Description of Historic Place

Honeywood Nursery is a Municipal Heritage Property located on 64 hectares of land 6.5 kilometres south of the Village of Parkside in the Rural Municipality of Leask. The property, which was started in 1934, features a log home, office, wood-frame sheds and greenhouse, and landscaped grounds, which includes horticultural gardens, plantings, orchards, and landscaped green space.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Honeywood Nursery lies in its association with the development of horticulture in Saskatchewan and the work of Dr. A.J. (Bert) Porter, a school teacher-turned-horticulturalist. Though he had no formal horticultural training, Dr. Porter's hybridized lilies, as well as fruit species and other horticultural strains, garnered him international recognition and won him numerous awards, including a silver medal from the Stuttgart Outdoor Garden Show in Germany and the top award from the North American Lily Society. He was also recognized by the Saskatchewan Horticultural Society, the Manitoba Horticultural Society, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and numerous other national and international organizations. In 1983, Dr. Porter received Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Saskatchewan and was inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1987.

Heritage value also resides in the nursery's setting. The property features the original log home of Dr. Porter, as well as landscaped grounds, orchards, and horticultural gardens, which include many of the original strains of plants that he developed. Examples of many of the lilies and other plants he developed continue to thrive on the grounds; they remain a physical symbol of Dr. Porter's legacy and life-long commitment to the propagation of plants and fruit species on the prairies.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Leask No. 464 Bylaw No. 1/100.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of Honeywood Nursery resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those features that reflect its horticultural use, including fruit trees, orchards, plantings (such as lilies and peonies), trees, and shrubs;
-those elements associated with Dr. A.J. (Bert) Porter, including the log home, office, and wood-frame sheds and greenhouse;
-those features that are part of its landscaped setting, including the manicured driveway and yard, the picnic area, and commemorative garden;
-its rural setting, including the spatial relationship between the buildings and gardens.