Johnny Appleseed of the North
John planted his inaugural apple tree in the Klondike thirty-five years ago, undeterred by the cold, wet, moss-covered soils of previously unbroken ground in the Klondike valley. Determination and passion prevailed and John has become a sought-after expert in extreme northern horticulture as a result of decades of success growing fruiting and ornamental plants here. While his fruit trees grace many yards in southern and central Yukon gardens, his more hardy ornamental dwarf coniferous and deciduous trees are features of private and municipal plantings in the central Yukon. Most prominently are the dwarf spruces, Siberian larches, hybrid birch, elm and poplars in the Front street park in Dawson City. He has been featured in Yukon, North of Ordinary, Up Here, What's Up Yukon and CBC television, both in the series On the Road Again and more recently in a feature interview. John loves to share his passion for growing and treading lightly on the earth with everyone who comes through the place.
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Where in the Boreal are we?
The nursery and trial site is in boreal forest on one of the coldest patches of ground in the region, twenty-minutes from Dawson City, Yukon. It is accessed by crossing the Klondike river by canoe six months of the year and on foot over ice for the remainder. Appointments to visit must be made ahead of time. John presently is living at and running the nursery by himself and he is winding down some facets to focus on fewer elements as he approaches retirement.
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