This past week, Nini Flowers Ltd, a rose grower founded in 1996 and based in Kenya’s Naivasha area, hosted flower breeders showcasing their latest floral novelties during their open days. An occasion that allowed the breeders to interact with their clients – mostly breeders – the open days had so much to offer; in terms of new varieties that growers could invest in.
Breeders including United Selections, Jan Spek Rozen, Select Breeding, and Delbard had on showcase, not just their older varieties, but also newer roses, presenting delight for prospective growers and an abundance of floral beauty for flower lovers. Each of these breeders had their own greenhouse space to showcase their flowers, and none of them disappointed the visitors!
United Selections
For United Selections, the open days were quite successful as the breeder – just quite like the others – had more than thirty prospective growers visiting and showing great interest in the flowers available.
A thrilled Elvis Musyoka who is the sales manager at United Selections noted that overall, the event was a success as it was quite well attended and interactive, and at the same time presented a different experience for the breeder.
United Selections, which has a partnership with Icon Selections, Könst Alstroemeria, and WAC Breeding, showcased its novel varieties including Rose Nova Vita, Rose Premium Class, Rose Pink Wave, and Rose Rise & Shine, which Elvis said continue to gain significant traction in the markets.
Elvis:
“There continues to be great interest in these four varieties from growers. Rose Premium Class, an exceptional red variety, in particular, attracted quite a significant number of growers.”
Icon Selections also presented its chrysanthemum varieties at the floral event; bringing a taste of its premium mums bred initially for the high altitudes of Colombian landscapes, to the Kenyan floral scene.
Select Breeding
Based at Nini Flowers Ltd, Select Breeding also brought to the showcase its numerous beautiful rose varieties that enthralled flower enthusiasts just the same way. The rose breeder specializes in the cultivation of medium- and large-flowered cut roses.
Known for breeding notable roses like Rose Grand Select, Rose Classic Select, Rose Twister Select, Rose Everglow Select, and Rose Glamour Select, Select Breeding had roses including Rose Blue Lagoon, Rose Firefox, Rose Novastar, and Rose No Limit among a host of other varieties on showcase.
Even so, the breeder’s Rose Red Bentley seemed to steal the show as it attracted quite noteworthy attention. Rose Red Bentley features very long stems and vibrant red petals with a catchy velvety red hue.
It is a variety that opens beautifully in the vase and also has a good vase life, making it an ideal rose for varied occasions, according to Michael de Geus, a director at the rose breeding company.
Georges Delbard
If there was one interesting thing worth noting with Delbard’s exquisite roses on showcase, then it must have been the thematic naming of the rose varieties available. The breeder had roses with typical traditional Kenyan names such as Rose Makena, Rose Muthoni, and Rose Wangari Maathai. There were numerous other varieties on showcase as well.
Delbard, according to Arnaud Delbard, the third-generation owner who runs the breeder’s nursery, has continued to maintain the family legacy of bringing the cheer of roses to the world through its remarkable flowers.
Arnaud:
“With the Rose Wangari Maathai, for instance, we partnered with the French Embassy in Kenya and grower Red Lands Roses, to create a rose that pays homage to Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize and also a social, environmental and political activist.”
At the floral get-together in Naivasha, Delbard had many other varieties that, without a doubt, thrilled growers who mostly came from different farms across the continent.
Jan Spek Rozen
For more than 130 years, breeder Jan Spek Rozen has been creating exquisite varieties of flowers - especially roses - that have continued to attract attention from growers as well as floral enthusiasts.
The rose breeder has sustained its momentum to demonstrate timeless values and at the same time modern breeding and selection methods all the way through its breeding and production processes. Its roses can be found growing in various farms across the world.
At the open days, Jan Spek Rozen had on show varieties such as Rose Musica, Rose Peaches, Rose Mont Royal, and many others that growers attending the floral event found interesting, and perhaps, worth investing in, according to Steve Outram, the breeder’s Sales Manager for Africa.
With such exquisite and colorful varieties, one wouldn’t help but just fall in love with the roses.
The Concept of Open Days
Open days, according to the breeders, present an opportunity for them to engage and interact with growers and their other customers showcasing the numerous varieties that they have.
Through them, growers are afforded an opportunity to sample the different flowers available and make informed decisions on which varieties to invest in, based on the different qualities advised by the breeders and the prospects of the varieties being a hit in the market.
In that context, the Naivasha event conveniently presented this timely opportunity, demonstrating just how important such occasions are, for the flower industry as a whole.
