Brooklin Schneider asks us to help her find out who planted the Capilano apricots – three apricot trees growing beside the road on 75 Street.

Brooklin semi-recently moved to Edmonton, and was surprised by how many fruits and vegetables can grow in our northern climate. She was intrigued when she heard about three trees growing in an alley between a regular old residential street and 75 Street – a busy road that is basically a freeway.

Local plant expert Dustin Bajer filled us in on the basics of what’s known about these three apricot trees. All three are on the boulevard on the west side of 75 street, between 86 Ave and 87 Ave.

Listen first, then scroll down below for more information.

Dustin had a hunch the trees may have been planted by Robert Simonet – a plant breeder who ran a market garden near by until 1958, and was known for experimenting with petunias, corn, and lilies.

Brendan Casement, a semi-retired horticulturalist who used to work for the Alberta government’s Crop Diversification Centre horticultural station in Brooks, filled in a lot of the blanks for us.

This episode is made possible by support from Taproot Edmonton and the Edmonton Historical Board.

We also gave shout-outs in the episode to YourForest and The Well-Endowed Podcast.

Further Reading:

• Map of Robert Simonet’s property in 1949
• “Petunia Seen as Symbol” – Edmonton Journal, January 8, 1964
• “First Plant Breeder Named to Alberta Hall of Fame” – Prairie Garden, Issue 46, January1985
• “City Fruit Station Plants Apricot Plot”, Edmonton Journal, August 10, 1963
• “South Orchard Yields Apricots”, Edmonton Journal, August 30, 1958
• Why Grow Here by Kathryn Chase Merrett