City, State – Helix Australia, a frontrunner in horticultural innovation, has concluded its annual pilgrimage to licensed waxflower growers in South Africa this week. Spearheaded by Adrian Parsons, the Managing Director of Helix Australia, this year’s tour was a multinational affair, comprising cultivators from Israel, Portugal, and Italy, along with representatives from the prestigious Kings Park & Botanical Garden. The comprehensive itinerary encompassed visits to esteemed waxflower growers, including Arnelia Farms, Flora United, and Philadelphia Farms, culminating in enlightening encounters with local industry players such as The Flower Shed and Morgenster Protea Boedery in Stellenbosch. Adrian Parsons took the opportunity to expound upon the tour’s purpose and achievements.
Recalling the triumph of last year’s inaugural South African Waxflower Tour, Parsons affirmed, “The success of last year’s tour significantly amplified the adoption and awareness of our novel varieties, particularly among our Israeli growers.”
He went on to elaborate, “Our tour’s timing is meticulously chosen, allowing participants to not only visually appraise early and mid-season flowering strains but also to witness the plant’s structure, vitality, and budding patterns in the later season wax varieties…”
Parsons underscored, “Furthermore, the tour attendees are afforded the privilege of observing the trials of numerous novel Waxflower hybrids, undergoing evaluation for parameters such as flower hue, bloom size, plant robustness, and harvest span.”
Digby Growns, Senior Plant Breeder at Kings Park & Botanic Garden, expressed his enthusiasm for witnessing the progression of trial hybrids that were first introduced during the 2022 South African tour. He especially highlighted the evolution and blossoming of the larger flowering waxflower variants.
Continuing his sentiments, Growns stated, “We eagerly anticipate the forthcoming commercial availability of elite hybrids from these trials, in partnership with our production allies across South Africa, Israel, California, and Australia.”
A notable highlight of the tour encompassed the assessment of emerging cut flower waxflower hybrids, alongside the monitoring of Helix Australia’s selection of pot flower iterations of Waxflower. Traditionally, many potted waxflower hybrids align with those designated for cut flowers, and taller forms do not always harmonize with nursery or pot cultivation.
“Presently, Helix Australia proudly extends a repertoire of up to 12 compact waxflower forms, all adept for deployment within smaller garden and balcony contexts. These scaled-down waxflower variants also present superior retail aesthetics in garden centers,” noted Parsons.
Making her debut appearance on the waxflower tour, Sue McDougall, Director of Western Australian Botanic Garden, attested that her engagement with both Israeli and South African growers on-ground provided valuable insights into the challenges and prospects confronting growers in the waxflower industry. McDougall believes this information is pivotal in tailoring Kings Park’s breeding endeavors to suit market needs and bridge supply gaps.
“Innovative Kings Park varieties we observed on trial are undeniably exceptional, and I commend Digby and his adept plant breeding team for their success in creating compact potted strains alongside those optimized for cut flower cultivation,” McDougall exclaimed.
Helix Australia, steadfast in its commitment to fostering global partnerships, will continue the tradition of organizing this tour annually in August. This concerted effort aims to fortify the dissemination of Helix Australia’s expanding waxflower spectrum within its extensive network of international production affiliates, thereby invigorating the horizons of horticulture worldwide.