A new logo for the OHS

From the late seventies until 2001, the Society used as its logo, a depiction of the sumac, as designed by a Society member, Mrs. Fred Smith. The sumac was chosen as it is native to North America, is hardy in our part of the country and produces beautiful colour. A prolific grower around the National Capital area, the plant came to be associated with Ottawa, and inspired a local poet in the 1890s to write in Indian Summer:

Along the line of smoky hills
The crimson forest stands …..
……
And all the sumachs on the hills
Have turned their green to red.

In October, 2001, Judy Shedden, a long-time and active member of the society proposed that the logo be changed to portray the tulip, a plant that has certainly been associated with Ottawa and the National Capital area for many years. Part of the history of Ottawa's link to the tulip goes back to the fall of 1945, when Princess Juliana of the Netherlands presented the city with 100,000 tulip bulbs. The gift was given in appreciation of the safe haven which Holland's exiled royal family received during the Second World War and in recognition of the role which Canadian troops played in liberating the Netherlands.

Our annual Tulip Festival, the largest of its kind, attracts visitors to our area from all over the world and is a major source of business revenue for the region. Malak Karsh, the world-renowned photographer and Ottawa resident originally thought of the idea of a festival. Mr. Karsh, who unfortunately passed away last year, immortalized local tulip blooms that he preserved in his photographs.

At the December 2001 Annual Meeting, a design developed by graphic designer Yvonne Pike was enthusiastically endorsed. The new logo consists of a stylized "O" symbolizing the cycle of life. A leaf provides life force throughout the body of the plant and the cycle climaxes with the potential for new life, a tulip bloom.

This Yearbook is the first to be graced with the new logo on its cover. We will also be using the logo on a banner that is used for all public functions of the Society as well as on our letterhead.

The tulip has come to be known as a symbol of international friendship, renewal, and the beauty of spring - surely an appropriate choice for the Society.

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

Back to index of articles