The Garden Man of the Garden City – Delos White Beadle

The 19^th century marked the rise of a new type of gardening known as horticulture, which was legitimized and professionalized by establishment of societies and publications as well as the growing emphasis on scientific authority. In Canada, Delos White Beadle of St. Catharines, a prominent figure in horticulture and gardening, exemplified how legitimacy in horticulture became increasingly tied to institutional affiliation, publishing, and participation in formal associations. While Beadle made meaningful contributions to Canadian horticulture during his time, his success was shaped by his participation in organizations, which decided what was deemed “real” or legitimate knowledge.

Gardens and cultivation are an integral part of civilization and human settlement. And gardens are present in various aesthetic and practical forms throughout ancient history – hanging gardens of Babylon, Roman gardens, orchard gardens. For Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, cultivation was embedded with traditional knowledge of how to work with nature. Practices such as companion planting, selective breeding, natural fertilizing, and irrigation were all used to enhance the outcome. In Europe, the first known English book that gave instruction on how to garden was by John Gardner. Written in the 15^th century the book contained poems about grafting and fruit tree planting. Despite the longstanding existence of sophisticated cultivation and gardening practices, such traditions were excluded from the Victorian definition of horticulture. So, what is horticulture?

While many people might struggle to identify what makes horticulture distinguishable from agriculture and gardening there are a few key differences. First, horticulture is conducted on a smaller scale compared to agriculture, and is, in that sense, akin to “gardening.” However, unlike gardening, horticulture is supposed to consider more scientific aspects of plant growth, development, and management. All horticulture is thus gardening, but not all gardening is horticulture. The scientific label put onto horticulture creates a sense of exclusivity and authority and falls into a greater 19^th-century pattern of codifying practices and formalizing knowledge for greater legitimacy.

The legitimacy of horticultural knowledge is usually determined by formal societies and the people that contribute to them. In England, the Royal Horticultural Society of London (RHS), founded in 1804, was dedicated to improving the practice of horticulture through scientific and evidence-based approaches. The organisation started small and was composed of professional gardeners, enthusiasts, and nursery men of the upper classes, as few at the time could afford the RHS membership fee. The RHS set the tone of what horticulture was to be and how it was practiced throughout the Victorian Era, beginning the trend of giving power and authority to horticultural societies.

As a dominion of the British Empire, 19^th-century Canada mirrored Victorian horticultural trends. In the book An Encyclopedia of Gardening by Scottish botanist J.C. Loudon,Canadian gardening was described as still in its early stages and hindered by the “duties imposed on settlers in a new country…and absolute necessaries [necessities] must naturally give precedence to every other consideration.” However, in Upper Canada the first horticultural association, the Toronto Horticultural Society, was established in 1834 and, as a location of early settlement, there was a more significant presence of landscaping and gardening in this region.

By the time, the Toronto Horticultural Society was established Delos White Beadle was a young man dreaming of becoming a lawyer despite his father, Chauncey Beadle, being a prominent nursery proprietor in St. Catharines. He received his law degree in 1847 from Harvard University and practiced law in New York until he became “disgusted with the dishonourable methods of some of his opponents in the trial of cases.” Following this career change he came back to St. Catharines and took up his father’s nursery business. The garden man of garden city was just beginning to bud.

present time wherever the progress of horticultural science in Canada is spoke of, his name is also known as an authority upon the subject.” Although Beadle did contribute significantly to the field of horticulture in Canada and continued to do so after his tenure as secretary of the Fruit Growers’ Association he might not have been regarded with such distinction if he was never part of that group. This would fall into a broader Victorian trend of using the authority of a prominent association to support the study, findings, and knowledge of its members. By doing so, dependable and “true knowledge” could only be allocated by members who may or may not have real expertise in a field.

Despite this trend, Beadle’s expertise was genuine. Over the course of his life, he did have the privilege to grow up with a nurseryman as a father and he also had the means to study botany and natural history. Moreover, he spent extensive time contributing to the field. For instance, when George Brown began the New Canada Farmer he assumed the writing of the horticultural articles. He also suggested that the Fruit Growers’ Association begin to publish a monthly, thus the Canadian Horticulturalist was founded and Beadle served as its first editor until 1886. A few years after his election as secretary he became an honorary member of the RHS in London. In 1867 Beadle was elected as the president of Vine Growers’ Association and is credited in introducing the Jessica grape to the Niagara region in 1884, which was commonly used for making wine. Lastly, in 1872 Beadle published a comprehensive book of horticulture which he described as “A guide in all matters relating to the cultivation of fruits, flowers and vegetables, and their value for cultivation in this climate.” The Canadian Fruit, Flower and Kitchen Gardener was a 400-page compendium of Beadle’s knowledge grounded in his experiences and correspondence throughout his career. In Canada it is the first text that considers practical and aesthetic aspects of horticultural practices and is a resource for Canadian gardening history. While Beadle’s achievements are many and significant he found greater recognition due to his relationship and association with groups who could support his work and disseminate his finding within a formal framework.

Delos White Beadle’s successful horticultural career left a lasting mark in local history as well as Canadian gardening history. His contribution to horticulture alongside his father and son, two notable gardeners of their own helped established St. Catharines’ nickname Garden City. The leadership roles he undertook, the editorial role in publications, and the writing of his book are all examples of how he participated in the development of professionalizing horticulture in the Victorian era. And despite being accomplished of his own right, his prominence was aided and shaped through his ties with formal institutions, which amplified his authority and reinforced the value of the knowledge he shared. His story reflects a broader trend in the 19^th century where societies and associations sideline other knowledge in favour of their own members. This makes Beadle’s story not just a record of success, but also a reminder of the need to critically examine how knowledge is formalized, who gets to define it, and what may be lost in the process.

Postlude: Delos White Beadle’s horticultural legacy was carried on by his son, Chauncey Delos Beadle. Following in his father’s footsteps, Chauncey studied horticulture and landscaping at the Ontario Horticultural College and Cornell University. He then apprenticed under Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect behind Montebello Park in St. Catharines and Central Park in New York City. Most of Chauncey’s career, however, was spent at the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, where he eventually became the estate superintendent. It is there that he formed a friendship with Cornelia Vanderbilt often corresponding with her about the gardens and enclosing pressed flowers in his letters. After 50 years of service Chauncey’s received an azalea garden on the estate’s property in his honour.

Jasmine Buchaly is a 2025 Summer Program Assistant Student at the St. Catharines Museum.