Profile Of A Life Member Virginia Peck

As a girl growing up on a farm outside of Calgary, Virginia used to help out growing vegetables in the family garden. In her spare time, she would roam the fields collecting wild flowers. Her natural fascination with the native plants of Canada emerged without any particular encouragement from her parents, who perhaps saw growing things on a completely different scale. But her interest continued and grew through 80 years into a lifetime relationship with plants and flowers.

Virginia came east in 1934 to study Household Science at MacDonald/McGill in Montreal. There she met Oswald Peck, a graduate student in Entomology, who had also studied Agriculture. Together the couple moved to Ottawa and in 1939 purchased a building lot on Mount Pleasant Avenue overlooking the Rideau Canal. "Actually", says Virginia, "we partnered with our neighbours to buy the empty lot between our houses and so we have a half-lot beside the house". It was an odd-shaped lot, "all triangles", with multiple levels.

Almost sixty years later, the Pecks still live in that house on Mount Pleasant Avenue. When they first moved in, they were told by friends that they would never be able to grow much in their garden. "They told us it was too sandy and that we would never have enough acidic content in the ground for it to amount to much" Virginia remembers with a smile. They were figuring without the perseverance of the Pecks.

Their first fall, Oswald made a bargain with the city crews to dump a truckful of leaves on their driveway. The leaves were composted in two large compost areas in the corner of their back yard. Then Oswald laboriously spread and mixed the result into the sandy soil. Year after year, the neighbours watched the crazy Pecks making the most of a truckful of leaves.

When they started, Virginia says, they could grow only potatoes in that soil. But after a couple of years of seeding, fertilizing and watering, they created a successful lawn and a full-range vegetable garden. Now, the Pecks have no more need of the city's leaves. They have their own small trees, and neighbours all save their leaves for the Pecks' compost!

The Pecks joined the Ottawa Horticultural Society out of interest and as a way to meet people in their new home. "Plus", says Virginia, "they were giving out a premium for joining - three Siberian Irises. I still have the children of those irises in my garden."

In those days, the OHS held their meetings in the old Teachers College downtown. Virginia remembers Sandy Cavaye, who was the Secretary-Treasurer for many years, as being most dedicated and efficient. "In those days, people would keep their offices for years and years. When he retired, it took about four people to replace Sandy on the job!"

Virginia entered into showing with tremendous enthusiasm. She would enter any and all classes just for the fun of competing and to gain points. Modestly refusing to enumerate all of her trophies, Virginia did admit to being proud of winning the Iris competition one year. Irises continued as an interest for her and her present garden has over 45 different varieties of Iris.

Eventually, the Pecks had three children on the go, and Virginia volunteered to help out with the Children's Arrangement Classes - up to ten kids at a time in her basement. She remembers young Jamie McKendry, who in typical boy style woudl spend only seconds on his arrangements. "It was always all wrong - wrong colours together, wrong flowers together - and yet he would never take advice ... and he always won top prize!"

Virginia and Oswald bought a cottage about 130 miles from Ottawa near St. Agathe where Oswald, the weeder of the family, was always accused of weeding the woods! But from there and from their many entomology trips, Virginia was able to transplant many native Canadian plants and flowers into their beloved Ottawa garden. Today, the garden on Mount Pleasant boasts a fine array of Trilliums, Columbine, Golden Rod, Pearly Everlasting, Devil's Paintbrush, Maidenhair Fern, Violets, Orange Milkweed and many others.

And every year, Virginia picks one new plant to tryout in the garden. Some of the most successful have been the Tall Ageratum, Black Pansies, a hardy Yucca (from Lena Jacob) and Purple Wave Trailing Petunias.

These days, Virginia takes care of the garden alone, since Oswald is now at the Perley Hospital. But the Pecks' love of gardening has spilled over into the new arrangement for they and others have started weeding the small outdoor garden available to the residents and their guests. And thinking back on a lifetime love of gardening, what else could they do?

Please contact the OHS or the author if you wish to republish these articles. © Ottawa Horticultural Society

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