Horticulturist.
Born at Dorset, England in 1904, his family moved to Wales when he was young and his father continued a nursery and landscape gardening business. On 11 April 1925, he married Doris Gray Purser (?-?) at Cardiff, Wales. Before divorcing in 1970, they came to Canada in 1927 and, after a short stay at Saskatoon, he moved to Brandon to take charge of the Patmore Nursery Company. In 1933, he moved Morden as an assistant to Head Gardener William Godfrey at the Morden Experimental Farm, remaining there for 30 years except during the Second World War when he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He succeeded Godfrey as Head Gardener in 1947. He won international repute as a breeder of varieties of flowers adapted to prairie conditions, including the Prairie Dawn rose and Cameo chrysanthemum. He retired in 1969. He wrote scripts for the Prairie Gardener program on CBC Radio, wrote a number of horticultural publications, including the Gardener's Guide, and was President of the Manitoba Horticultural Association (1962-1963).
“Morden function honors eminent horticulturist,” Winnipeg Free Press, 18 October 1969.
“Divorces decreed absolute,” Winnipeg Free Press, 5 September 1970, page 20.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 27 June 2022
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