Tia Magner, from Tenterfield in New South Wales, visited us as part of a Global
Footprint Scholarship, which provides an opportunity for young Australians to build on their vocational qualifications by travelling the world and learning about sustainability.
Tia, who is 20, is one of three people visiting David Austin as part of the scheme, based on their commitment to sustainability and their passion for their profession, sponsored by horticulture organisations in Australia.
During her visit, she has spent time working in breeding, production, the plant centre and marketing to learn about our business and UK horticulture and biodiversity generally. She also has shared her knowledge and advised on our planting and rose care guidance for customers in Australia.
We spoke to Tia to find out about her experience and what she has learned:
Where does your interest in horticulture come from, and how did you come to be here?
Well, I’m a farmer, too. We have 4,500 acres with cattle, sheep and pigs and we’ve also grown a lot of different crops, so I was interested in soil and alternatives to synthetic fertilizer. I left school in year 10 and did my apprenticeship in nursery production and management before going to work at a nursery 45 minutes from our farm. After my apprenticeship, I got to attend the International Plant Propagators Society conference in the Blue Mountains where I met nursery owners from across the country. That’s when the society president suggested I apply for the scholarship. I’ve been sponsored by Neutrog Australia in Melbourne, which makes biological fertilisers, and my mentor is Graham Ross, the gardening radio and TV presenter.How did you feel about the opportunity to visit David Austin Roses in the UK?
I've always loved roses, and Mum and I have got a garden full of them. In the winter, we go down to the local store, as they’ve got all the David Austin varieties, and get a trolly full of the ones we like. I never paid attention to which varieties they were, but now I will be able to recognise each of them. We chose David Austin roses because of their disease resistance, cup shapes and fragrance – they’re also rather famous in Australia. I was most interested in learning about pollinating and grading particularly as I want to try and have my own nursery business, as well as working on the farm.Now you have been behind the scenes across the business, which part of your visit have you found most interesting or useful?
I have loved being here. Everyone is very nice, and you learn something new every day. Working in the plant centre and gardens has been a highlight; talking to customers and learning a lot about the different varieties, like how to train them, was interesting. I didn't know about training climbers and ramblers horizontally to encourage new shoots and blooms, how important the position was, north or south. It is really going to help me a lot because I’m going to create a garden as well, where in the future, maybe in 30 or 40 years, people can come and visit. I want to demonstrate the different positions you can grow roses in – like how you can put a Gertrude Jekyll (Ausbord) against a wall in full sun and The Pilgrim (Auswalker) in a more shaded area.Which part of your time at David Austin has been the most surprising or inspiring?
I really enjoyed learning about the breeding. How Mr Austin started the original line with an Old Rose and Hybrid Tea to create the fragrant English rose. How you test them and smell them, and that it takes years to get a new rose into production. It was interesting to see how you take the pollen off and store it at the right temperature overnight, so the pollen bursts out of the stamen and is used the next day. I thought you would just take it and use it straight away. I’ve learned a lot, and I will play around with breeding roses as a hobby at home. I’m also looking forward to seeing the grafting part of the process before I leave because I am thinking about whether I can become a grower of David Austin varieties in the future.What have you learned about the differences between conditions and approaches in the UK compared to Australia, and what will be most beneficial for your work back home?
The main difference is the climate. You must wrap up for the cold and wet here in the summer sometimes, but it’s winter at home, and everyone is still wearing T-shirts. In the summer, it’s often 42 degrees, and we have a major problem with bushfires. The roses do well in the conditions at home, and we don’t have the issue with black spot that you can get in the UK. But irrigation is a challenge for nurseries because misters and sprinklers always block, sometimes the pots fall over, and sometimes they don’t get wet at all. So that's why I was interested in the hydroponics, drip irrigation and flood benches you use, and the wire racks to hold the roses on beds. It’s a lot dryer at home and we have recently had a four-year drought, so seeing how you salvage, and reuse water was also helpful.From a sustainability point of view, was there anything else you found that could be more widely adopted in Australia?
I think integrated pest management could be done more at home. I want to look more into that, as a lot of chemicals are used, and I think people are a bit scared of using biological control because they don’t want to introduce a threat. It was good to understand how it works but it is expensive.Finally, now that you’ve spent time amongst so many David Austin roses, what do you think makes them stand out, and do you have a favourite?
The fragrance is really special. When you walk into the gardens, you are hit with the incredible smell, and you don’t get that from most roses. I definitely have a new favourite: Princess Alexandra of Kent (Ausmerchant). It has massive flowers and smells amazing. And then, for the climbers, it’s Gertrude Jekyll (Ausbord). Everyone needs one of them in their garden. And that's another reason why I would recommend David Austin roses because you've got short climbers with big flowers.Tia spent time at Kew Gardens in London before joining us at David Austin Roses and will now move on to the Eden Project in Cornwall before a final placement of her 7-month trip in Ireland.
We thank her for all her hard work and plan to keep in touch!