Hybridizer - Brian West

BRIAN WEST – 1932 - 2006

Pelargonium Hybridizer

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Some time ago I felt that pelargonium hybridizers were not given enough recognition for the plants they so beautifully created so I decided to add a page on my website devoted to hybridizers. I came up with a questionnaire that I sent to several hybridizers asking various questions that I felt readers would like to know. Brian West’s was among some of the first I received.

Not long afterwards I was saddened to hear from Andrew Simmons on April 11^th, that Brian had passed away earlier that evening. I would like to share with you Brian’s answers and to this end I will begin with the covering letter that accompanied with the questionnaire.

Dear Marilyn,

It was a pleasant surprise to receive your e-mail and I hope you don’t mind me writing rather than using e-mail as it will take me weeks to type it all on the computer.

I have enjoyed my hobby of hybridizing Pelargoniums and have met some very interesting and friendly people in the process, so recognition does not really bother me.

My brother Neville and I both started hybridizing at the same time without knowing the other was doing so.

Neville bred some really good plants, including ‘Silver Wings’, ‘Jupiter’ and ‘Treasure Trove’.

It is now thirty years since I became interested in Pelargoniums and I am still learning. I have made out a list of my varieties which have appeared in catalogues. I have forgotten what some of them look like so I did not describe them. In the last couple of years I have been trying for fancy leaf plants and have sent quite a few to nurseries so hopefully they will appear in catalogues soon.

Yours sincerely,

Brian West

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QUESTIONNAIRE:

Your Name and any personal information you care to share.

Brian West, married to Peggy since 1958. We have three sons and 2 daughters, John, Bill, Alan, Betty and Sharon. We have 15 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

Place of Birth & Year if you would care to mention it.

I was born next door to where I now live at Nettlestone, Isle of Wight in 1932 and worked as a gardener until my injury in 1985.

Your interests or hobbies other than hybridizing.

My other interests include watching television especially sports, gardening and wildlife programmes.

What piqued your interest or got you to begin hybridizing pelargoniums?

I first became interested in hybridizing Pelargoniums after reading about how it was done in the Journal of the British Pelargonium and Geranium Society in 1974.

Did you start hybridizing with another plant first before you used pelargoniums?

I did some hybridizing with dahlias for a short time but decided they took up too much room in the garden.

Were there any mentors in your hybridizing past and if so, a little on what they helped you with or what spark was ignited.

No mentor but have been helped by reading the Journals of the B.P.G.S. and B.E.G.S.

How long did it take from the time you first started hybridizing pelargoniums until you were satisfied with one and introduced it?

As far as I can remember it probably took me about then years to hybridize one which I thought was good enough to go to a nursery.

How many plants have you hybridized that you have not introduced for one reason or another?

I have no doubt thrown away thousands of seedlings which were either not good enough, or were not variegated, or not the type I had tried for.

Are there any you wish to mention specifically from question #8?

There have been several seedlings which I have found useful for breeding for a short while until something better came along. One was a zonal which came by crossing ‘Shelley’ with pollen from ‘Alan West’ (a stellar). I crossed that seedling with pollen from ‘Arctic Star’ and got ‘Vectis Glitter’ which was one of the first speckled flowered stellars.

Mention your thoughts when your first hybridization bloomed. Was it what you wanted or????

I honestly cannot remember the first plant I hybridized but I expect my reaction was “what a waste of time!” because it took a long time before anything worth keeping came along.

Plants that you have hybridized, please name them, ALL if you can.

I will name the plants I have hybridized which have been released by nurseries. There are quite a few which have gone to nurseries but have not been released. There are also some which I hope will be released soon, a number of which are bicolours including stellers “Silver Glitter” and “Silver Dawn”. (See end of questionnaire for Brian’s list of plants he has hybridized that were introduced.)

What are you searching for or trying to make improvements on with your hybridizations?

I would like to produce some good golden and silver tri-colour stellars, also some with zones like frutetorum but with butterfly markings which should become pink or red in the centre of the leaf.

Name a few of your plants that you feel are exactly or almost exactly what you were looking for when you hybridized them.

“Silver Glitter”, “Silver Dawn”, “Vectis Glitter”, “Bobberstone”.

Name one introduction you were totally surprised with but were pleased with the outcome.

“Silver Cloud”, a pure white double flowered on a silver bicolour zonal plant. I used a green leaved zonal with pinkish white double flowers and the pollen was from the tricolour stellar “Elsie Gillam”. (Note: ‘Esie Gillam was hybridized by Dr.Ian Gillam of Vancouver, B.C., Canada).

Were there any ‘dead ends’ that brought a series of hybridizations to an end?

I hybridized a few ivy leaf hybrids which were all pollen sterile. I was hoping to create some bushy hybrid ivy leaf plants with speckled flowers. I believe it will be done by someone but I found it difficult to get seeds to set on ivy leaf plants and decided to try for stellars instead.

Is there a particular variety (angel, ivy leaf, etc.) that you prefer to hybridize?

I like to cross zonals with stellars to create better stellars.

What is your ultimate hybridizing goal?

Some good strong growing, bushy tri-colour stellars with double speckled flowers.

Any other comments you would care to mention?

I would like to thank the raisers of the plants I have used for my hybridizing and also my wife Peggy for allowing me to spend so much time in my greenhouses without complaint. At least she knows where I am.

Some plants I have found very helpful in my breeding include:

‘Chelsea Gem’, ‘Highfield’s Choice’, ‘Elsie Gillam’, ‘Golden Ears’, ‘Arctic Star’, ‘Shelley’, ‘Lotusland’, ‘The Boar’, ‘Lilac Mist’, ‘Daydream’, ‘Morval’, ‘Bridesmaid’, ‘Contrast’, ‘Henry Cox’, ‘Bold Carmine’, ‘Bird Dancer’, ‘Jayne Eyre’, ‘Ray Bidwell’, ‘Pink Dolly Varden’, ‘Purple Star’ and ‘Shirley’s Sister’.

Plants I have hybridized that have appeared in Nursery catalogues since 1988

and until March 2004.

Adgestone	Dallimore	Joan Hall	Peggy Clare	Topcliffe
Alan West	Danny West	John West	Peggy West	Vectis Allure
Antonnia Scammell	Diane Louise	June Patricia	Pink Needles	Vectis Blaze
Apton	Don Chiverton	Kandi Waterman	Pink Splash	Vectis Cascade
Barbara Eldridge	Duncan Eagles	Kayleigh West	Porchfield	Vectis Dream
Barbara Jones	Edward Penfold	Kaymor	Priory Salmon	Vectis Fanfare
Bembridge	Ella Martin	Kelly Brougham	Priory Star	Vectis Finery
Betty Caws	Elmfield	Lake	Richard West	Vectis Glitter
Betty Dollery	Emma Game	Lessland	Rimey	Vectis Gold
Betty West	Fabian Game	Little Dazzler	Rookley	Vectis Imp
Bev Foster	Fairlee	Little Perky	Ryan Dollery	Vectis Pink
Bill Holdaay	Fairy Lights	Little Spikey	Sammi Brougham	Vectis Snow
Bill West	Farringford	Little Vectis	Sandford	Vectis Sparkler
Bob Hall	Faye Brawner	Lovesdown	Sandown	Vectis Spider
Bobberstone	Forelands	Luccombe	Seaview Star	Vectis Starbright
Bonchurch	Freshwater	Lucie Caws	Shanklin	Vectis Stardom
Bouldnor	Gerald Caws	Marshgreen	Shannon Corr	Vectis Storm
Brading	Godshill	Mary Caws	Sharon Louise	Vic Caws
Bridgecourt	Golden Galaxy	Maureen Mew	Sharon West	Wellow
Bright Sparks	Golden Glitter	Michelle West	Shaun Jacobs	Wispy
Brightstone	Golden Sparkle	Nanny Mac	Snowbright	Wootton
Budbridge	Golden Stardust	Nettlecombe	Solent Star	Wydcombe
Bugle	Grandad Mac	Nettlestone Gold	Sophia	Zemmies
Cardington	Granny Barter	Newbridge	Sparks	Zoe
Catherine Wheels	Green Silver Galaxy	Nicola Gainford	Springvale	Zoe Kathleen
Chawton	Gurnard	Nina West	St. Lawrence
Chelsea Diane	Gwen Lewington	Nippert	Star Flair
Chine	Hannah West	Noohow	Starflecks
Colin Golding	Havenstreet	Northwood	Starstorm
Colwell	Holly West	Oakfield	Stenbury
Cowes	Hulverstoe	Olive West	Taffety
Cranmore	Irene Smith	Pat Hannam	The Yar
Cridmore	Janna Whelan	Paul West	Thorley
Crystal West	Jinky	Pebbles	Thornhill