Canada has earned an international reputation for producing outstanding fruit varieties and ornamental trees, particularly those suited to cool climates. For more than a century, dedicated breeders and researchers have developed apples, cherries, raspberries and ornamentals renowned for their flavour, productivity, beauty and reliability. Many of these introductions have become favourites in home orchards around the world.
Our Canadian collection includes iconic varieties such as McIntosh, Snow Apple and Spartan apples, Stella, Lapins, Van and Sunburst cherries, Chilliwack, Chilcotin and Nootka raspberries, Eddie's White Wonder dogwood and the magnificent Canadian Maple, whose distinctive leaf has become a national symbol. Whether discovered as chance seedlings or carefully developed through breeding programs, these plants continue to enrich gardens and orchards with their exceptional performance.
One of the driving forces behind Canada's success has been the Summerland Research and Development Centre in British Columbia (formerly the Dominion Experimental Farm at Summerland). Since the early twentieth century, its fruit breeding programs have developed many internationally recognised apple and sweet cherry varieties, combining excellent flavour, productivity, fruit quality and adaptability. Cultivars such as Spartan, Stella, Lapins and Sunburst are among the centre's most enduring achievements and continue to be grown by home gardeners and commercial orchards around the world.
Not all Canadian classics were the result of formal breeding programs. One of Canada's oldest and most celebrated apples is Snow Apple (Fameuse), a variety believed to have originated in Quebec during the seventeenth century. According to tradition, it may have been raised from seed brought from France by early settlers, although its exact origin remains uncertain. Renowned for its crisp, snow-white flesh and excellent flavour, Snow Apple became one of Canada's foundation apple varieties and later contributed to the parentage of the famous McIntosh apple, discovered in Ontario in the early nineteenth century. Its story reflects the important role early settlers played in establishing Canada's rich orchard heritage.
Explore the stories behind these Canadian classics and discover how they became treasured additions to Australian home orchards.