Germany

My father tells me that as a small kid, I was smitten with Peace in my grandparents' garden, and that I, under the guidance of my grandfather (a natural scientist) even planted seeds of it. Unfortunately, I have no memory of this.
My interest in roses was dormant for decades, until I bought a house that had five roses in the garden. Within a few months I was totally engrossed in my new hobby, cycling around town and visiting rose gardens in Dortmund, Kassel, Sangerhausen, Coloma... to try and identify my roses (it worked with four of them, one I mis-identified early on and I have only recently discovered my error). I guess my father's story is true because it only took a moment until I started dabbing my roses with pollen.
Because my garden is too small for all the roses I'd like to have to fit in, I now have a small piece of grassland (less than an acre) where I can build up a gene pool. However, the climate is harsh there, and I can't water the plants *at all* - not even in their first year. So natural selection plays a big part in my considerations (read: half of my roses die in their first year. It's very sad).
From rose breeding and grassland it was only a small step to a larger enterprise - apple growing and breeding, which is now my second crazy hobby. Fortunately, my city's university offers a degree in agricultural sciences so I can use their library to learn about genetics, ecology, diseases, techniques ... there is so much to learn!

Beginner (11 years)

Breeder, Photographer, Rustler

Last visit: More than a year ago