Honeywood Heritage Nursery is more than just a wonderful garden oasis, it is a tribute to the ingenuity and dedication of one of Saskatchewan’s pioneer horticulturalists.
Honeywood Nursery, west of Parkside, Sask., was founded by Dr. Albert John Porter in 1934. According to the Saskatchewan Perennial Society, Porter was known worldwide for the development of over 30 varieties of lilies and the hybridization of plants that would be of high-quality, disease resistant and hardy for the Prairies. Dr. Porter passed away in 2000 but his legacy lives on in the gardens that he developed.
Bert, as he was known to his neighbours and friends, left a teaching career during the Depression to sell nursery stock from his farm near Parkside. Because of the economic hardships of the Depression, many customers failed to pick up the plants they had ordered. Bert decided he should plant the leftovers rather than waste good plant material. He soon learned that many of the trees shipped to him were grafted on tender root stock and did not overwinter in his area. Thus started his lifelong ambition to develop hearty fruit stock.
For the next 15 years, he concentrated on developing small fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, as well as apples and plums. His lily breeding started in 1948 when Percy Wright gave him some lily bulbs, which thrive in the sandy soil of Parkside. In the fall of 1954 Bert produced his first price list of ily bulbs for sale.
In 1999, a group of 16 community members purchased the nursery to save Bert’s legacy. The old log home became an interpretive centre and tea room. Honeywood Nursery is home to fields of lilies, fruit trees, peonies, daylilies rose, and a collection of specialty trees and shrubs.
Honeywood (Dr A.J. Porter) Heritage Nursery Inc. was designated municipal heritage property in 2001, provincial Heritage property in 2007 and became a nonprofit organization in 2009. .
The nursery is planning a special event, Lilies in Bloom, for Sunday, July 19 ,11 a.m. to 4 p.m.. There will be entertainment by local musicians, food and refreshments served from the log house and artisan displays. You can take a guided tour around the nursery on a wagon ride and see the heritage plants developed by Dr. Porter.
Visit the gift shop to purchase trees, shrubs, lilies and perennials Admission is $10 with children 12 and under admitted free. There is no charge for parking and no need to register in advance.
Honeywood Nursery is open to the public in summer and early fall, For more information phone 306-714-8200 or visit the their Facebook site
Dr. Porter’s pioneer home and nursery are an important reminder to our generation and future generations that the fruit we enjoy in our yards and gardens did not just happen, but are the result of years of testing and research by people like Dr. Porter.
