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Introduction |
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Preston Hybrids Isabella Preston was one of Canada’s leaders in ornamental plant breeding. Born in Lancaster, England and educated at the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph, she was on the staff of Ottawa’s Central Experimental Farm from 1920 until her retirement in 1946. During her career, Miss Preston developed 82 hybrids, 47 of which were introduced into the nursery trade. Though these lilacs bear her name, Miss Preston also hybridized and introduced many crabapples, roses, Siberian irises, and especially, lilies, which also gave her worldwide fame. |
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The two Chinese lilac species,
Syringa villosa and
S. komarowii ssp. reflexa, are the parents of Canada’s very own lilacs: the Preston Hybrids.
Isabella Preston first crossed these lilacs at Ottawa’s
Central Experimental Farm. This resulted in a new hybrid race of hardy, late-blooming lilacs called
Syringa xprestoniae. Built in Canada These crosses were made in 1920, and the resulting seedlings were quite variable. Each of the first two cultivars introduced favour one parent. 'Isabella' reflects their maternal heritage (Syringa villosa), while 'W.T. Macoun' takes after the father (S. komarowii ssp. reflexa). Stretching the season Preston hybrids are heavy bloomers, with pink to lavender-pink blooms appearing in early June about ten days after the common lilac. White and lavender-flowered cultivars are a newer feature in this group, and all exude the exotic, spicy scent of Oriental lilacs. These large, fast-growing shrubs are resistant to insect problems and make good windbreaks (and being Canadian, it goes without saying that they are winter-hardy, thriving as far north as Thunder Bay and Edmonton). |
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Some of the more recent breeding work on Preston lilacs has taken place at the Kornik Arboretum in Poland, under the hand of breeder, Wladyslaw Bugala. He has selected open-pollinated seedlings from Preston introductions such as 'Octavia' to produce new varieties like 'Nike' and 'Telimena'. |
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