Chapter 1 Women and Their Gardens

Experimental farm

Watercolour painting showing Isabella standing on a grassy area between two garden beds. She is wearing eyeglasses, a blue shirt, and a long brown pinafore dress

Hello! My name is Isabella Preston. I’m a horticulturist.
I work in Ottawa, Ontario. My gardens are one-of-a-kind in the country—open-air laboratories where I can run experiments and create exceptional plants!
Well-organized flower beds are my best allies! They must be rectangular and full. That helps me observe my plants and carry out successful experiments.

 

Gardens and Science

The Central Experimental Farm was established in 1888. This research centre includes several fields, gardens, and agricultural buildings. Many scientists study farm plants and animals here. Since it’s located in the national capital, Ottawa, winters in my gardens are relatively mild.

Isabella Preston
In the first black-and-white image, Isabella Preston is seen posing in front of a row of conifer trees. She is wearing a pinafore dress over a long-sleeved shirt. A dog is posing in front of her.

I arrived at the Central Experimental Farm in the 1920s to work on plant hybridization. This technique helps improve plants so they can survive the Canadian climate. It’s not easy… it takes patience and precision, but I manage!
 

Beds of annual plants. The Nutrition Building is in the background.
In the colour photograph, a red brick building appears in the background. This two-storey structure is centred in the image. A grassy path leads up to it. Two lush garden beds filled with colourful plants border the central path. Deciduous trees surround the building in the distance.

When my experiments succeed, the improved plants are called hybrids. That’s right—my gardens are open-air laboratories!
I love working with lilies, lilacs, crabapple trees, irises, and roses. Seeing them bloom here in Canada brings me great joy.
The Central Experimental Farm is also a National Historic Site—it’s important to protect it.
 

View of the Nutrition Building with annual flower beds in the foreground.
In the background on the right, the red brick building is surrounded by deciduous trees. A straight grassy path, bordered by two flower beds filled with colourful blooms, occupies the foreground. On the left bed, white and purple flowers dominate; on the right, pink is added to those colours.

Hello!

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