Plant Pioneer Frank Skinner Dreams really can come true
By Hugh Skinner The Frank Skinner Arboretum trails are colourful in the fall and open to visitors. W
hen Frank Skinner took his homestead in the Drop- more district of Manitoba, in 1901, it was at the edge of the prairie vegetation, with few trees of any stature
west of his farm. As he gazed out over this treeless domain, his mind was filled with memories of the trees and plants of his native Scotland and he dreamed of a different vista for his new home. These dreams led to a lifetime of collecting and developing
trees, shrubs and perennial flowers to withstand the rigours of the harsh prairie climate. Now, over 100 years later, the old homestead is an oasis of trees and shrubs — many of them impressive specimens. Some are native to Manitoba and the prairie provinces while others are native to northern Europe and Asia, where similar harsh continental climates prevail. The first plants that Frank Skinner placed in his garden were
native plants he found while tending his cattle on the range land which dominated the area at that time. The boreal forests of the Riding and Duck mountains provided white spruce, tamarack and other conifers, while the Shell and Assiniboine valleys contributed green ash, Manitoba maple, American elm and birch. As his interest in gardening grew, Frank tried some varieties from his native Scotland, but with limited success. Then, in 1911, he obtained seed of Scots pine from the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa and began his collection of exotic plant species. This also marked the beginning of a long correspondence with horticulturists around the world. In 1918, Skinner travelled to Ottawa and Boston in an effort
A variety of self-guided trails explore native and planted species associated with Dr. Skinner and Skinner's Nursery.
18 • Fall 2016
to obtain new plants which would grow in his garden. In Ottawa he learned much about plant breeding, stimulating a new passion that would launch him on an impressive career as a plant breeder. In Boston, he visited Professor Charles Sprague
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