Can you find gold by a famous Scottish poet?
Gold found in Timaru! 'Gleniti Gold' was bred by Gleniti nursery man Archibald (Archie) Bone. The nursery was in Timaru on the former Gleniti Tavern site, now occupied by the Strathallan Rest Home. Following the nursery closure it was no longer commercially grown until rediscovered in a Timaru garden 40 years later in 2010.
A six-year mission to ensure a rose bred by her great-great uncle survives, became reality for Debbie Donaldson when a box arrived at her Timaru home. The box, from rose breeder Tasman Bay Roses, contained 14 rose plants, the product of a handful of cuttings Mrs. Donaldson sent the firm almost two years ago. Mrs Donaldson received cuttings from three other roses in Timaru. World famous Timaru rosarian, the late Trevor Griffiths, had known the rose well – he sent it to the American Rose Society to be recorded in the 1960s – and advised her to send the cuttings to the Tasman Bay Nurseries.
The discovery of The Gleniti Roses were donated to the Timaru Botanic Garden by the Bone family. You can see the special bed at the Timaru Botanic Gardens near the Robert Burns Statue.
Rosa Gleniti Gold was donated and 2 different forms. One has since died out.
Archie Bon and his 'Gleniti Gold Rose"
Gleniti Gold is a Hybrid Tea rose that was selected and bred in Timaru at Archie Bone's Gleniti Nursery.
The Man
Archibald Andrew Bone (Archie) was born in Temuka on the 7 December 1898 and died in Timaru aged 75 on 26 August 1974. He was named Archibald after his maternal grandfather. Archie had no formal training in horticulture. His introduction to horticulture was through his father, John Bone who had a nursery in Temuka until 1914. They used to deliver plants from Temuka to Timaru by horse and dray.
Archie's special horticultural interest was in roses. Archie Maintained a keen interest in the Gleniti Primary School throughout his life and also the Gleniti Rifle club. (Source: Obituary, Timaru Herald 30th August 1974 and conversation with Trevor Griffiths.
The Nursery
In 1914, John Bone and two his son's, Archie and Tom opened a nursery on Wai-iti Road, Gleniti, a site which now houses the Strathallan Life Care Village. The main nursery continued until 1956 when John Bone died (20/11/1956) and Archie Bone started a second nursery next door and worked with his brother Tom until Tom moved on in 1960, leaving Archie to run the business. The Nursery in Gleniti was named Arborvitae Nurseries John Bon and Son. It was a large nursery of quite a few acres which extended from Konini Street down to Rowan Place and as far back as Centennial Park. It was a general nursery that propagated ornamental trees and shrubs, forest and shelter trees, hedge plants, roses and fruit trees. In the 1950s the Bones grew 10,000 trees or more each year to keep up with the demand. In 1954, having had the full acreage of the nursery in use for 40 years, Archie bought the block on the westward side for a fresh growing area. It took two years to move everything next door. Much later, the older nursery was subdivided and the newer nursery was taken up by the Strathallan Retirement Village and former Gleniti Tavern.
source The Good Times and the Hard article Timaru Herald 2006
The Rose
The Gleniti Rose is a strain Archie Bone developed himself through colour sporting from a rose known as Lady Mandevelle. Colour sporting is where the colour changes by nature rather than being specifically bred. This strain 'Gleniti Gold' was registered with the American Rose Society by none other than Trevor Griffiths. Trevor was a local rosarian, author and nurseryman, who was a former employee of the Bone's nursery for nearly ten years. The rose is registered forever and was well known overseas but not so well known throughout New Zealand because Archie never widely advertised it. He on sold locally or overseas.
After being out of production for nearly 40 years the Rose was rediscovered by Deb Donaldson, Archies great grand niece. The roses growing in the Timaru Botanic Gardens are the result of her efforts to save the rose.
stuff.co.nz/Rose-growers-family-seeks-Gleniti-Gold
