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There are 43 cultivars from 12 Canadian originators in the Lilac Rows at the Ornamental Gardens.
The earliest originator in Canada (and North America) appears to be James Dougall of Windsor, Ontario, with eight cultivars from 1874-1880. His cultivar 'Princess Alexandra' can be seen in the Lilac Rows at the Ornamental Gardens.
Isabella Preston
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Isabella Preston of the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa was the most prolific originator. She began hybridization at the Farm in 1920 and 88 of her cultivars are recorded in the International Lilac Register. Of particular importance was her creation of the late-blooming, interspecific hybrids within the Villosae series, including cultivars of S. �prestoniae and S. �josiflexa.
There are 12 of her early and late-blooming cultivars in the Lilac Rows and an additional 31 elsewhere on the Farm. The Friends continue to acquire cultivars that are missing from the collection. A special planting of late-blooming lilacs was started, spring 2005, in the Ornamental Gardens, southwest of the Lilac Rows. This honours Isabella Preston and features plants she originated.
Examples in the rows of her late-blooming lilacs are 'Alice', 'Ethel M. Webster', 'Isabella', 'Nerissa', 'Olivia', 'Portia' and 'Silvia'. Examples of her early blooming lilacs are 'Grace', 'Maureen', 'Norah', 'Peggy' and 'Viscountess Willingdon'.
Dr. Frank Skinner, at his nursery in Roblin, Manitoba, started doing similar crosses of late-blooming lilacs two or three years after Miss Preston's start. Twelve were originated and we have five in the rows, 'Donald Wyman', 'Hecla', 'Helen', 'Hiawatha' and 'Hunting Tower'.
Frank Skinner
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Skinner is particularly known for his cultivars of S. �hyacinthiflora. He used a different subspecies of S. oblata, subsp. dilatata, for obtaining cultivars of S. �hyacinthiflora. These hybrids are very hardy and for the most part smaller and more compact than seen previously. Of 23 produced, we have 9 in the rows,
'Charles Nordine',
'Churchill',
'Daphne Pink',
'Doctor Chadwick',
'Excel',
'Gertrude Leslie', 'Maiden's Blush',
'Mount Baker' and 'Pocahontas'.
An unusual cultivar is S. �diversifolia 'William H. Judd'. It was grown by Skinner from seed received from Dr. Karl Sax, the Arnold Arboretum, Boston, resulting from crossing S. pinnatifolia and S. oblata subsp. oblata. Our plant in the rows is in poor health but a thriving plant can be found in the Arboretum.
Cultivars in the rows by other Canadians include:
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- from Ontario:
- from Ontario & Manitoba
- from Manitoba
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'Woodland Blue'
'Miss Canada' |
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USA
Europe
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Lilac Originators from Canada