Francisca Darts (1916-2012) had a wide range of interests. Born in the Netherlands, she loved winter sports, including skating and curling. The latter she learned at age nine when her family moved to Canada. She bred and raised Shetland sheepdogs, enjoyed traveling, and was an avid reader and buyer of books. She and her husband Ed Darts (1903-1994) were early adopters of a home audio system to listen to their large collection of classical and big band records.
All these were secondary to her main love – gardening. “A Secret Garden” tells the story of the Darts and the large property in Surrey. British Columbia they purchased soon after they were married. Initially, there was no electricity, telephone, or water, just lots of stumps leftover from logging. Over nearly 60 years, they turned 7.5 acres of the property into a showpiece of primarily woody plants with over 1,600 distinct types of trees and shrubs.
Author Margaret Cadwaladr skillfully weaves the story of the garden with Francisca and Ed’s many interests. Ed was keen on fruit trees, planted a large orchard, and was a mainstay with his fruit displays at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver for 35 years. Francisca was fond of rhododendrons and magnolias, but also keen on alpine rockeries. She was well-known by a wide spectrum of plant enthusiasts throughout the region, including in Seattle. “Francisca loved plants and was hard-pressed to name a favourite, or if she did, others would soon be her favourite.”
Fortunately, all of these plant passions have been preserved as Darts Hill Garden Park by the city of Surrey. It is not very far after crossing the Canadian border; I enjoyed my first visit this past June. I recommend it to all garden enthusiasts, especially of woody plants.
Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on August 22, 2023
Excerpted from the Fall 2023 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin