Ottawa Horticultural Society

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Retrospect: "A Perfect Half-Acre Garden"

Mr. Whyte was a founding member of the Ottawa Horticultural Society, of which he was President in 1908-09; he was also a founding member of the society's parent body, the Ontario Horticultural Association which he served as a Vice President until appointed President in the years 1910-1911. Miller's report illustrates some of Mr. Whyte's garden accomplishments and perhaps some of his gardening philosophy. His influence on Ottawa gardens was extended by his many plant importations, which he carefully evaluated, later propagated and distributed the best; for many years he contributed financially to city school gardens: eastern Ontario agricultural students still receive awards bearing his name.

The following excerpts are part of what Wilhelm Miller wrote in 1911:

"In the fifteen years that I have been hunting good gardens, I have never seen one that had as many points of interest as the half-acre garden of Mr. R. B. Whyte of Ottawa. It supplies a family of nine with all the fruit desired all year round, including 35 varieties of English gooseberries, 25 varieties of grapes and quantities of vegetables in season. Grown here are 600 kinds of flowers, including 150 varieties of peonies, 90 late tulips, 75 narcissus; 60 varieties of sweet peas, 50 perennial phlox, 40 lilies; thousands of gladiolus and you could cut 1000 poppies daily for two weeks. He produced the "Herbert" raspberry, a new gooseberry of promise and the best red gladiolus that I know.

He gives away three wagon-loads of plants every year to start new gardens. The soil is so mellow that the gardener never touches his foot to the spading-fork but simply sets it in and turns the earth over. The garden pays for itself in prizes, yet the climate is so severe that the season is only from May 1st. to October 1st. Do you wonder that the Governor-General and Lady Grey are visitors to this garden, especially since it is done by one man, working an average of two and a half hours a day; by this busy merchant who gardens before 8:30 a.m. and then works at his desk as a wholesale dealer from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. He has been a gardener for forty-five years: this house and garden he has had for thirty years. So my friend Mr. Whyte has used his leisure to make this garden.

Further his landscape photographs have won prizes at the Camera Club; he helped found the Ottawa Horticultural Society and has done serious work for the Botanical Club, which have been large factors in changing Ottawa. He has helped schools and children make notable progress: he is one of the half dozen most expert amateur gardeners I know. R.B. Whyte loves gardening; he once hurt his knee badly in an accident: with one leg in a cast for three years, he used to sit on a box, hoe as far as he could reach, get up, kick the box along and sit down again to work. For ten years I have been urging him to write, print, dictate or phonograph the story of his garden, but he does not like to see his name in print. So at last I went to Ottawa, spent a week studying his garden and other gardens he has influenced: this article gives only results: in others I hope to tell his methods.

Consider his results with fruit, vegetables and flowers; then his work as garden designer, collector and plant breeder; the social aspects of his garden - outdoor life, family benefits and what he has done to influence Ottawa gardens. Mr. Whyte raises all the fruit his family desires and to make the supply last he made a "fruit room" addition to his house, which keeps the fruit 2-3 months longer. He has nine varieties of apples and gets twenty barrels from the nine trees; he has six kinds of plums and gets about three barrels a year. Peaches are out of the question and he doesn't grow cherries because of the robins. He has twenty-five varieties of grapes and prefers training them on arbours rather than on trellis, providing a pleasant place to rest or read. Grapes take up less ground room, provide shade and are ornamental; he thinks that small gardens should have few trees and many vines. Goosberries are Mr. Whyte's specialty; he grows the European varieties, which are as large as plums. He has never failed to get first prize for his show collection, largest in Canada - 35 varieties and 25 unnamed seedlings; his 125 plants have never suffered from mildew. He does three things which give him success with these dessert fruits. They grow in heavy clay soil; in shade and get lots of moisture, yielding 5-8 quarts and sometimes one bush will yield 11 quarts. The bushes last 10-12 years, then they are layered and started anew: the original plants are from Europe. The most wonderful fruit in Mr. Whyte's garden is the "Herbert" raspberry believed to be the best flavoured, best yielding and hardiest red raspberry in the world: bearing twice the crop of Cuthbert of Loudon. At the Central Experimental Farm it has borne at the rate of 319 bushels per acre or five times the average given by 56 growers. With this berry in his garden Mr. Whyte does not grow any other small fruits; strawberries require too much care and blackberries take up too much room.

Only 10% of his garden is devoted to vegetables; his principle is to grow what cannot be bought of good quality. The space is thus used mostly for beans, corn and tomatoes, which Mrs. Whyte preserves.

The floral features of the garden start with crocus, scillas and snowdrops in April; Narcissus (70) and Tulips (100), the brackets indicate the no. of varieties: next the German (bearded) Iris (20), Peonies (150) and roses (20) in June with Japanese Iris (30), Oriental Poppies (20), other poppies (12) Spiraes (15) and Sweet Peas (60) flowering in July. In August-September the tender bulbs and tubers are at their best e.g. Cannas (20), Dahlias (40) gladiolus (up to 5000 corms) with Perennial asters (12) and Phlox (60+). Mr. Whyte cares more for variety than show; continuous garden effect rather than for cut flowers. These four purposes may conflict; no one can harmonize them completely. He has given a great deal of thought to continuity; to fill gaps he uses 40 kinds of lilies and 100 other perennials with varied bloom periods, including 20 varieties of yellow and gold day-lilies. He uses perennial material where ever possible. The annual fillers he uses are Shirley poppies and Sweet Peas: neighbours one day cut 4200 sweet peas in a day for a wedding. To keep his beds of spring-flowering bulbs productive in summer he sows poppies, nasturtiums and annual phlox seeds directly on the permanent bulb beds. As a collector, Mr. Whyte cares little for rarity but the plants and flowers must have beauty and interest. He takes up one genus at a time and sows every species and variety he can obtain; he buys his collections in Europe, grows them all, side by side, discarding inferior ones and replacing them. With Shirley poppies he tried every species and variety offered from Europe and America, once exhibiting 97 varieties: no poppy with a bloom measuring 31/2" to 4" is allowed to go to seed.

As an exhibitor R.B. Whyte cares little for rivalry, just wants to see better and more gardens. Prizes he wins help pay for new plants, though he sells nothing and as an amateur does not count his labour. His vacations are spent in his garden and he depends on it for exercise. He believes the only kind of garden you could leave in the summer would be a lawn, bordered by shrubs."

The preceding paragraphs are excerpts from Wilhelm Miller's article written seventy years ago about an outstanding Ottawa gardener who shared his garden and his knowledge with hundreds of people. A salute to R.B. Whyte.

W.M. Sandy Cavaye

A few more notes about R.B. Whyte

Emily's husband, Robert Bartley Whyte led an interesting life. His obituary appeared in the Perth Courier April 19, 1918. "Mr. R. B. Whyte, one of Ottawa's most prominent men and one of the best known horticulturists in Eastern Ontario died suddenly at his home, 370 Wilbrod St. about 10 o'clock Monday morning. A few minutes before he died, he walked into his house from the garden where he had been working. He was able to walk upstairs but expired a few moments after reaching his bedroom. Up to Monday morning he had been feeling very well, and it being a bright morning, he went out into the garden and worked for a couple of hours until he became exhausted from hard work. The late Mr. Whyte was born in Perth on October 31, 1850 and went to Ottawa when a child with his parents. His father, Mr. J. G. Whyte established the firm of J. G. Whyte and Son Limited in 1854 and he became associated with his father and worked in the business from the age of ten." Note: Visit the web site regarding the family business at http://www.jgwhyte.com/

"He was president of the firm up to the time of his death. While leaving Perth when quite young he nevertheless kept in touch with the town at all times and has been heard with great interest here on several occasions when he addressed Perth Horticultural Society. Forty-three years ago, Mr. Whyte married Miss Emily Ruth Patterson of Perth who survives with seven children. His eldest son, Leslie P. Whyte is the present manager of J. G. Whyte and Son Limited, Ottawa. Another son, Herbert D. is connected with the electrical business in Toronto. His five daughters are Miss Marion I. of Wingham, Ontario, Mrs. J. C. Hope of Rockcliffe, Mrs. Adam Ballantyne and Mrs. C. J. Tully of Ottawa and Miss Anna B. at home. He leaves two brothers, George C. of Grimsby, and Ernest Whyte of Ottawa. His only sister is Miss Isabella Whyte of Ottawa."

"He was chiefly interested all his life in horticulture and botany and gave much time to inculcate a love for garden, flower, and vegetable cultivation among the people of Ottawa. He was the most active member of the Ottawa Horticultural Society of which he was a charter member and was president for some years. He was particularly interested in the cultivation of flowers, but latterly paid much attention to war gardens. An evidence of his public spirit and liberality was recently shown when at his own expense he printed a valuable pamphlet on gardens and distributed it free. He was a prominent amateur botanist and was long associated with artistic photography. He was a member of several Ottawa organizations including the old Photographic Club and had been a member since its inception of the Photographic Art Club which has given several annual exhibitions in Ottawa. He was judge of the Lady Grey Garden Competition and in many ways showed his interest in horticulture and gardening. Mr. Whyte attended the Unitarian Church and has been for some time a member of the parish board of the Church of Our Father, Elgin St., Ottawa. The funeral was held Wednesday afternoon at 2:30. Interment in Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa."

Emily Ruth Patterson Whyte died in August,1928. A small notice in the Perth Courier was published on Friday, August 17, 1928 as follows: WHYTE At London, Ontario, Mrs. Whyte. Second eldest daughter of the late bailiff James Patterson of Perth

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