Alister Clark
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Alister Clark (1864–1949) was the best known and most influential Australian rose breeder. His roses were the most widely planted in Australia between the World Wars and made an enduring difference to the appearance of Australian cities. His experiments hybridising ''Rosa gigantea'' were in world class and have never been surpassed.


Biography

Alister Clark was the son of an immigrant Scottish tenant farmer who did well in Australia, leaving his family with several
outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastlines and encompass a n ...
cattle station In Australia and New Zealand, a cattle station is a large farm ( station is equivalent to the American ranch), the main activity of which is the rearing of cattle. The owner of a cattle station is called a '' grazier''. The largest cattle stati ...
s, as well as "Glenara", a big property in a valley at
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, north of Melbourne. Clarke and his siblings received a genteel upbringing and knew Europe well: Clark was educated at
Loretto School Loretto School, founded in 1827, is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 0 to 18. The campus occupies in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland. History The school was founded by the Reverend Thomas Langhorne in 1827. L ...
in Scotland and at
Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...
. He married a New Zealander with a fortune and never worked, giving himself over to the business of being a gentleman: huntsman, polo player, racehorse owner, golfer, photographer — and rose breeder. He began his rose breeding by ordering roses from Paul & Son in England; later they came from the Nabonnand nursery at
Golfe-Juan Golfe-Juan (; oc, Lo Gorg Joan, Lo Golfe Joan) is a seaside resort on France's Côte d'Azur. The distinct local character of Golfe-Juan is indicated by the existence of a demonym, "Golfe-Juanais", which is applied to its inhabitants. Overview ...
on the
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. Between 1912 and his death, Clark released about 150 roses, usually through the garden and sporting clubs to which he gave the royalties.


Daffodils

Clark was also a keen breeder of daffodils. In 1897 Clark had joined a syndicate, including Thomas Hanbury (creator of the famous Riviera garden of La Mortola) and
Ellen Willmott Ellen Ann Willmott (19 August 1858 – 27 September 1934) was an English horticulturist. She was an influential member of the Royal Horticultural Society, and a recipient of the first Victoria Medal of Honour, awarded to British horticulturists ...
(of Warley Place), which bought the stock of daffodil bulbs bred by Rev. G. H. Engleheart. He also bought half the stock of a bulb collection made by English Shakespearean actor, George Titheradge. According to Tommy Garnett, the best known of Clark's daffodils is probably 'Mabel Taylor', still in commerce and used for breeding.


Roses

Clark's main aim as a breeder was to produce roses that were hardy in the hot dry climate of southern Australia. To this end he made original use of crosses to ''
Rosa gigantea ''Rosa gigantea'' is a species of rose native to northeast India, northern Myanmar and southwest China (Yunnan) in the foothills of the Himalaya at 1000–1500 m altitude. It is sometimes considered to be a variety of ''Rosa odorata'', as '' ...
'', which produced in the second generation some of the toughest and most freely blooming roses ever bred: 'Lorraine Lee' of 1924 and 'Nancy Hayward' of 1937 have never lost public favour. 'Black Boy'Help Me Find 'Black Boy'
/ref> of 1919, 'Lady Huntingfield'Help Me Find 'Lady Huntingfield'
/ref> of 1937 (named after the State Governor's wife) and 'Squatter's Dream'Help Me Find 'Squatter's Dream'
/ref> of 1923 (named after a racehorse) are roses which have been unknown or underrated outside Australia. especially "Alister Clark" p. 97 and 'Lorraine Lee' p. 237.See also Peter Harkness, "Notable Rose Breeders", entry for Clark, Alister (Australia), p. 677 in Soon after the First World War Clark's experiments with ''Rosa gigantea'' slowed down. He turned to creating what are essentially hybrid teas in a wide variety of forms: low shrubs ('Mab Grimwade'), high bushes ('Editor Stewart'),Help Me Find 'Editor Stewart'
/ref> rampant climbers ('Mrs Richard Turnbull'),Help Me Find 'Mrs Richard Turnbull'
/ref> pillar roses ('Princeps'),Help Me Find 'Princeps'
/ref> roses for hedges ('Sunny South'),Help Me Find 'Sunny South'
/ref> ramblers ('Gladsome')Help Me Find 'Gladsome'
/ref> and dwarves ('Borderer').Help Me Find 'Borderer'
/ref>Help Me Find list for Clark, Alister
/ref> He seems to have had no breeding plan beyond making as many crosses as possible at "Glenara" and seeing what came up. His grounds became "a vast nursery for the propagation of roses and daffodils." Roses should be tested in the climate they were meant for, he said. And he insisted that a seedling (like a yearling) takes three years to show what it can do. Perhaps it is surprising for a man who wore a bowler hat and wing collar to the races in 1920, but his roses have the bright pinks, creamy apricots and hard reds of between-the-wars taste. It was the great age of the single or near-single rose; he bred 'Nancy Hayward,' 'Cicely Lascelles'Help Me Find 'Cicely Lascelles'
/ref> and 'Squatter's Dream.' It is difficult to tell how his taste adjusted to the 1940s since 30 of the 40 roses he produced then have been lost, casualties of war. In any case, his roses of all periods have an irregularity which rose fanciers find endearing. Twenty years after his death in 1949 Alister Clark remained the most important Australian rose breeder. A.S. Thomas was the Australian registrar of roses and president of the National Rose Society of Victoria. The 1967 edition of his ''Better Roses'' prints a list of eighty "highly prized cultivars" from Australia and New Zealand. Twenty of them are roses by Alister Clark. Seven are by Frank Riethmuller. No other breeder rates more than two. 'Lorraine Lee,' 'Nancy Hayward' and 'Black Boy' have never left the nursery catalogues. Other Clark roses went out of fashion after his death. Still others were lost or never released. But many have been revived since the 1990s by such enthusiasts as the writer
Susan Irvine Susan Irvine (1928–2019) was an Australian educator, author and rose authority. Family and education Susan Irvine (pronounced ''Ervin'') was born in Dalby, Queensland in 1928. She was the second of three daughters of John Moore and Niree Hun ...
and the nurseryman John Nieuwesteeg. A heading in Charles Quest-Ritson's authoritative ''Climbing Roses of the World'' says simply "Alister Clark: The Great Australian Rose Breeder."


Rose names and dedications

Most of Clark's roses are named after and for women he knew, more often than not from landed families ('Cicely Lascelles,' 'Kitty Kininmonth'). Most women in his own family and all wives of Victorian Governors and Australian Governors-General had roses named for them. Lady Gowrie already had one, so hers had to be called 'Zara Hore-Ruthven.' Very few men received roses, all of them rose people in one way or another. Far more are devoted to racehorses: 'Squatter's Dream,' 'Tonner's Fancy,'Help Me Find 'Tonner's Fancy'
/ref> 'Flying Colours'Help Me Find 'Flying Colours'
/ref> and so on. Trailing the field are descriptive titles: 'Sunny South,' 'Borderer' and 'Daydream.'Help Me Find 'Daydream'
/ref> 'Scorcher'Help Me Find 'Scorcher'
/ref> and 'Billy Boiler'Help Me Find 'Billy Boiler'
/ref> were slang for a hot day.


Where Alister Clark roses can be seen

Alister Clark made an enormous and enduring difference to the appearance of Australia. Thousands of plants of 'Lorraine Lee' in particular, bred ninety years ago, can be seen in every temperate town and city. * Sixty-seven of his available roses are collected at the Alister Clark Memorial Rose Garden in
Bulla Bulla (Latin, 'bubble') may refer to: Science and medicine * Bulla (dermatology), a bulla * Bulla, a focal lung pneumatosis, an air pocket in the lung * Auditory bulla, a hollow bony structure on the skull enclosing the ear * Ethmoid bulla, pa ...
, the township next to "Glenara." This collection should not be confused with that of the same name in the Botanic Gardens in St Kilda, a Melbourne suburb, which has about five Clark varieties, unlabelled. * The National Rose Collection created by David Ruston at Renmark in South Australia has nearly all known Clark climbers. * The Morwell Centenary Rose Garden in Gippsland lists 38, including the often-confused 'Black Boy' and 'Countess of Stradbroke.' * In Canberra the centre of the Rex Hazlewood Rose Garden at Old Parliament House has 26 Alister Clark roses, including such relative rarities as 'Mrs Albert Nash.' * The Victoria State Rose Garden at
Werribee Park Werribee Park is the estate of a historical building in Werribee, Victoria, Australia. It includes Werribee Park Mansion, the Victoria State Rose Garden, formal gardens, the Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre, the Werribee Open Range Zoo, ...
has a large collection, especially of his ''gigantea'' climbers. * The
Geelong Botanic Gardens The Geelong Botanic Gardens is a botanical garden in the city of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The gardens are located within Eastern Park on the eastern outskirts of the central business district. They were established in 1850 and are the fo ...
have 'Borderer,' 'Lady Huntingfield,' Mrs Maud Alston,' 'Mrs Fred Danks' and 'Squatter's Dream.' * The Adelaide Botanical Garden, South Australia has some, including 'Amy Johnson.' * The Kodja Place Roze Maze at Kojonup, Western Australia uses hedges of Australian roses, including 32 by Alister Clark.Kodja Place Roze Maze
/ref> Public gardens in suitable climates beyond Australia contain a tiny number of his roses. The
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garden at Sintra outside Lisbon in Portugal has three.
Sangerhausen Sangerhausen () is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany, capital of the district of Mansfeld-Südharz. It is situated southeast of the Harz, approx. east of Nordhausen, and west of Halle (Saale). About 26,000 people live in Sangerhausen (2 ...
in north Germany has a small selection of Clark roses including two which would otherwise be extinct. Many of his roses were popular in the US between the wars and, after a long lapse, interest has revived. So far this is only partly shown in public collections. The
Descanso Gardens Descanso Gardens is a botanical garden located in La Cañada Flintridge, Los Angeles County, California. Descanso gardens features a wide area, mostly forested, with artificial streams, ponds, and lawns. Descanso Gardens has a wide collectio ...
, La Canada Flintridge, California have had 55 and are said to be restoring their collection. Roses Unlimited of Laurens, South Carolina has 18 Clark roses on its list. 'Borderer' is said to be the Clark rose most popular with American gardeners. A few European collectors of hybrid gigantea crosses have Clark examples in private gardens.


Gallery


See also

* List of Alister Clark roses * Alister Clark Memorial Rose Garden *
Alister Clark Stakes The Alister Clark Stakes is a Moonee Valley Racing Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race, for three-year-olds, at Set Weights, over a distance of 2040 metres, held annually usually at Moonee Valley Racecourse, Melbourne on a Friday night in March ...


Further reading

*


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Alister 1864 births 1949 deaths People educated at Loretto School, Musselburgh Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Rose breeders Australian horticulturists Australian people of Scottish descent