This year I found that his friend, Sara, put a dedication to him in one of her books
Dedication to Brian in Gardening, Naturally: A chemical-free handbook for the Prairies
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Also, I found that one of his photographs was included in an article
A Gardener's Paradise in University of Saskatoon
A gardener’s paradise at the University of Saskatchewan
Jackie Bantle , the Saskatchewan Perennial Society /Battlefords News-Optimist
MARCH 17, 2015 01:07 PM
One of the most interesting and educational outdoor plant spaces at the University of Saskatchewan is Patterson Garden Arboretum (http://patterson-arboretum.usask.ca), a two-hectare arboretum in Saskatoon tucked into the southeast corner of Preston Avenue and College Drive. The arboretum, established in 1966, was named to honour Dr. Cecil Patterson, the first head of the University’s Department of Horticulture Science. Established originally as part of a now discontinued network of woody ornamental hardiness trial sites on the Prairies, the arboretum continues to be used for teaching and has long been a popular stop for the local horticultural community.
Patterson Garden is the most diverse arboretum in Saskatchewan, containing about 850 different trees, shrubs and vines. While the core of the arboretum consists of more than 40-year-old trees and shrubs, new plant material is constantly being added to replace the non-hardy, the victims of significant disease or insect problems or the ones that have simply reached the end their natural lifespans. All the plants are labelled with common and botanical name plus the year they were planted.
Spring is both an aromatic and colourful time to wander through. Several willows bloom in early spring while more than 40 lilacs (Syringa) are in flower from mid-May into June. The blossoms of a dozen different flowering crabapples (Malus) usher in summer.
A collection of vines, forming the eastern edge of the arboretum, includes commonly grown plants such as Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) and Dropmore Scarlet Trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera brownii) along with the less known hairy honeysuckle (Lonicera hirsute) and Oak Lake Frost grape (Vitis riparia).
A large part of the arboretum contains various species and cultivars of shade trees such as oak, ash, poplar, elm, linden and birch. Seek out 44 year-old silver maple (Acer saccharinum).Also among the rare-for-the-Prairies are red ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), Serotina de Selys poplar (Populus canadensis), Japanese elm (Ulmus japonica), Mongolian lime (Tilia mongolica) and yellow birch (Betula lutea).Not to be missed are black walnut (Juglans nigra), scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea), the 48-year-old Shore pine (Pinuscontorta) and the nine-year-old Chinese catalpa tree (Catalpa ovata).
During the summer months, come and smell the 50 species and varieties of roses. Other flowering shrubs include 23 species of mature spirea and nearly 20 potentilla cultivars.
Scarlet oak, along with many of the deciduous burning bush (Euonymous spp.)varieties, provide spectacular red fall colour. Bark texture and colour, along with the large selection of conifers, provide interest during the cold winter months. There are 17 creeping juniper cultivars (Juniperus horizontalis) along with numerous other juniper species. Over 20 cedar cultivars (Thuja occidentalis) can be found in varying shapes and sizes. Thirteen spruce species (Picea) and varieties, planted over the last forty years, are also on display. Among the pines (Pinus) is a 48-year-old Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra) as well as a ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). An extremely attractive 34-year-old white pine (Pinus strobus), native to the eastern North America but rarely grown in Saskatchewan, can be found in the middle of the garden.
If you haven’t had a chance to visit Patterson Garden, I invite you to take a tour. It provides an opportunity to see what that tree you just planted or are planning to plant might look like in 20 or 40 years, as well as simply the wide variety of trees beyond poplar, ash and linden that are possible to grow in Saskatoon. Bring a friend or go by yourself on a contemplative walk among these mature trees to learn, clear your thoughts and listen to birds.
Patterson Garden is open to the public 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Maintenance and support for the arboretum is provided by the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan and the Meewasin Valley Authority.
Bantle is a horticulturist living in Saskatoon.
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WOW...found a 3rd mention of him...funny how when you change the search criteria, more show up
The Silver and the Grey
The Silver and the Grey
The silver and the grey
By Sara Williams , the Saskatchewan Perennial Society /News Optimist
OCTOBER 5, 2014 02:00 AM
Trees and shrubs with silver or grey foliage are attractive on their own but they really stand out when placed next to shrubs with purple-red foliage such as many of the barberries and ninebarks, not to mention Schubert chokecherry.
Two excellent silver-leaved, hardy woody perennials are Russian olive and wolfwillow, both members of the genus Elaeagnus. Both have attractive silver foliage, small silver berries and fragrant but inconspicuous flowers.
Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) is to dry areas what willows are to wet sites. Both have a large and billowy "willowy" appearance. The species name, angustifolia, means narrow leafed. Native to Europe and Asia, Russian olive is a graceful, fine textured tree, ranging in height from 4.5 to 7.5 metres. Leaves, twigs, flowers and fruit are all covered in minute grey scales, giving it a silvery appearance. The long, narrow leaves are retained through most of the winter, lending it a permanent "hoarfrosted" look. The inconspicuous yellow and silver flowers, borne in early June, are highly fragrant and are followed by inedible olive-like fruit. Thorny and non-thorny forms are available.
Russian olives do best in full sun in well-drained soils. They are drought- and salt tolerant but will not tolerate flooding or poor drainage. Some cultivars may suffer winter injury. These trees are used as specimen or shade trees, in screen plantings and in shelterbelts. The silver foliage contrasts well with evergreens and shrubs with red and purple foliage. Birds consume the fruit.
Wolfwillow (E. commutata) is native to the prairies and casts its sweet scent along fence lines in May, bringing nostalgic memories of walking to school to those who grew up in rural areas. An upright and sometimes leggy shrub of up to 2.5 metres, it suckers freely, soon forming thickets. Place it with care. It can be extremely "well-behaved" for 6 or 7 years and then dozens of unwanted suckers will emerge one spring as though by magic. On farms and acreages, a saline slough or a septic field is ideal. Little else will grow in these environments and there it can spread freely. The branches and leaves are covered with silvery scales. The fragrant, tubular, four-petalled flowers are inconspicuous, silver outside and yellow within. The small, silver fruit is dry and mealy.
Among the cultivars is Silverscape, a sterile hybrid of Russian olive and wolfwillow of only 1.8 metres in height and with less suckering than wolfwillow.
'Zempin' is an improved selection, widely available in Europe but much less so here in Canada. About 3.5 to 4.5 metres in height, it has very dark (almost black) branches and intense, contrasting silver foliage. Be warned: it suckers freely.
Wolfwillow does best in full sun in a variety of soils. It is used for wildlife plantings, naturalization, reclamation and on banks and slopes to control erosion. It provides food and cover for birds and is a bee nectar source.
Note: if your landscape is small, look for a wolfwillow that has been grafted onto Russian olive rootstock to prevent suckering.
Two other large shrubs with grey foliage are sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) and buffaloberry (Sheperdia argentea), another Prairie native. Neither is recommended for smaller urban landscapes because of their size, thorny nature, and tendency to sucker.
In their favour, they both are extremely drought-tolerant, salt tolerant and produce fruit. Although intensely labour intensive to pick and remove from stems, the fruit of sea buckthorn makes a lovely jam, similar in taste to an apricot liqueur. The red berries of buffaloberry were once widely used for pemmican. Both shrubs provide food and cover for birds.
Williams is the author of the new and revised Creating the Prairie Xeriscape. In her latest book, Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo: A Photographic History, she tells of the history of an institution and the personal stories of the people who made an important impact on Prairie agriculture.
- This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (www.saskperennial.ca; hortscene@yahoo.com). Check out our Bulletin Board or Calendar for upcoming garden information sessions.
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