displayed to better advantage.” 56 Two rows of five-foot-high stakes down the middle of the Hybrid Perpetuals supported climbing roses, two of which were Preston’s ‘Langford’ and ‘Patricia Macoun’. They grew well in 1943, wrote Preston, and with other climbers “completely covered the supports with foliage and flowers.” 57 Although the roses were “somewhat neglected” during World War II, according to Preston, they had returned to their full glory by 1951, at least in the eyes of the editorial writer at the Ottawa Journal quoted at the beginning of this chapter, who was captivated by the display of blooms in June. It was always a challenge to maintain a collection of tender roses, and there was a rapid turnover in the garden. This had advantages. The need to replace roses lost during severe winters provided the opportunity to try out many new varieties soon after they were put on the market. Rose fanciers appreciated being up to date with the latest, according to Oliver, who wrote, “The rose in Canada has kept pace with the rose elsewhere due to the fickleness of rose fanciers who have always been willing to cast off old loves for new. Thanks to them our gardens are full of the newest and best that modern hybridizers have to offer.” 58 One more notable change was made to the rose garden in 1962, when it was concentrated in its current location and organized to display the 50 best varieties for growing in the area. George Vorauer, former director of activities for the Friends of the Farm, remembered in 1964 “the ramblers and climbers, well-attached and hiding their wire supports, forming a wall of flowers around three sides of the long rectangular garden, and the centre beds filled with many colourful Hybrid Teas and Floribundas.” 59 This was the garden that, after suffering from neglect, was restored in 1999 and became known as the Heritage Rose Garden. Vorauer was a driving force behind the restoration.
Isabella Preston with her climbing rose ‘Patricia’, later to be named ‘Patricia Macoun’, at the Farm. In fact, neither the person nor the rose is identified in this photo published in Preston’s 1935 bulletin on roses — but we can surmise.
above ‘Baroness Rothschild’ is a Hybrid Tea rose from 1868. It was in the first rose garden at the Farm in the 1890s and recommended by William Saunders. It is seen here in an 1895 engraving and in a 2013 photograph taken at the garden. oppposite Another view of the Rose Garden, looking northwest, with the former administration building in the distance. Date unknown for this hand-coloured photograph.
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Peonies
Don’t forget that we have almost at our door, I mean at the Experimental Farm, a collection of peonies that is not only a peony education, but also an exhibition of colour that is worth going miles to see. … But it is human to overlook that which is already at hand, and so this magnificent collection is being admired only by the select few who appreciate its worth.1 Fred H. Byshe, The Ottawa Journal, 1920
“D
o not take the gardens at the Farm for granted” was a theme in Ottawa newspapers throughout the 20th century. Readers were urged to pay attention to treasures such as the peony collection, even though they might be growing their own. The collection at the Farm was “a peony education.” Research, beauty, and education — these were the driving forces in the evolution of the Farm and the Ornamental Gardens. Although formal research in ornamental horticulture is no longer being done there, staff and volunteers maintain and enhance the peony collection to offer beauty and education. It is a collection that reflects not only the history of peonies at the Farm but also the history of the peony itself. In recent years, a unique feature has been the huge number of peonies originated by Percy Saunders. There are few public gardens in the centre of the city of Ottawa. As the population density increases, perhaps more and more people will discover the Ornamental Gardens and come to share an appreciation of and love for its treasures, such as the peony display.
opposite
‘Coral Charm’
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The Peonies of Percy Saunders Few people have influenced the development of a group of flowering plants as much. … After thirty-seven years of work [Saunders] created some of the world’s most stunning garden plants.2 Martin Page, The Gardener’s Peony, 2005
T
he collection of Saunders peonies at the Ornamental Gardens is among the largest in North America. These “Saunders hybrids” came from one of the greatest contributors of all time to the breeding of peonies, A. P. (Percy) Saunders (1869-1953), one of the sons of William Saunders, founder of the Central Experimental Farm. Percy learned to hybridize as a youngster, helping his father with his horticultural experiments in London, Ontario. During summer holidays from the University of Toronto and Cornell University, Percy honed his skills in Ottawa, where his father enlisted his talents in the search for an earlier ripening, higher quality variety of wheat.3 Also involved in this wheat project was William Saunders’ special assistant, Will Macoun, who was the same age as Percy. After settling in as a professor of chemistry at Hamilton College in Clinton in upstate New York, Percy began gardening. While other plants he tried did not survive the climate, his peonies thrived, “so I drifted more and more into peony culture. I began growing seedlings about 1905 and began systematic work on species hybrids in 1917.” 4 Percy had observed his father’s growing collection of peonies at the Farm, and probably gathered seeds or pollen on visits to his parents until they left Ottawa in 1911. He then remained
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Peonies — The Peonies of Percy Saunders
above A. P. ( Percy) Saunders, one of William Saunders’ five sons, in a drawing from a photograph taken when he was about 30 years of age. opposite ‘Rosalette’ by Saunders. Almost all of his peonies are singles or semi-doubles. (See page 175 for the different peony forms.)
in touch with the collection at the Farm through his friend William Macoun. In 1908, Macoun had asked him to contribute a piece about peonies for a Farm bulletin on perennials. Twenty years later, on a visit to the Central Experimental Farm, Percy collected pollen from a peony species (P. coriacea) that he wanted to use. His subsequent experiments with this peony led to a hybrid he named ‘Lavender’, which introduced that colour to the peony world.5
Macoun asked Isabella Preston in 1920 to breed new lilacs, roses, lilies, crabapples, and columbines. Peonies were not on the list, even though, according to Macoun, only roses and gladioli exceeded the popularity of peonies at the time. The reason for the omission was surely because of the work of his friend Percy Saunders.6
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In later experiments, Saunders produced hybrids with complicated parentage. For example, ‘Pageant’ (top) combines three species and ‘Firelight’ (bottom), a Quadruple Hybrid, carries the genes of four distinct species.
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Peonies — The Peonies of Percy Saunders
Saunders’ systematic and dedicated crossbreeding resulted in a longer blooming season as well as blooms in a variety of colours for peonies. ‘Rose Tulip’ (top) and ‘Picotee’ (bottom) are just two examples.
Careful and Systematic Crossbreeding No one should undertake the work of hybridization unless he feels within himself an unfathomable well of patience. … One must take failure and disappointment as the order of the day, and regard every successful cross as a gift of the gods. 7 Percy Saunders By the early 20th century, hundreds of new peonies had been introduced by breeders bedazzled by the Chinese species of peony (Paeonia lactiflora). They had put aside the plainer native European species (P. officinalis) to seek more hybrids of the opulent, fragrant Chinese peony. Professor Saunders questioned the quality and importance of many of the new peonies. He believed that the range of form, colour, and bloom times had been taken about as far as it could go by the “indiscriminate raising of seedlings.” In other words, growers were collecting seeds from the flowers of plants that had received pollen naturally, and were germinating the seeds and growing seedlings in the hope of finding something new and exciting. Saunders wrote that it should no longer be thought that “bees are more intelligent hybridizers than men. … The only hope of success lies in a most careful selection of seed parents, or in cross-fertilization by hand.” 8 Carefully and systematically, Saunders set out to crossbreed different species. His main goal was to find “new lines that would produce early flowering types in greater variety and beauty” 9 than before. He succeeded in extending the blooming season by two to three weeks and introducing a range of brilliant new colours. “[He] produced unheard of colours,” wrote Mary Pratte, former president of the Canadian Peony Society and former advisor to the Friends of the Farm volunteer peony team, “such as lavender, cherry and creamy yellows, as well as two-toned flowers edged or with flares at the base of the petals in different, and often deeper, shades.” 10 He also expanded the range of the old-fashioned colours. Among the Saunders peonies, there were “new reds in vermillion, scarlet and cerise.” 11 There were always pink and pale pink flowers; now in the collection there are peonies described as peach pink, lavender pink, creamy pink, cerise pink, cherry
‘Defender’ (top) and ‘Liberator’ (bottom) belong to the awardwinning Challenger group of peonies by Saunders. He obtained them by crossbreeding the Chinese (Paeonia lactiflora) and European (P. officinalis) peony species.
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The Peony Collection The glory of the June garden is the peony, and all who behold are compelled to admire. People have their favourites in garden flowers, as in other things, but it is rarely that you meet anyone who does not experience a thrill of pleasure at the sight of a well-grown clump of peonies in full bloom.18 George Simpson, President, Ottawa Horticultural Society, 1918
P
ercy Saunders’ father, William, first director of the Central Experimental Farm, had a special fondness for peonies. They were among the first ornamentals he planted in his garden in the early days of the Farm. As a result of the large number of new peonies that were becoming available, William Saunders noted a renewed affection for this old garden favourite. Keen to try some of the new ones, he imported 141 different cultivars in 1895, most of them from Holland and France. About 40 varieties from Japan were added to the collection in 1897. There was a hint of skepticism when William Saunders wrote about the large number of varieties offered in the plant catalogues of growers. Some were offering “as many as 500 named sorts all said to be distinct varieties,” he wrote.19 It may be that, in some cases, the same peony was being introduced under a new name. His son Percy was later to lead an effort by the American Peony Society to introduce a ranking system intended to keep less desirable peonies from the market. Nevertheless, there was new beauty to be enjoyed with more variety within the usual colour groupings. Colours of the new peonies on offer, Saunders wrote, varied from “pure white through different shades of lilac, pink, rose, carmine, violet, purple, red and crimson, and many of them are rose scented.” The peonies were planted in large beds in the director’s gar-
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Peonies — The Peony Collection
dens on the main lawn of the campus. They “are arranged in three large beds each containing three rows of plants put out three feet apart each way, and are planted so as to have the plants in the second row alternate, and those in the third row opposite those in the first row. … The mass of flowers produced … is very effective, and the beds are much admired when at their best.” 20 Also, about 60 peonies were planted in the Arboretum in 1899. Tree peonies (P. moutan) had been tried there previously but found to be too tender. These shrubs, unlike herbaceous peonies, do not die back to the ground in winter. Flowers come out of the woody stems, and damage from the cold can be fatal. All herbaceous peonies, unlike tree peonies in those days, were hardy enough for Ottawa, so personal taste was an impor-
tant factor in recommending garden peonies. In a 1908 bulletin, W. T. Macoun presented his own choice of the 12 best peonies and, as well, included the 12 favourites of two other people. One was esteemed local Ottawa gardener R. B. Whyte and the other was Macoun’s peer Percy Saunders, “who has made a specialty of growing the best peonies.” 21
above Two of the three peony beds planted in 1895 in the director’s gardens on the main lawn. The Chemistry Building on the left remains today; the original administration building (centre) and the residence of the dominion chemist (right) do not. opposite Plantings of Japanese peonies, 1897, as noted by William Saunders.
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