About Dunington-Grubb & Stensson

The Stenssons

Sven Herman Stensson came to Canada in March, 1913 in response to an advertisement placed in a newspaper by H.B. Dunington-Grubb. Previous to his move to Canada, he was chief gardener for the Crown Prince of Denmark at Knuteburg Castle, and gardener at the Kew Gardens in England. Once in Canada, he began to manage Dunington-Grubb's newly launched Sheridan Nurseries: one of the first nurseries in Canada to embark on the "risky" practice of investing in purely ornamental stock. Accompanying Hermann were his wife, Annie, and their sons, Jesse Vilhelm, Fred, Chris, and Howard.

Jesse Vilhelm Stensson was born on July 23rd 1907, in Hitchen, England. After the immigration of his family, Stensson became a key figure in the development of landscape architecture in Canada. His professional education began by studying architecture at the University of Toronto in the late 1920's, and continued with the Harvard University School of Design. Here he was awarded the Charles Eliot Travelling Fellowship to Europe.

Upon his return to Canada, Stensson became one of the founding members of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects in 1934, and the secretary in 1935, when he helped to draft the Society's original by-laws. He went on to become the president in 1937-8, and 1947-8. From 1938 to 1965, he was the general manager of Sheridan Nurseries, which position he took over shortly before his father's death. During this time he had connections with many other associations. In 1954-55 he was the president of the Canadian Nursery Trades Association, president of the Canadian Ornamental Plant Foundation, and treasurer of the Meadowvale Botanical Gardens. In his lifetime, he also held memberships in the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects and the Ontario Nursery Trades Association.

In 1956 Stensson met and married his wife Janina Korkuc, a professionally trained and educated, and internationally known landscape architect. The two formed a marvelous working relationship, and together carried on with H.B. Dunington-Grubb as Dunington-Grubb and Stensson, which Stensson had initially formed with Dunington-Grubb in 1934/35. When J.V. Stensson first joined Dunington-Grubb, the focus of the firm had shifted from residential design to public and commercial projects. This direction continued after Mrs. Stensson joined the firm. In 1959 Jesse Stensson left Dunington-Grubb and Stensson, remaining at Sheridan Nurseries while his wife stayed with the firm. Today, Janina Stensson is the sole remaining member and successor of Dunington-Grubb and Stensson.

J.V. Stensson was a significant contributor to the promotion of new plant materials, and acted as an important liaison between professional and nursery trades associations. His contributions to landscape architecture were significant, and included such projects as the Harry Oakes Garden Theatre in Niagara Falls; Gage Park, Hamilton; McMaster University Entrance Gardens; and University Avenue, Toronto. He has also been credited with architectural plans for the Sheridan Nurseries buildings. Stensson died on March 8th, 1972, aged 65.