Old trees in the Dominion Arboretum

In 1886 a few farms, south west of Ottawa, were set aside as the Central Experimental Farm. Soon, the Dominion Arboretum and Ornamental Gardens were established. The first 200 species of trees and shrubs were planted in the autumn of 1889. By the end of the 19th century, more than 3,000 specimens made up the scientific and research collection.

During the past century, the Arboretum has been the testing ground for over 10,000 kinds of woody plants. Today, more than 3,000 trees and shrubs grow on these 65 acres of valuable "urban" land.

Three thousand plants! Some are old some young, some big and some small, some flowering and some flowerless, some natural and some bred. some native and some introduced, but all are living records established by people like Saunders, Macoun, Preston, and others. And today, there are still 83 of the original trees growing in the Arboretum.

Evergreens: Fourteen trees of Canadian and European Spruces, which were planted between 1890 and 1897, hold their soft, pale-brown cones on their very top. Three trees are native North American, five are native European, and six are cultivars.

And Pines. Who would want to miss these marvelous giants with their long needles on high rising massive boughs? There are 18 pines in the collection, six of which are Black Pines which usually grow in a mild European climate. They have survived more than 100 Ottawa winters. The oldest Red, White, and Ponderosa Pines are the Arboretum's pioneers but for them a 100 years is only the very beginning of their long span to maturity.

Douglas Fir (often called Fir), are just in front of the entrance to the Arboretum. Do you know that British Columbia, Washington State, and Oregon are the only places where Douglas Fir forests dominate?

Cedars (Thuja). These coniferous trees, all of the ones in the Arboretum being cultivars, are unusual because of their foliage. They have no leaves or needles, but rather small green or yellow-green scales.

Deciduous Trees & Shrubs: The oldest ones are close to the main entrance. On the right-hand side of the access road there is a beautiful family of maple trees. Go for a walk underneath the wide-spreading crowns of the Miyabe, Norway, Silver and Globe-Red Maples. It is an experience not to be missed.

Our collection contains many nut-bearing trees. Native North Americans used several kinds of nuts. The first Europeans in Canada survived because they used products from the Black Walnut, and the Bur and Red Oaks. The originators of the Arboretum's collection substantially enriched the diversity of native nut trees using cultivars.

Today we wonder at the magnificent English Oaks and Maidenhair (Ginkgo) trees. These introduced trees produce seeds which are also valuable for human and wild life food.

The diversity of trees, initially planted in the Arboretum, includes specimens which are the best to demonstrate how trees meet arboriculture, horticulture, and agriculture needs.

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

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