Roy Forster

In September 1996 VanDusen Botanical Garden said goodbye to its first Curator and Director. Roy Forster was appointed in 1972 and for 24 years was responsible for the planning, design and construction of the world renowned 55 acre garden. The basis of the garden is the tree collections, and Roy selected and planted these in a style which is both botanically meaningful and aesthetically pleasing. This combination plays a large part in the charm and appeal of the garden as a whole. Perhaps it is this which inspired the writing and sketching of trees which resulted in his book – “For the Love of Trees- An Arboreal Odyssey”

Roy was born and raised in northwest England. From an early age he was a student of nature, walking the marshes, woodlands and high moors of the region. Roy received his early botanical training as an apprentice in public parks, studying at the Liverpool College of Technology. The region is well-endowed with great historic gardens of contrasting style, such as Chatsworth and Bodnant : these influenced Roy’s attitudes towards landscape.

Roy immigrated to Canada to work at the Horticultural Research Institute of Ontario at Vineland. There he spent fourteen years creating plant collections, building gardens and hybridizing ornamental plants. His work with rhododendrons enjoyed considerable success and he introduced new, hardy, award-winning hybrids.

Roy joined the Niagara College of Arts and Technology in 1969 as an instructor in horticulture. In 1970 he graduated with a B.A. degree from McMaster University in fine arts, history and methods.

Throughout his career Roy has travelled extensively in North America, Europe, China and the Middle East, and has recorded these travels in his oil sketches and watercolours. He has expressed a special interest in rare and auspicious trees. These are the basis of his second book ,”For the Love of Trees – An Arboreal Odyssey’ published in 2011. In 1999 Richard Roy Forster was made a member of the Order of Canada, and in 2003 he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for his contributions to Canadian horticulture.

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