Dickson Roses

The Dickson rose business began in 1836 when Alexander Dickson I established a nursery in County Down. His sons Hugh and George became involved in roses, and the enterprise developed under the name Alexander Dickson and Sons. Hugh later founded Royal Nurseries in 1869. In the late 1870s, Hugh, George and the next generation began breeding roses, creating the family line that would become associated with Dickson Roses. The family entered the public rose-breeding world at the National Rose Society Show in London in 1886, exhibiting 'Earl of Dufferin', 'Lady Helen Stewart' and 'Ethel Brownlow'. George Dickson I subsequently bred notable cultivars including 'Mrs. W. J. Grant' and 'Tom Wood'. Alexander Dickson II, active in the business from 1872 to 1930, became the family's most prolific breeder, with 242 roses attributed to him. His work included the Irish series of single Hybrid Teas and named cultivars such as 'Irish Elegance', 'George Dickson', 'Kitchener of Khartoum', 'Kootenay', 'Kathleen Harrop' and 'Dame Edith Helen'. The business later operated as Dicksons of Hawlmark. In 1969 it moved from Hawlmark to Milecross Road, Newtownards, and adopted the name Dickson Nurseries. Breeding continued through Alexander Dickson III, who introduced 57 named roses, including 'Sir Winston Churchill', 'Red Devil' and 'Nana Mouskouri'. Alexander Patrick Dickson, known as Patrick, began breeding for the company in 1957 and was responsible for 156 roses, including 'Sea Pearl', 'Grandpa Dickson', 'Redgold' and 'Elina'. From 1977, Colin Dickson represented the sixth generation of the family as principal breeder. His introductions included 'Beautiful Britain', 'Sweet Magic', 'Irish Eyes' and 'Whisper'. Dickson cultivars achieved recognition through rose awards and were distributed internationally, giving the nursery influence well beyond its Northern Irish base. The available account also records uncertainty about the business's later continuity. In 2019, the BBC reported that the nursery might close. No authoritative material supplied here confirms whether the operation subsequently closed, continued under the same ownership, or changed structure. The present corporate status is consequently unresolved.

• 2019

  Possible closure reported

  [2]Possible closure reportedbbc.com

  BBC reporting raised the possibility that the family nursery might close.

• 1977

  Colin Dickson becomes principal breeder

  [1]Dickson Rosesen.wikipedia.org

  Colin Dickson, a sixth-generation rosarian, took the leading breeding role for the company.

• 1969

  Move to Milecross Road

  [1]Dickson Rosesen.wikipedia.org

  The firm moved from Hawlmark to Milecross Road in Newtownards and became known as Dickson Nurseries.

• 1892

  Introduction of Mrs. W. J. Grant

  [1]Dickson Rosesen.wikipedia.org

  George Dickson I introduced the pink Hybrid Tea rose 'Mrs. W. J. Grant'.

• 1886

  First recorded public breeder exhibition

  [1]Dickson Rosesen.wikipedia.org

  The Dicksons presented themselves as breeders at the National Rose Society Show in London.

• 1869

  Royal Nurseries is founded

  [1]Dickson Rosesen.wikipedia.org

  Hugh Dickson established the separate Royal Nurseries operation, which became part of the family's early rose-breeding history.

• 1836

  Alexander Dickson I establishes the nursery

  [1]Dickson Rosesen.wikipedia.org

  Alexander Dickson I founded the nursery in County Down, creating the family business from which Dickson Roses developed.

A heritage Northern Irish rose-breeding and nursery name positioned around multigenerational expertise, named cultivars, garden performance and the international reputation of the Dickson family's roses.

• Garden rose cultivar · 1983

  Elina

  A Dickson-bred rose introduced by Alexander Patrick Dickson and associated with the company's modern award-winning breeding record. It is one of the best-known cultivars connected with the nursery.

• Hybrid Tea rose cultivar · 1955

  Sir Winston Churchill

  A rose bred by Alexander Dickson III and named for the British statesman. It is among the historically prominent twentieth-century cultivars associated with Dickson Roses.

• Garden rose cultivar · 2000

  Irish Eyes

  A later Dickson introduction bred during Colin Dickson's tenure. Its name continues the family's longstanding use of Irish-themed cultivar names.

• Garden rose cultivar · 2002

  Whisper

  A cultivar attributed to Colin Dickson's breeding programme and introduced during the company's late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century period.

• Rose cultivar · 1912

  George Dickson

  A rose bred by Alexander Dickson II and named within the family's own cultivar tradition.

• Rose cultivar · 1917

  Kitchener of Khartoum

  A historically notable cultivar bred by Alexander Dickson II and introduced during the First World War period.

• 1969

  Relocation and adoption of the Dickson Nurseries nameStrategy

  Background

  The business had operated under earlier names, including Dicksons of Hawlmark, before moving to new premises in Newtownards.

  Action taken

  It moved from Hawlmark to Milecross Road and became known as Dickson Nurseries.

  Aftermath

  The move established the modern geographic and naming identity most closely associated with Dickson Roses.

  Source

1. 1Dickson Rosesen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Possible closure reportedbbc.com