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Lilia Weatherly - "Pink Iceberg"
In the pink of health
Intellectual property safeguards have helped turn a hobby into a thriving business for a Tasmanian plant breeder.
When rosarian Lilia Weatherly noticed a pink mutation on one of her White Iceberg rose bushes in 1991, she knew it was special. "I cut it off, struck it, and later I kept looking at it thinking 'I might do something with that'," she recalls.
Despite a lukewarm response from her associates at the now defunct Rose Society of Tasmania, Weatherly remained undeterred. She sent the rose off to a nursery for a professional evaluation. "I knew enough about Plant Breeder's Rights (PBR) to protect the bud wood before I sent it anywhere," she says, referring to legislation that ensures commercial protection for a plant variety. "That's what got me involved in applying for PBR protection."
A growth industry
Soon after the application was submitted for the protection of Pink Iceberg, several nurseries approached Weatherly with the aim of marketing the varietal. She chose Swane's Nurseries in New South Wales, and has been involved in an ongoing relationship with it ever since. The discovery and subsequent protection of Pink Iceberg rapidly transformed what was essentially a garden hobby for Weatherly into a successful hybridising business.
"We used our existing company to work with the roses," she explains. "White Iceberg is the world's biggest-selling rose - everybody grows it. There had never been other colours of the mutation from which to develop pink and other coloured varieties. So I have taken advantage of my discovery."
With a garden full of new seedlings and many new varietals in the pipeline, Weatherly now devotes much of her time to developing new hybrids. She has since sported the varietal to create Brilliant Pink Iceberg, which has, in turn, sported to Burgundy Iceberg.
Safe and secure
Weatherly's children, all of whom are directors in her company, Prophyl Pty Ltd, maintain an active role in the business. Daughter Candace attends PBR Qualified Person workshops each year, and takes a special interest in protecting the intellectual property of the business.
"It is interesting to go to the workshops to learn about the opportunities and pitfalls of being a plant breeder,"Weatherly says. "It is necessary to be capable of doing the work for PBR applications."
"Candace and I go to the Heritage Rose conferences every second year and we meet famous rosarians from all over the world. Without PBR protection, unscrupulous commercial propagators would have fleeced us of our new varieties and undermined our success."
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