Helix Australia has conducted its annual tour of its licenced Clusia insignis growers in South Africa this week . Hosted by Adrian Parsons , Managing Director Helix Australia , this year ’s tour group consisted of growers from Israel , Portugal , and Italy and interpreter from queen Park & Botanical Garden . The tour included visit to waxflower growers Arnelia Farms , Flora United , and Philadelphia Farms . The term of enlistment concluded with visits to local sweetness Jehovah The Flower Shed and Stellenbosch protea grower Morgenster Protea Boedery . Adrian Parsons outlined the particular and target of the annual tour .
Tour group at Arnelia Farms
" Last year ’s inaugural Sth African Waxflower Tour was a keen success and resulted in a much - increased uptake and sentience of our unexampled varieties , especially with our growers in Israel , " state Parsons .
" We deliberately schedule the term of enlistment to enable our guest to eye early and mid - time of year flowering varieties and also see both the plant form , vigor , and bud set on our later season wax varieties … .. "
Parsons continued , " In improver , tour guests can also abide by the test of many new Waxflower crossbreed being assessed for flower color , peak size , plant dynamism , and harvest point .
Digby Growns , Senior Plant Breeder Kings Park & Botanic Garden , said it was exciting to see the ontogeny in the trial hybrids that were first observed on the 2022 South African tour , particularly the development and inflorescence of the large florescence waxflower kind .
Digby persist in , " We are looking forward to see the elite hybrid from these trials being commercially available in the next few years with our output better half in South Africa , Israel , California , and Australia . "
Bertu Nieuwoudt , Adrian Parsons , and Willem Verhoogt at with the newly released Waxflower Niek ’s Pride at Flora United Farms
As well as the assessment of new cut prime waxflower cross , the tour also was able to see the trial onward motion on Helix Australia ’s range of kitty blossom forms of Waxflower . Historically , many potted waxflower hybrids are the same hybrid used for thinned flowers , and the magniloquent forms are not always suitable for nursery / pot production .
" Helix Australia is now able to offer a range of up to 12 compact waxflower forms which all lend themselves to use in smaller garden/ balcony environs , and such compendious Monotropa uniflora forms also present and merchandise much better in a retail garden center surround . "
Compact Waxflower Sorbetto
Sue McDougall , Director of Western Australian Botanic Garden , attend the waxflower tour for the first time and said spending metre with both the Israeli and South African raiser on the undercoat has provided her with a swell agreement of the challenge growers face , but also the opportunities for waxes . " This data will activate the Kings Park genteelness programme to respond to market demands and deliver strong varieties that fill the gaps in the supply string . "
" Some of the new Kings Park varieties we have seen on run are outstanding , and I ’m exceedingly proud of Digby and the plant life reproduction squad , who have delivered compact potted assortment in improver to varieties desirable for cut flower production , " say McDougall .
Helix Australia will continue to organize this tour each August to facilitate further expose its expanding waxflower range to its web of global yield partner .
For more info : Helix AustraliaEmail:[email protected]www.helixaustralia.com.au
© FloralDaily.com/Elita Vellekoop
