Meet Bob Cherry

Even if you haven’t heard the name Bob Cherry before, chances are you’re growing a plant that he’s developed – perhaps a Paradise sasanqua camellia, Lavish lavender, fragrant ‘Princess’ michelia, Matilda poppy or ‘Ten Thousand Lights’ rose.

Bob’s always been interested in plants, even as a child. He grew up in Gosford on the Central Coast of New South Wales, and lived in the area until recently.

“I didn’t like school, so, when I was old enough, I got a job in a nursery,” he says.

That nursery was Burbank Seed Farm, an emerging wholesale nursery in Wyong, established in the 1950s. Of course, says Bob, gardening was very different then. Every suburb had two or three nurseries that mostly grew their own plants, and people grew more bedding plants and generally spent more time gardening.

Burbank was an innovative nursery owned by George Taylor, who began breeding azaleas and built a reputation as a plant breeder. Some of his azaleas, including the award-winning Kurume ‘Only One Earth’, are still grown today. “I was intrigued by hybridising, and how George was coming up with new varieties,” says Bob. And so the seed was sown. “I thought, if it’s good enough for George, I’ll do it, so I also started to breed azaleas.”

After a while, pest and disease problems, such as petal blight, meant azaleas went out of fashion, but by this time, Bob had moved on to camellias, and soon became absorbed by the genus. “It was my passion to grow camellias, and over time, I bred the Paradise range of sasanqua camellias, and began hybridising camellia species.” This eventually led to his Floribunda camellias, which combine genes from the commonly grown C. japonica with the lesser-known C. pitardii from China. “Floribunda camellias are frost-hardy and long flowering,” says Bob, who hopes they will still be grown in gardens in 500 years, if there are still gardeners to grow them.

A cool change

For Bob (below right) and his wife Derelie, the move six years ago from New South Wales to Gawler in north-west Tasmania was all about moving to a climate where Bob could grow and develop plants that he’d hankered after all his life, and also work on breeding plants with shorter timelines.

“I am getting well into my seventies, so I can no longer afford to play around with camellias or michelias,” says Bob.

These days, he’s developing plants that are quicker to grow, but just as lovely, including begonia, delphinium, diascia, gloxinia, carnation and polyanthus. Of these, the begonias, especially tuberous bergonias, are his passion.

Breeding success

For Bob, breeding new plants is what makes him tick. “I get a great sense of anticipation each morning as I walk into the nursery,” he explains. “Every day there’s something new to look at, so it gives me something to look forward to, knowing I’ll discover a flower that’s never existed before. I’m retired, so I don’t have to make money out of what I do. It’s a hobby, a labour of love. I get pleasure when I see plants that I have developed growing in gardens, and know people are enjoying them. I hope that in another 100 years’ time, people will still be growing the best varieties I’ve produced.”