A love of orchids led John Jones and his family to a life in
horticulture.
The Jones family, who established Limberlost Nursery, have spent
their lives cultivating unique varieties of orchids, bougainvilleas
and exotic plants and fruit trees, as well as developing a nursery
complete with all gardening requirements.
John well remembers the moment when he first became entranced by
orchids.
“My memory of this occasion is very clear. While travelling to Cairns
by car in 1946 we pulled over to look at a mass of bright mauvy
flowers in the fork of a tree,” John recalled.
“There could be no doubt that these blooms where Cooktown orchids.
I lingered to long and so caught the orchid bug.”
horticulture.
The Jones family, who established Limberlost Nursery, have spent
their lives cultivating unique varieties of orchids, bougainvilleas
and exotic plants and fruit trees, as well as developing a nursery
complete with all gardening requirements.
John well remembers the moment when he first became entranced by
orchids.
“My memory of this occasion is very clear. While travelling to Cairns
by car in 1946 we pulled over to look at a mass of bright mauvy
flowers in the fork of a tree,” John recalled.
“There could be no doubt that these blooms where Cooktown orchids.
I lingered to long and so caught the orchid bug.”
Our history
The year before, shortly before John was discharged from the Air Force, he brought a
sugar cane farm at El Arish, which had been given the name Limberlost.
John brought the farm from Mr and Mrs Gibson who said,
"The original Limberlost was situated on the eastern side of a western mountain
range on the border of the USA and Canada. It was a rich, swampy forest area, where
it was said the plants grew to perfection."
Limberlost was also the subject of a book called 'Girl of the Limberlost'.
In 1948 John married Sybil Abell and it was about this time they started importing
orchids from India and Marcel Lecoufle, France to their property in El Arish.
John and Sybil sold the cane farm in 1951 and brought a property at Freshwater,
which is today the home of Limberlost Nursery.
The property consisted of a home and several acres of good soil with an established
irrigation system, growing mainly paw paws.
They continued the fruit growing and started to build up their orchid stocks with
the plan of starting their own orchid nursery one day.
In 1954 they commenced orchid flask culture with the help of Jim Bourner.
The first orchid hybrid flasked was a Vanda which flowered in 1959 and was
registered with the Sanders as Vanda Coral Sands.
Pots presented a problem In the 1950s as terracotta pots dried out too quickly and
were too heavy for mail order and plastic pots were not widely used until the 1960’s.
So John and Sybil used several thousand plastic egg cups for their orchid seedlings.
“We drilled drainage holes in the egg cups and the orchid seedlings were packed for
mail order by air, rail and post,” John recalled.
sugar cane farm at El Arish, which had been given the name Limberlost.
John brought the farm from Mr and Mrs Gibson who said,
"The original Limberlost was situated on the eastern side of a western mountain
range on the border of the USA and Canada. It was a rich, swampy forest area, where
it was said the plants grew to perfection."
Limberlost was also the subject of a book called 'Girl of the Limberlost'.
In 1948 John married Sybil Abell and it was about this time they started importing
orchids from India and Marcel Lecoufle, France to their property in El Arish.
John and Sybil sold the cane farm in 1951 and brought a property at Freshwater,
which is today the home of Limberlost Nursery.
The property consisted of a home and several acres of good soil with an established
irrigation system, growing mainly paw paws.
They continued the fruit growing and started to build up their orchid stocks with
the plan of starting their own orchid nursery one day.
In 1954 they commenced orchid flask culture with the help of Jim Bourner.
The first orchid hybrid flasked was a Vanda which flowered in 1959 and was
registered with the Sanders as Vanda Coral Sands.
Pots presented a problem In the 1950s as terracotta pots dried out too quickly and
were too heavy for mail order and plastic pots were not widely used until the 1960’s.
So John and Sybil used several thousand plastic egg cups for their orchid seedlings.
“We drilled drainage holes in the egg cups and the orchid seedlings were packed for
mail order by air, rail and post,” John recalled.
Cyclone Anges in 1956 put an end to the fruit growing, as the paw paw trees were completely destroyed.
“The force of the wind twisted the fruiting tops of the paw paw trees until they broke off. With the fruit growing
finished, Limberlost nursery was now a reality.”
In the 1960’s and 70’s Limberlost expanded to mail order and export on all lines, including orchids.
Since that time Limberlost Nursery has registered more than 150 orchid hybrids which they raised from seed and in a
period of 20 years have flasked about 850 hybrids.
In 1970 John and Sybil visited Singapore, Thailand and Japan and brought back for quarantine four varieties of
double bract-flowered bougainvilleas. These were named Limberlost Beauty, Thai Gold, Klong Fire and Pagoda Pink.
They also brought back an exotic shrub called Bangkok Rose Mussaenda philippa, which they first saw in the Singapore
Botanic Gardens.
John and Sybil have been assisted by many staff over the years who have helped them build the Nursery too what it
is today.
Staff who have played an instrumental role in the success of Limberlost include Sybil’s brother Lloyd Abell, Beverly
Strokes, Fred Cash, Bob Nevins and Steve Simpson.
In the mid 1970’s Mike Fabian established a specialised section of exotic fruit trees at Limberlost. This section
was managed by Mike who has mastered the techniques of grafting and propagation necessary to maintain a wide range
of exotic fruit has now been pasted over to Adam.
John and Sybil retired to Yungaburra in the 1980’s and their older daughter Robyn took over managing the business
and continues to do so today.
Younger daughter Linda has also been involved in the business and during the 1980s was responsible for drawing up
plans for renovations to expand the retail section of the nursery.
Linda now has also an established Nursery in Yungaburra, Lakeside Garden Centre, which stocks plants suitable for
the Tablelands climate.
“The force of the wind twisted the fruiting tops of the paw paw trees until they broke off. With the fruit growing
finished, Limberlost nursery was now a reality.”
In the 1960’s and 70’s Limberlost expanded to mail order and export on all lines, including orchids.
Since that time Limberlost Nursery has registered more than 150 orchid hybrids which they raised from seed and in a
period of 20 years have flasked about 850 hybrids.
In 1970 John and Sybil visited Singapore, Thailand and Japan and brought back for quarantine four varieties of
double bract-flowered bougainvilleas. These were named Limberlost Beauty, Thai Gold, Klong Fire and Pagoda Pink.
They also brought back an exotic shrub called Bangkok Rose Mussaenda philippa, which they first saw in the Singapore
Botanic Gardens.
John and Sybil have been assisted by many staff over the years who have helped them build the Nursery too what it
is today.
Staff who have played an instrumental role in the success of Limberlost include Sybil’s brother Lloyd Abell, Beverly
Strokes, Fred Cash, Bob Nevins and Steve Simpson.
In the mid 1970’s Mike Fabian established a specialised section of exotic fruit trees at Limberlost. This section
was managed by Mike who has mastered the techniques of grafting and propagation necessary to maintain a wide range
of exotic fruit has now been pasted over to Adam.
John and Sybil retired to Yungaburra in the 1980’s and their older daughter Robyn took over managing the business
and continues to do so today.
Younger daughter Linda has also been involved in the business and during the 1980s was responsible for drawing up
plans for renovations to expand the retail section of the nursery.
Linda now has also an established Nursery in Yungaburra, Lakeside Garden Centre, which stocks plants suitable for
the Tablelands climate.
Today Limberlost is a specialised retail outlet with large displays covering all garden requirements such as garden pots and ornamentals, native and exotic plants and exotic fruit trees. Through out the years our love of Plants has increased to become our passion. |
Mussaenda philippica
Limberlost Beauty Bougainvillea