Rose Breeder  

Listing last updated on Sat Apr 2025

Portadown, Northern Ireland
United Kingdom

1897 - 1934
From [The Makers of Heavenly Roses, by Jack Harkness, P.63-65] "[After Samuel McGredy II died in 1926,]...the third Sam McGredy... [took over the nursery] and expanded... production of rose plants... In 1928 the National Rose Society invited rose breeders of the world to send plants to their trial grounds at Haywards Heath... the rose breeders of the world submitted 279 varieties of which eighty-two came from McGredy....Then, suddenly he had a heart attack, and died in November, 1934. He was only 38."
"It was fortunate that Ivy, the sister of Sam III had married a man named Walter Johnson. He proved able to take control of the business...[however,] the breeding began to be less successful. It takes a practiced eye to be a rose breeder... "
Note: Roses bred during the time Walter Johnson operated the nursery are listed with those by Sam III until 1941, under "Plants Bred," above.
From the 1951 RNRS The Rose Annual, Up to the beginning of the war (1939) some 500,000 roses were grown annually This was cut back 10% on Government orders. Production had recovered by 1951.
"In 1952, [Samuel Darragh McGredy IV] reported for duty at Portsdown."