4    October  2004                   The CRS CommPoster

 

ART DRYSDALE RETURNS TO TORONTO TO GIVE

THE 10TH GOULDING MEMORIAL LECTURE

 

On Thursday, September 30th, at the Toronto Botanical Garden, Art Drysdale spoke on “Roses: A Look Back and a Look Ahead”.  This was the 10th Goulding Memorial Lecture hosted by the Canadian Rose Society.  This year’s Lecture was dedicated to the memory of our greatly missed Honourary President, Audrey Meiklejohn.

 

The Goulding Memorial Lectures, started in 1995, were generously funded by the Goulding family to honour the memory of Dunlop (Dun) Goulding.  Dun was a longstanding member and an active exhibitor in the Canadian Rose Society.  Thanks to the Goulding family’s benevolence Canadian rosarians have already heard from Wilhelm Kordes of Germany,  Peter Beales and Ken Grapes of England, Clair Martin from the US, Jacques Mouchotte of France, Roger Phillips of England, Campbell Davidson of Morden, Manitoba,  and Rayford Reddell of the US.  Goulding Memorial Lectures have been held in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Hamilton and Toronto.

 

Art began by reminiscing about Audrey and the trips they had taken together and how often he had sought her advice right to the end of her days.   He looked back at the early days when he worked for Sheridan Nurseries and had met Sam McGredy and seen the new rose ‘Sexy Rexy’, then called just ‘Rexy’.  He recalled Fred Blakeney’s rose, ‘Miss Canada’, issued in honour of our Centennial year, 1967.

 

In looking ahead, Art told us of Ping Lim of Bailey Nurseries and his new line of roses which are both hardy and on their own roots.  The first of which, ‘DayDream’, is to be an AARS selection in 2005. 

 

 

‘DayDream’s parents are ‘Lavender Dream’ x our own ‘Henry Kelsey’.

Watch for others coming to local nurseries, such as ‘Firecracker’, ‘Funny Face’ and ‘Yellow Submarine’. 

 

Art talked about the unsuccessful quest for the blue rose, which goes back at least to the 12th century when they tried using indigo bark.  Lately, a scientist studying the liver found a human protein that turns everything blue.  Now that the DNA fingerprint of the rose is known, will it be long before they discover how to splice in the blue gene or maybe even the gene for fragrance? 

 

He told us of Robin Dening’s, Brentwood Bay Nurseries in B.C., and his successful efforts to grow roses without harmful chemicals.  This is becoming a hot topic as more and more pesticides are being removed from the market and more places are banning the use of those we still have

 

There was a lively question and answer period afterwards covering everything from tar spot on maples, how to get rid of rose midge to buffalo leaf hoppers boring holes in corkscrew hazels.  Art commented on the current dormant oil that is so thin it no longer stays on after the first rain.  He warned that only steaming compost piles will kill blackspot spores and wondered if SOD (Sudden Oak Death) is a by product of a too acidic soil.  He has heard that there is more danger in one serving of broccoli than in most spray material.

 

Videotapes of this and prior Goulding Memorial Lectures are available from the CRS Secretary for $20.00, plus $3.00 if it has to be shipped. See the

web site for the complete list of Lectures.

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