Isabella Preston
Isabella Preston | |
---|---|
Born | Lancaster, England | September 4, 1881
Died | January 31, 1965 Georgetown, Ontario, Canada | (aged 83)
Alma mater | Ontario Agricultural College |
Known for | plant hybridization |
Isabella Preston (September 4, 1881 - January 31, 1965) was a horticulturist and public servant widely recognized for her achievements in plant hybridization and extensive work in
Early life and education
Isabella Preston was born on 4 September 1881 in
Career
Throughout World War I, plant breeders intensified their focus on fruit and vegetable plants. Government campaigns urged increased production in order to feed military personnel. Preston worked on breeding fruit that ripened quickly and was more resistant to insects and disease.[3] From her enrollment at the OAC until 1920, Preston contributed to the successful breeding of various vegetables, fruits and ornamental plants including garden lilies.[5]
She gained international recognition by introducing the acclaimed "George C. Creelman" lily and became the first professional woman hybridist in Canada in 1916.[6] This was accomplished in 1919, when she crossed two lilies, L. regale and L. sargentiae, to produce the Creelman Lily (Lilium × princeps ’George C. Creelman’), a six foot tall white lily. [1]The "George C. Creelman" lily was the first hybrid lily well suited to the Canadian climate.[3] Preston wrote numerous articles on various horticultural subjects, and in 1929 published Garden Lilies, the first book about lily cultivation in Canada.[6] During World War II, Preston acted as an advisor to the Royal Canadian Air Force on plants for camouflaging aircraft hangars.[3] She died on 31 December 1965 in Georgetown, Ontario.[7] Following her death, 139 of her gardening and plant books, along with her personal archives, were donated to the Royal Botanical Gardens Library in Hamilton, Ontario.[6]
In 1920, (at age 40) she relocated to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and worked as a day labourer for the federal government at the
Over the course off her career Preston produced roughly 200 plant hybrids working with
Horticultural achievements
- The Preston lilacs - 52 varieties that were hardy and late-bloomers,[5] many named for Shakespearean characters.[8] Most of these can be seen in the CEF's lilac collection today. (The varieties of lilac that were commonly seen in Europe bloomed too early in the Canadian climate and the buds or blooms were frequently nipped by late spring frosts.) Eighty of Miss Preston's late-blooming cultivars are recorded in the International Lilac Register although only about one-half of these were distributed to other institutions or nurseries.[9] Cultivars ‘Audrey', 'Elinor' and ‘Isabella' received Awards of Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society, London, England, in 1939, 1951 and 1941, respectively; 'Bellicent' was awarded a First Class Certificate in 1946.[8]
- The Stenographer lilies series – named after the 7 stenographers working at the CEF at the time. These lilies had dark red or orange flowers that faced outward and upward, which was a unique characteristic of this type of plant. Five of the Stenographer series lilies won Awards of Merit from horticulture societies in London and Boston, and were widely distributed commercially.[5]
- Fighter Aircraft lilies – named for second world war Allied planes[8]
- Canadian Lake crab apple trees with coloured leaves and pretty flowers named after Canadian Lakes.[5] Some of these rosyblooms, planted as early as 1928, can still be found in the Arboretum and Ornamental Gardens at the Central Experimental Farmin Ottawa.
- Siberian irises - named after Canadian Rivers[8]
- Preston roses – at least 20 hardy varieties, many of which were named after Canadian native tribes (Agassiz, Algonquin, Antenor, Ardelia, Caribou, Carmenetta, Chippewa, Conestoga, Cree, Erie, Huron, Iroquois, Langford, Micmac, Millicent, Mohawk, Nascapee, Orinda, Patricia Macoun, Ojibway, Poliarchus, Regina, Rosania, Sylvander and Valeria).[6] While her roses never won her awards, they provided an excellent stage for the work of Dr Felicitas Svejda[10] who worked at the CEF from 1956–86 and became known as Canada’s rose expert.
Honours and awards
Preston was hailed as the "Queen of Ornamental Horticulture" and a new hybrid species of lilacs, "Syringa prestoniae", was named in her honour.[5] This was the result of a cross between wild species from China and put Canada on the lilac "map".[9] In 2005 the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa created the "Preston Heritage Collection".[8] In February 2007, Canada Post released two new stamps featuring a lilac variety developed by Ms. Preston. She was co-organizer of the North American Lily Society. The Isabella Preston Trophy was established by the North American Lily Society in recognition of her work.[6] She received awards from many Canadian and international horticultural societies including lifetime memberships from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and the Canadian Iris Society.[6] Notable awards include the Veitch Memorial Medal in Gold (Royal Horticultural Society, London, 1938), Jackson Dawson Medal (Massachusetts Horticultural Society, 1946), Lytell Cup (Lily Committee, Royal Horticultural Society, 1950), and the EH Wilson Memorial Award (North American Lily Society, 1961).[6]
Preston's research is depicted in the poster gallery created by Ingenium Canada's The Women in STEM initiative. This poster gallery is a collaborative effort between the three Ingenium museums: Canada Agriculture and Food, Canada Aviation and Space, and Canada Science and Technology and their partners to support the engagement, advancement and furtherance of women in STEM. [11]
See also
- Timeline of women in science
- Ornamental Gardens, Ottawa
References
- ^ a b c life, Live the Garden. "Discover Canada's Garden Hall of Famers - A Canadian Garden Council Initiative". Live the Garden Life. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ a b Shelley, Cameron (20 August 2018). "Flash From the Past: Isabella Preston makes lily history at the OAC". TheRecord.com. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Baeyer, Edwinna von (2008). "Isabella Preston". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
- ^ a b von Baeyer, Edwinna (1985). "The Horticultural odyssey of Isabella Preston". Canadian Horticultural History. 1 (3). Hamilton, Ont.: Centre for Canadian Historical Horticultural Studies, Royal Botanical Gardens: 125–175. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
- ^ ISBN 0660120364. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Isabella Preston Authority on plant hybridization, especially of lilies". www.science.ca. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
- ^ "Georgetown Herald (Georgetown, ON), 6 Jan 1966, p. 3".
- ^ a b c d e "Lilacs at the Gardens & Arboretum".
- ^ a b "Lilacs at the Gardens & Arboretum".
- ^ "Isabella Preston". Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- ^ "Women in STEM". 15 June 2022.