“The Oaks” is the estate at the south end of Robie Street in Halifax. It includes a historic house, lawns and gardens and the surrounding mostly red-oak woodland. It was occupied by Premier Robert Stanfield for a lengthy period; he was an avid gardener. In 1968 The Oaks was sold to St. Mary’s University.
Photos by Ann-Li Huestis of plants in the oak woodland in 1992. Click on image for a larger version.
An oak woodland bordering the rail cut extends from The Oaks estate to the south end of Beaufort Avenue (see map below). It’s a popular spot for NS Wild Flora folk to view Witch Hazel, Lady Slipper orchids, and Indian Pipe, amongst other species.
Recently I was forwarded a photo of a plant taken in the area by a NS Wild Flora member…did I know what it was?
I am not the best person to ask for random ID of plants, but in this case I knew the area and many of the plants quite intimately.
The plant was Pachysandra, a groundcover planted by Stanfield along with May Apple and Solomen’s Seal in a shaded area close to the house. That groundcover was so well placed that it remains intact today, with no care for over 50 years! (Unfortunately the tree-sized rhododendron that graced the area 25+ years ago has passed on.)
May apple in shade garden established by Robert Stanfield, likely in 1950s. Photo on June 7, 2017
The request reminded me of a descriptive study of the Oak Woodland and its interface with the lawns and gardens conducted by Ann-Li Huestis in 1992. It was part of a larger research project on organic horticulture that I was involved in at the time. It’s a wonderful description with photos that I am sure NS Wild Flora folks would appreciate so I have posted it here. View An Ecological Description of the Woodland Flora at “The Oaks”
Of course a lot has changed since 1993, but visitors to the area will recognize many of the features and plants that Ann-Li describes.
Last year I created an iNaturalist Project for this area: “Urban Oak Woodland Halifax NS” Any observation in the identified area that is submitted to iNaturalist will show up on this project. Currently there are 90 observations/48 species reported by 21 observers.
Oak Woodland Map on iNaturalist May 7, 2020
Click on image for larger version
So if/when you visit this woodland and see any species (at any stage at any time of year) that catches your eye, please share it on iNaturalist!
– David P
Tip of the hat to Paris whose interest in the area stimulated this post
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SMU has some plans for the area…
