By Anne Stembridge

Taranaki gardener Felix Jury brought Vulcan and Apollo down to earth about the same time man walked on the moon.

While this story has nothing to do with exploring space, Felix took his own giant steps for plantkind by introducing these two world-renowned magnolia hybrids, as well as camellias, scented hardy rhododendrons, vireya rhododendrons and more to our backyards.

In the wilds of New Guinea, Felix sought breeding material that would survive in New Zealand, because he realised the altitudes and climates were similar.

Second son, Chris, remembers that exciting time because Felix promised to bring home bows and arrows for his three sons. "He was head-hunting stuff in head-hunting country," says Chris. Felix enthralled the youngsters by telling them he used to sleep with one eye open when up in the highlands, as it was not unheard of to get your head cut off.

His botanical legacy is carried on today by youngest son, Mark, at the family homestead at Tikorangi, in north Taranaki.

Crop of gardeners

In a Daily News article in 1990, just seven years before he died, Felix says his interest in horticulture came about simply because "it's probably in my family genes". It began nearly 170 years ago, on the other side of the world in Cornwall, England, when the seeds of a gardening dynasty were sown.

His paternal grandparents were Cornish, a people known for their gardening prowess. His mother's family was also interested in gardening. Thomas and Eliza Jury founded the family farm in Tikorangi around 1872. Thomas established a piece of paradise by planting many native rimu, gums and pines, which now shelter an extraordinary collection of some of the world's rarest and most unusual plants.

Mark's wife, Abbie, in a 1998 Daily News article, says the family looks back and thinks Thomas must have been a remarkable man to have planted natives back then, instead of clear-felling like everyone else.

Felix's father, Bertram, although a farmer, did not share the passion for horticulture that Thomas and Felix are known for. But he and his wife, Myrtle, did pass the plant gene on to two of their five children.

Brothers produce hybrids

Les was the nurseryman and breeder, whereas Felix pursued his interest purely as a hobby in conjunction with farming. Les, who died in 1982, was best known for breeding camellias and rhododendrons, and also had successes with lilies. Both men worked within a similar genre and, in the case of camellias, each produced hybrids, which gained them international recognition.

As Abbie ponders over the brothers' achievements, she recognises Les' reputation was important in its day.

"He went further in the camellia world, but he did not breed the long-term trees like magnolias," she says. "It's probably the magnolias that will keep Felix's reputation going."

Les is well remembered by the gardening fraternity for being a man before his time by opening his private garden in New Plymouth to the public back in the 1950s and early '60s. His actions set a precedent carried on today by avid gardeners.

Being mindful of 'minefield'

Besides being plant enthusiasts, Felix and his brother, Les, were competitive. George remembers getting nervous about the sometimes-serious sibling rivalry. "I always felt as if I was treading on dangerous ground whenever I talked to either of them about lilies, because they were very competitive in that field, and it didn't do to commend one of them for the development of a lily when it was possibly the other brother who had (developed it). It was a minefield."

Another gardening relationship in the Jury family was as co-operative as companion planting.

Mark says his parents worked together to establish the formal areas of the garden. "Mum used to recall a shared love of camellias being initiated by a wedding gift of camellia plants from Les. They had their own parts of the garden. The rose garden belonged to Mum, while the park and the rockery were Dad's special areas, but they came together in the first place through a shared love of gardens."

On the plant trail

Felix acquired his vast knowledge of plants by communicating with all sorts of people from all around the world. Brent and Chris say they got to know the New Zealand horticulture scene well because Felix did not like driving, and as teenagers they would chauffeur him around the country. They remember waiting outside nurseries for hours. Sometimes, if Mimosa was with them, she would get so "hot under the collar" that she would go in and give him a blast.

The breeding of plants started seriously after Felix's New Guinea expedition in 1958. Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust board chairman Alan Jellyman recalls Felix being at the forefront of vireya rhododendrons in the 1960s. "He was before his time."

His early successes were with New Zealand natives, which he loved. Yellow Wave flax was the start of a long list of plants he bred. He also had success with ground-hugging astelias and cordylines, better known as cabbage trees.

World set to see red

Mark is in the process of releasing Felix's cordyline Red Fountain on the international market. He tips the dwarf cabbage tree as a winner because of its exceptional colour, low-growing habit, and flowing flax-like foliage.

More success has come with Jury-bred trees. Felix was particularly proud of Pink Cloud and Mimosa Jury - flowering cherries found today in gardens everywhere.

Not one to sit idle, he was on to magnolias, which he regarded as the aristocrats of the gardening world. "Of all his plants, Felix was probably proudest of his magnolias," says Abbie.

His first successful magnolia was Iolanthe, which has been rated as one of the top six magnolias in the world.

Iolanthe - a friend and goddess

Iolanthe marked the beginning of a new generation that flower at an early age.  Abbie tells the story of Felix hybridising magnolias in the 1960s and putting a number of seedlings into the vegetable garden. It was here Iolanthe flowered and its large, pink and cream cup-and-saucer flowers were so impressive that it has stayed there ever since - to the detriment of the vegetables.

It was named in part as a sign of respect and affection for retired Pukekura Park fernery manager and good friend, Iolanthe Small, who says the honour took a while to sink in. "I didn't realise the magnitude of it then - of having a shrub named after one," she muses.

The name Iolanthe also falls into line with Felix's decision to focus on Greek mythology.

Vulcan among the stars

Magnolia lovers worldwide have heard of Athene and Milky Way, varieties with abundant heavenly-smelling flowers. Other superior hybrids include the already mentioned Apollo, with scented star-like flowers, and its sister seedling, Vulcan.

In Rosemary Barrett's book, Magnolias, Vulcan is described as "breathtakingly beautiful", with its rich ruby-red flowers.

Abbie also focuses on its dramatic hues: "Arguably, Vulcan is the most significant and recognisable of Felix's magnolias because it was a colour break in the genus."

Brent says his father had a way with hybrids: "He always seemed to be able to hit the nail on the head and get the results. He might only raise 30-40 seedlings and in those there would be some gems." This remarkable ability saw Felix awarded the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society's Veitch Medal in 1992. 

The Jury interest in plants continues to grow, with Felix's sons revealing green fingers.

A love of ancient  plants

Brent saw the monetary value in plants, and with his wife, Barbara, ran a nursery business from home at Pukeawa, near Waitara, in north Taranaki. During their 30 years in the nursery world, they exhibited Les' and Felix's attributes of foresight and patience.

In their time, Brent and Barbara Jury have experimented with a wide range of plants, but their obsession is for cycads, a winning trend in gardening today. Starting with perennials, they graduated to South African proteas, leucodendrons, and leucospernums, before specialising in the pre-historic plant wonders. They introduced several new palm and cycad species to New Zealand.

Barbara says that everything they seemed to do, people copied. "You used to have people who used to travel around from nursery to nursery to see what you were growing, and then go and compete with you the following season."

Brent and Barbara got so sick of this they decided to divert their nursery totally into cycads, a long-lasting species which is much harder to copy. Although they closed their retail business in 2001, they have continued their love affair with cycads.

More than just green fingers

Younger brother Chris Jury knew from an early age he wanted to be a farmer. He has turned the farm into an organic operation, specialising in macadamias and avocados, as well as running Perendale sheep.

Felix got him interested in macadamias, and Chris has been to Australia to collect breeding material. "I probably would have one of coldest macadamia orchards in the world," he says.

He realises that as an organic farmer he needs to develop his hybridising skills, although his horticultural skills led him down another garden path.

Chip off old block

Of all Felix's children, Mark is said to be the closest hybrid of his father. Mark's interest in plants came about as a natural progression from childhood. Like his father before him, he states simply: "I grew up in a garden."

On The Edge: Abbie (middle) and Mark Jury talk to a visitor in their Tikorangi garden.

Image: The Daily News

Abbie says Mark always grew plants, even back when she first met him at Massey University in the 1970s. She remembers counting about 120 container plants they moved out of their first flat. There was also the time when the plants came off second best. "We had a lot of bonsais he was creating at that point that the dog destroyed. It got bored one afternoon and pulled everything out and marched them round the lawn."

After finishing their studies, they spent three years in Dunedin. In 1979, they headed north with the idea of growing plants for a living, and called in to see the family.

They were offered the use of land Felix had subdivided, which they accepted and: "Here we are today."

Making his own mark

Mark began breeding camellias in the early 1980s. He bred smaller flowering varieties, which have the added advantage of being less affected by the dreaded petal blight.

He also continues the work instigated by Felix. "Mark and his father have always been interested in producing plants that will perform well in the garden for ordinary people," says Abbie.

Garden lovers are now being treated to the next generation of Jury magnolia hybrids, which include impressive red-tone varieties, Black Tulip and Felix Jury.

New Zealand garden writer Rosemary Barrett predicts magnolia hybrid Felix Jury may become known as one of the best of the Jury hybrids.

Others also have high regard for the two Jury men's mission to produce magnificent magnolias. In 2003, the International Magnolia Society's top prize, the Todd Gresham Award, received by only about two dozen people, was given to Mark last year for his - and Felix's - contribution to the promotion of the magnolia genus.

Fulfilling family dreams

Not only has Mark continued his father's vision, he has also fulfilled a dream of his mother. His best-known rhododendron, Floral Sun, a sweet-scented soft yellow, is the result of his following Mimosa's dream of getting colour into the nutallii group of rhododendrons. She hybridised a nutallii called Floral Dance, the half sister of Floral Sun.

Mark is now concentrating on another branch of the magnolia family, michelias. As yet, none have been released, but his work is incredibly significant to the gardening world, as it will introduce a whole new genus of ornamental shrub to the market.

Like Felix, he also breeds some plants for no other reason than getting more variety for his garden. In tune with his environment, he grows alpine plants alongside sub-tropicals.

Garden of significance

This unique Jury garden haven has also been given the stamp of approval by the Royal New Zealand Horticultural Institute as a Garden of National Significance and is included on its database promoting New Zealand's best gardens.

Not only have the Jury family members received awards for their efforts in recognition of their significant contribution to horticulture, but gardens around the world display the true measure of their success.

As New Plymouth garden expert Alan Jellyman says: "You only have to look around Taranaki gardens to see the wide range of plants bred by the Jurys."

And as for the family passion for plants passing to the next generation, Mark quips that at the moment his only son, 16-year-old Theo, is just "into growing his hair - as long as he can". But Theo's two older sisters, Jasmine and Camilla, are certainly interested in plants and gardens. Watch this space