Category Archives: about Love and Wishes

The story behind the plant

John Fisher studied plant breeding at Sydney University and went on to manage extensive wheat breeding programs in New South Wales for over 20 years.

John and his wife Jill have always been keen gardeners. Following retirement, John was keen to devote time to alternative plant breeding projects and identified the potential in the genus Salvia.

There are over 900 Salvia species worldwide. They are found in all the major ecosystems and cover the full range of colours. John’s aim is to produce novel hybrids that provide the best combination of plant form and flower colour. Salvia Love and Wishes is the first variety from John’s breeding programme.

A plant breeder always dreams of having their varieties grown widely. But John’s passion goes beyond that.

“I am passionate about the science of plant breeding but not in an ivory tower way. Unlike many horticultural species, there is a substantial scientific literature on Salvias because of their unique floral morphology and complex chemistry. This provides the basis for the development of a well structured breeding program. Salvias, in addition to their horticultural potential, pose intriguing academic questions about taxonomy, evolutionary relationships and ecological adaptations.”

John Fisher - breeder of Salvia Love and Wishes
John Fisher – breeder of Salvia Love and Wishes