by Gordon Giles
I started hybridising Cymbidium orchids about 1955. My father, Leo Giles, started Wondabah Orchids at Carlingford during the great orchid boom, around 1951, when a plant of Cymbidium Grainamere ‘End’ or something similar, would sell for £10. Money at that time was a lot of money and my father used his capital and business know-how, and I the nursery expertise. We ran a very successful business.
The bubble burst, as they do, and it became difficult to survive as we had to find other ways to survive. We decided that we would produce Cymbidium seedlings. Till that time most seedlings were imported from England. This was the first proper attempt to produce these on a commercial basis. I definitely was not the first to produce orchid seedlings. Gentlemen such as A.B. Porter and Andrew Persson were kind enough to teach me the art.
Before the 1969 and moved the cymbidiums there to grow and sold pot plants. This was not easy. We had little to work with, but possibly the time was right. We decided our main aim was to produce purely a flowering plant for indoor decoration. I also moved into indoor foliage plants.
We were quite successful. Crosses such as Coraki Sensation, Indoor Sensation, Indoor Foliage, William Wyatt and Josephine were grown and sold. I also moved into indoor foliage plants.
About 1976 I set up Keith Wallace Pty Ltd with my good friend Keith Wallace. This operated out of Vineys Lane, where it still operates to this day. During all this time I was still breeding and had many plants, which were involved in the business.
I set up a nursery at Vineys Lane in Dural, where for some years I grew Cymbidiums. Clones such as Cymbidium ‘View Rose’, Pharaohs Gold, Phalaenopsis ‘John’s Delight’ and Wallacia Burnt Orange were grown. Cattleya and Oncidium were also involved. These have been invaluable and many hybridisers are still in love with Pharaohs Gold and especially Wallacia, which has been a wonderful source of bicolour flowers.
Times changed again. The export market ceased to be profitable, so I set up another nursery in Quarry Road Dural in bicolour flowers.
In 1993 I closed the other nursery in Quarry Road, moved the few selected cymbidiums to Vineys Lane, and decided to devote much of my time to breeding. Keith Wallace was now a whole show. We had large area of shade houses where we grow our foliage plants, and a modern virtually automated glasshouse.
Up till now stock has been a problem as any excess has been taken by other nurseries. So it is with great pride that we offer our listing of new crossings. The accompanying photos show the standard of parents used. Not all are bred for the show bench and we still search for new colours. There are also a number of crosses that are designed to produce free flowering types that are fun to grow.
The time for retailing has come around again… I think!
Keith Wallace Nursery 