New Zealand rose breeder Rob Somerfield is to speak in Dunedin next week. Gillian Vine reports.
Speaking at the Otago Rose Society's meeting next Wednesday is a first for rose breeder Rob Somerfield, so the society is expecting a strong turnout to hear the Tauranga-based rosarian.
When he saw a tree with Delicious and Golden Delicious growing on it, Mr Somerfield was 8 or 9 and "totally mesmerised". He can still visualise that tree, which immediately had him hooked on the concept of grafting.
That was, he said, about 50 years ago and coincided with his falling in love with a highly perfumed rose growing by his grandfather's cowshed.
He put the two passions together and began breeding roses in 1983.
At that time, he felt roses were falling in popularity because they were seen as being "so much work", requiring regular spraying to grow adequately, as they lacked the vigour to perform unaided.
"I decided 30-odd years ago that health was the most important [attribute]," he said.
Click here to read the complete article at Otago Daily Times.
Announcements
Job Offers
- Commercial Manager Spain
- Crop Farm Manager Sharjah
- Commercial Manager Soft Fruits
- Assistant Nursery Manager - Tasmania, Australia
- Tissue Culture Lab / Operations Manager - Victoria, Australia
- Irrigation Manager - Tasmania or Victoria
- Chief Executive Officer Hortifrut IG Berries
- Head of Operations - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Greenhouse grower / production manager - Brazil
- Experienced International Trade Specialist
"Tweeting Growers"
Top 5 -yesterday
Top 5 -last week
- Update: Lasso cut fuel prices, protesters lift some blockades, but economy still largely halted
- 30% more yield in gerbera thanks to adding Nano fertilizer
- From supplying 3 months a year to Europe only to supplying worldwide year-round
- Almere residents fear they will pay for Floriade disappointment
- "Our goal is to fully automate horticulture, thereby unburdening growers"
Top 5 -last month
Receive the daily newsletter in your email for free | Click here
Other news in this sector:
- 2018-09-28 NL: New products and plant trials at Cyclamen Open Days
- 2018-09-27 Early sales opportunities
- 2018-09-26 Australia: Best practice scheme ‘BioSecure HACCP’ gets tick of approval
- 2018-09-25 Anthura wins Plantum Sustainability Award 2018
- 2018-09-24 EU: CPVO participates in expansion of UPOV PRISMA PBR application tool
- 2018-09-21 PanAmerican Seed welcomes Luther McLaughlin
- 2018-09-20 Generating plants with improved water use efficiency
- 2018-09-20 Prepared for new season with two new planting robots
- 2018-09-19 "Uniform wetting and rewetting of the plugs"
- 2018-09-18 Florist Holland receives 2 Novelty awards for Standard Gerberas Glossy and Jetset
- 2018-09-17 India: Florance Flora releases Young Plants Catalogue 2019 - 2020
- 2018-09-14 Selecta One releases new Perennials catalogue 2019
- 2018-09-13 Proven Winners releases new recipe guide for professional growers
- 2018-09-12 US (CA): Sakata Seed America completes Woodland Innovation Center
- 2018-09-11 “Sport in the premier division”
- 2018-09-10 NZ: Rose breeder Rob Somerfield to speak at Otago Rose Society's meeting
- 2018-09-07 US: Skagit Horticulture launches new tissue culture lab
- 2018-09-06 Russia: Baltica celebrates birthday at FlowersExpo'2018
- 2018-09-06 J. Berry claims two major awards with Texas A&M AgriLife hibiscus hybrids
- 2018-09-05 NL: Lifting hygiene to the next level
