A new rose has come on to the market to mark the life and work of the late Fred Hollows, the Australian eye surgeon who worked to eradicate cataract blindness.
Les Stratford of Stratford’s Wholesale Nursery at Oakville in New South Wales found this rose in 1994 and decided to name it ‘Fred Hollows Vision’ to honour Fred’s tireless work. Thirty cents from the sale of every rose will be donated to The Fred Hollows Foundation to help doctors carry on Fred’s work.
Description
‘Fred Hollows Vision’ is a white sport of the ‘Mary Mackillop’ rose and has been named 1998 Rose of the Year by The Rose and Fruit Tree Group. This compact, bushy rose has white flowers over a long period from spring to autumn. It is ideal for planting in pots, garden beds or as an informal hedge as it reaches around 1m (3′) tall.
‘Fred Hollows Vision’ will grow in all but the most tropical parts of Australia (see climate map).
Availability
‘Fred Hollows Vision’ will be available in flower at some garden centres and chain-stores in NSW from March 1998. Winter plants (barerooted bushes) will be available around Australia from May but can be ordered now.
Some nurseries which have this rose in stock now include: Altra Nursery, Peakhurst. Phone: (02) 9153 5176
Corrimal Garden Centre, Corrimal. Phone: (02) 4283 5586
Highland Rose Nursery, Dural. Phone: (02) 9651 1243
Wayne’s Home and Garden, North Richmond. Phone: (02) 4571 2036
Roses in 20 cm (8″) pots cost from $14.50 to $18.
The Fred Hollows Foundation
For further information about The Fred Hollows Foundation visit www.hollows.org or phone 1800 352 352.
Donations to The Fred Hollows Foundation may be made on a 24 hour donation line: 1800 352 352.
Address: The Fred Hollows Foundation, Locked Bag 100, Rosebery, NSW, 1445.
Did you know?
The Foundation will celebrate its 10th anniversary in September 2002. Since its launch in 1992 the Foundation and its local partners have restored sight to nearly 1 milllion people and trained over 750 local doctors to perform modern cataract surgery.
Other roses
The following roses were also mentioned on ‘Burke’s Backyard’:
- ‘Artistry’ – Coral orange flowers. Lightly fragrant. 1998 introduction.
- ‘City of Goulburn’ – A yellow rose with gold and copper tones. Ruffled petals.
- ‘City of Newcastle’ – Clear red flowers. Fragrant.
- ‘Karen Blixen’ – A pure white rose with just a hint of pale green. Strong fragrance.
- ‘Pink Bloss’ – A miniature rose with salmon pink flowers. 1998 introduction.
- ‘Pink Iceberg’ – A blush pink. A sport of the widely grown white ‘Iceberg’. (May still produce the odd white flower.)
- ‘Rose of Narromine’ – Pale apricot edged with magenta pink. Beautiful perfume.
- ‘St Patrick’ – A goldish yellow rose with a hint of pink when mature. As a young rose it has an interesting green tone.
- ‘St Therese de Lisieux’ – An almost pure white rose with a slight hint of shell pink edging.
Availability: These roses were supplied by Swane’s Nursery at Dural. Look for them at your local nursery. Bare-rooted roses can be ordered for planting in winter either from Swane’s (mail-order) or directly from your local nursery. Phone: (02) 9651 1322. Fax: (02) 9651 2146.
For more information or to receive a catalogue write to:
Reply Paid AAA 46
Swane’s Nursery
PO Box 29
Dural NSW 2158
Swane’s is at 490 Galston Road, Dural. Open seven days a week, 8am-5pm (9am-5pm weekends). Closed Good Friday and Christmas Day.
