THE WOMEN BEHIND THE ROSES An Introduction to Alister Clark's Rose-Namesakes 1915-1952

Alister Clark was an Australian gardener who bred roses to go beyond their natural limitations. He established new, improved, hardier varieties of roses that would flourish in the hotter, drier, Australian climate and would simply grow better in Australian soils. Clark aimed to produce roses that would extend their flowering beyond a season, ideally to bear blossoms all year round. His roses are much prized by gardeners in climates similar to that of Australia (California, for example). This book is a celebration of the 65 women to whom Alister Clark, Australia's most prodigious rosarian, chose to dedicate Glenara Seedling roses. As rose-growers of the 1920s and 1930s came to appreciate and promote the beauty, vigor, and array of Glenara Seedlings, their curiosity became aroused as to the identities of the roses' namesakes. After nearly 100 years of the registration and commercial release of Clark's first female-named rose, 'Jessie Clark,' the curiosity has not abated. The Women behind the Roses is also a celebration of the wonderful life and legacy of Alister Clark himself, Australia's acknowledged 'Man of Roses.' The book is filled with historic photographic and beautiful color photographs of the roses.