Reprinted from The Australian Rose Annual, 1969

By G. Dawson, Femtree Gully, Victoria.

The question is often asked, “What incentive is there for the amateur hybridist in Australia?” Although it is a fact that no incentive is needed, this is hardly an answer. The perfect rose has not yet been produced and perhaps because of the love of rosarians for the ultimate in roses, it never will be found, yet this yearning will be sufficient incentive for hybridists in Australia to pursue the goal for perfection.

When I was a young lad my family grew the wonderful old roses such as Gloire de Dijon, Etoile de Hollande, Hadley and Chateau de Clos Vougeot. These were beautiful roses and might well have been considered the ultimate if the hybridists had stopped at this point and all the pleasure of such cultivars as Mme. A.  Meilland, Ena Harkness, Silver Lining would not have been enjoyed by us. Who will produce a Mme. A. Meilland with an abundance of perfume, Ena Harkness with a stiff neck and a bush with no mildew or a good Hybrid Tea with the colouring of Golden Slippers?

It is safe to assume that those who produced these roses did not have such wonderful creations in mind, but as so often happens when a hybridist follows a certain line of breeding, many excellent additions with desirable improvements are added to our present collections whilst he is trying to produce the rose in his mind’s eye.

When a rosarian is able to display one of his own new seedlings at a rose show it is a tremendous thrill and is certainly an incentive to continue breeding more seedlings.

There are many frustrations as you will often produce a new one with many virtues but it lacks some vital quality - a particularly brightly coloured one with insufficient petals or poor and confused form, a good flower with many qualities but the bush may lack vigour or become afflicted with mildew or black spot too readily - these experiences will not deter you but they will linger long enough in your memory to encourage you to continue.  The next season cannot come round quickly enough for me. 

And when you produce a winner which will give years of pleasure to rose-lovers, the great satisfaction of having been the author of that cultivar is beyond words. The challenge of hybridizing will always create its own incentive.