Always up for a challenge

The Small village of Burbage in Leicestershire certainly played its part in the rose world as despite its size, which in the 1950s had a population of about 4,000, was the home of two prominent rose nurseries.

One of those, Victoria Nursery, was run by Herbert Robinson who opened it in 1912 having previously worked in many of the best private gardens in the country.

After the First World War with the help of his wife, Mary, he started raising pyrsthrums and delphlinums for which they won many awards. Always up for a challenge and having been told that it would not be easy to win awards for roses, he decided to have a go. All in all, he bred forty-two recorded roses, though today probably only one is still available to buy in the United Kingdom, Doreen. Named after his daughter, it was one of the first roses we planted in our garden as it shares the same name as my late mum. I also bought one each from R.V. Rogers of Pickering, North Yorkshire for each of my brothers. A hybrid tea rose, it received a trial ground certificate in 1951, and it produces golden yellow to yellow flowers that have a tea fragrance. Robinson bred it from Lydia, and another of his roses, and McGredy Sunset.

His other roses:

Chorus Girl - a floribunda rose with orange red flowers

Christopher Stone - a hybrid tea with medium red flowers and in 1937 was the first rose of his to be introduced

Coral Star - a hybrid tea with coral pink flowers

Coventrian - a floribunda rose with deep pink flowers

Crimson Brocade - a hybrid tea with deep red flowers

David Gold - a hybrid tea with red flowers

Dorothy Peach - a hybrid tea with yellow flowers

E.J. Baldwin - a hybrid tea with medium red flowers

Elaine - a hybrid tea with medium pink flowers that was named after one of his daughters

F.W. Alesworth - a hybrid tea rose with deep red flowers

Fairlight - a floribunda rose with orange and pink flowers

Gay Crusader - a hybrid tea with red flowers

Gold Coast - a ground cover rose with medium red flowers and is also known as Golden Pride

Gracious Lady - a hybrid tea with pink flowers

Highlight - a floribunda with orange flowers

Huntsman - a hybrid tea with red flowers

Joybells - a floribunda with medium pink flowers

Lucky Charm - a floribunda with yellow flowers

Lydia - a hybrid tea with deep yellow flowers

Mandarin - a hybrid tea with medium yellow flowers

Mandy - a floribunda with light yellow flowers

Mary Wheatcroft - a hybrid tea with orange flowers

Molly Bishop - a hybrid tea with orange flowers

Moonbeam - a hybrid tea with dark yellow flowers

My Lady - a hybrid tea with apricot flowers

Nottingham - a hybrid tea with yellow flowers

Our Princess - a floribunda with dark red flowers

Regalia - a hybrid tea with red flowers

Startler - a hybrid tea with orange and pink flowers

Truly Yours - a hybrid tea with dark red flowers. The last of his roses introduced

Victoria - a hybrid tea with light yellow flowers

Walter Bentley - a hybrid tea with orange and red flowers

Westminster - a hybrid tea with red flowers

Winefred Clarke - a hybrid tea with medium yellow flowers

Yellow Petals - a hybrid tea with medium yellow flowers

In the 1950s he was awarded a MBE for his services to horticultural and was to die in the Leicester Royal Infirmary at the age of 93 in 1977. Today his former home in Burbage has a blue plaque in his memory.