Thurlow Flora The year time line is as follows:

– September – Pollination – all pollination is done with breeding for own use in mind. Not all breeding plants are pollinated each year, only certain lines are used every year. All plants to be pollinated are removed from the shade-house to a secure area where there is no wind or insect interference. All plants are hand pollinated in order to guarantee parentage of resulting seed.

– January seed stock take. As Clivia are extremely generous plants as far a seed production is concerned, invariably there are plenty of excess seed. These are marketed through KZN Clivia Breeders.

– Seed sales begin April with seed being despatched in July. Excess seed is marketed until end of September.

– July – own seed planted in controlled environment room.

– August – own seedlings are planted out into 4 ½ lt bags into the growing area.

– September – during flowering season seedlings are selected as future breeding plants. A star rating system has proved to be very useful. Plants are rated from 1* to 5* depending on quality. 5* being the best quality normally kept for breeding. Because we are always trying to improve our breeding stock it has become necessary to rate some seedlings as 6* since they are an improvement on the plants rated 5* in previous years. Hopefully as time goes on we will reach 10 and 20* plants. This rating system allows one to have a very good idea of the plant quality even when not in flower. Whilst selecting sales plants there are invariably some which could be keepers or for sale , these are normally selected out of the sales plants by our staff and placed in a 2nd Chance area . Here they are allowed to flower again and checked for quality. This is where the 2nd chance seed is derived from as most of these plants are self-pollinated.

Some of the true breeding varieties which have been produced by Sean Chubb are:

Chubb Peach – originally bred from a habitat plant which was Peach in colour. These Light Peaches can be bred with Group 1 Yellows and produce Peach flowering seedlings. This was a great advantage since a high selection pressure could be placed on the seedlings and thus achieved a fairly rapid genetic improvement.

Chubb Pretty Pink – Originally bred from a habitat plant Wittig Pink. This variety has been marketed for some years now and has proved to be very popular. This variety flowers early in the season.

Chubb Splash – Originally bred from a habitat plant named Andrew Gibson this variety is basically yellow with red splashes on the back of the petals. The contrasting colours makes this unusual variety very popular.

Chiffon Daughters – Originally bred from a full throated plant named Roly`s Chiffon this is a colour pattern rather than a mutation making the breeding of this variety fairly easy. These plants improve every year in colour, flower quality and umbel size.   A stunning variety , very striking.

Chubb Fantasy Series – Very Feminine dainty Pink and yellow flowers originally bred from a habitat pink named Ndwedwe Pink Fantasy. A fairly variable variety.

Chubb `95 Series dark orange red – Stunning reds with semi broad dark green leaves. These plants have never failed to win when entered on shows.

Chubb Pastel Blush – Bred from Natal Yellow and Naude Peach these pastel flowers blush with pink as they age and are most attractive. Often the pastel Blushes display a yellow line on the sepals of the flowers, unusual.

Chubb Versicolours and Blushed Yellows – These are Naude Peach F3 generation plants and are proving to be a brilliant line.

Group 3 Yellows – yellow flowering plants which produce red seed pods and are pigmented seedlings. Originally bred from Celtiskloof yellow but now Oribi Gorge Yellow Genetics are helping to improve this variety greatly.

There are numerous other varieties being produced in lower numbers and more recently a super range of interspecific are being produced.

To Visit Thurlow Flora during August , September and October has left many visitors amazed by the diversity and variation to be found in the Clivia miniata collection at the nursery. With the enormous genetic gene pool that makes up the Thurlow flora collection, variation and diversity are the norm. A full range of colour, form and size can be found in the collection.

DIVERSITY AT ITS BEST.