Chapter 5 Blooming the Gardens

Central Experimental Farm

I’m Analyzing the Garden

Portrait of Isabella Preston drawn inside an orange-toned sculpted medallion.

Canada has a cool climate, and winters are snowy. These conditions aren’t suitable for all plants! For example, cold temperatures affect lily bulbs and reduce their chances of blooming. I’d like to add a new variety of plants to my garden, but I need your help!

  • Canadian garden
    In this illustration, the garden features a variety of colours. Red, pink, and purple flowers appear in the foreground, within the flowerbed.
    Good Cold Tolerance
    White
    Late Blooming
    Canadian garden

    My garden features flowers in a variety of colours. I’d like to add a lily to create a new sense of harmony. The ideal lily should be white and bloom late in the season. Cold resistance is essential to ensure the garden’s beauty.

    My garden features flowers in a variety of colours. I’d like to add a lily to create a new sense of harmony. The ideal lily should be white and bloom late in the season. Cold resistance is essential to ensure the garden’s beauty.

  • Low Cold Tolerance
  • Moderate Cold Tolerance
  • Good Cold Tolerance
  • White Color
  • Yellow Color
  • Purple Color
  • Short Blooming Period
  • Mid Blooming Period
  • Late Blooming Period

I Choose the Right Plant

Portrait of Isabella Preston drawn inside an orange-toned sculpted medallion.

 I want to add a lily to my garden. It must be white, cold-hardy, and bloom late in the season. But none of the lilies I know meet all these criteria. So, I’m going to combine two different lilies to create a new one. This technique is called hybridization.

The correct answer is Lilium ‘George C. Creelman’ because it tolerates cold well, its flowers are white, and it blooms later than the others.

  • Canadian garden
    In this illustration, the garden features a variety of colours. Red, pink, and purple flowers appear in the foreground, within the flowerbed.
    EN - Illustration d’un lis ‘George C. Creelman’
    Canadian garden
  • EN - Illustration d’un lis ‘George C. Creelman’
    Good Cold Tolerance
    White
    Late Blooming
    Lilium ‘George C. Creelman’
  • Illustration of a white martagon lily
    Good Cold Tolerance
    White
    Early Blooming
    Martagon Lily
  • Illustration of an orange Canada lily
    Good Cold Tolerance
    Yellow
    Late Blooming
    Lilium canadense
  • Illustration of a white rose
    Moderate Cold Tolerance
    White
    Early Blooming
    Rosa ‘Fabulous’
  • EN - Illustration of a lilac
    Moderate Cold Tolerance
    Purple
    Normal Blooming
    Syringa vulgaris

Scientific Experiments and Plants

At the Central Experimental Farm, many passionate scientists, horticulturists, and botanists created new plant varieties by crossbreeding. This allowed them to develop plants that were both more beautiful and more resistant to harsh weather. Thanks to their work, some plants became better adapted to Canada’s cold climate.

Isabella Preston with one of her Rosa rubrosa roses, about 1925
In this black-and-white photo, Isabella Preston is wearing a hat and smiling softly. She is posing near a rose bush, with the roses in full bloom.

I was fortunate enough to create some myself. I worked on developing hybrids of crabapple trees, lilacs, roses, and many others. I truly enjoyed the process and the success of my scientific experiments.
 

‘George C. Creelman’ Lily
In this black-and-white photo, a ‘George C. Creelman’ lily is centred against a grey background. At the base of the plant, about fifteen leaves are visible. Higher up, white flowers and flower buds are present.

In 1919, I succeeded in producing the first lily adapted to the Canadian climate: the Lilium ‘George C. Creelman’. This lily bloomed despite harsh winters. What a joy! Many gardening enthusiasts adopted it, but it disappeared from Canadian gardens in the 1940s. I’m proud to have contributed to the advancement of horticulture in Canada and to have shared my passion for plants.
 

Heritage Roses of the Ornamental Gardens
At the centre of this photograph, lush rose bushes fill the foreground. Their red, pink, and white blooms bring harmony to the garden. In the background, two wooden arches are surrounded by roses of various sizes. Grassy pathways allow visitors to walk through the space.

Hello!

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