Jiri Balatka

After some seasons in detecting the secrets of the czech conifering I guess some important lines. How works this till unknown world?

Generally I see, that broom hunting is a national sport in Cesko. There are many forests, also imported species as Abies concolor, Pinus banksiana, Pinus nigra, Pseudotsuga menziesii and many others. Cesko is a traditional area in Europe for gardening with many connections to other countries. Lada Valenta told me, that people in the communistic era were whithdrawn to their houses and gardens off the political debates, and built up their own closed world. Maybe, and the gardens became a surviving role not only around the house, but also in a spiritual way.

This story is possibly more complicated as to write about it in some words. Anyway, the brooms find their way to propagation. There are many gardeners, who helps for finders to propagate their plants. Some of them have also a nursery, where these new finds will be listed. The smaller local nurseries are in connection with greater nurseries, and the good selections find their way slowly to the opened world. This complicated and living social matter is really working, and the new selections have their own after the discovery. I realized, that the closed world of conifers is just an open society for helping the news to nurseries.

This world is not working because of any money. Its not a business as the americans it mean.

No market and no business, Cesko has no export of brooms. Their brooms now are making some fame for fans, but no professional advertisings as by health care or any other business.

This belongs to the czech way of life.

On the top of the nursery hierach are staying the most enthaustic collectors with great nurseries. They are only some, and we know them by name. Jiri Holata in Kouty, Vladimir Valenta in Belecko, Miroslav Malik in Ceske Budejovice. They are the key, and a fourth person: Jiri Balatka. He is also an integrating personality of about 10-20 broom collectors. Jiri Balatka has a special computer database of the last 23 years czech conifering, he is really a living gold mine with his knowledge, skills and experience. Jiri Balatka is also the Big Four in Cesko. He is a world known personality with overseas connections.

As in September 2011 we Lada Valenta and Gyorgy Tarnok visited him, I had a caught sight to his computer, I knew in the first minute, that the Conifer Treasury of Cesko 2.0 2012 will be soon ready. 4600 czech conifers on 650 pages and with 5000 photos. Im very proud of Jiri, who took a great part in the czech history of conifering.

Well, after too much words must come too much photos.

Enjoy please the perfect miniature conifer world by Jiri Balatka and his friend as Maly, Pospisil, Radek, Gotvald, Verbin, Oralek, Lady Balatka and many others.

Abies alba Aurea Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Abies alba Balmach Sa Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Abies alba Balmach Sa Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Abies alba Kral Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Abies concolor Kadan Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Abies grandis Lounovice Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Abies komabilis x Hvozdany # 1 Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Abies koreana x amabilis, discovered by Karel Maly

Abies procera Hupps Dwarf Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Abies procera Pospisil Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Abies veitchii Rako Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Balatka Gardens Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Balatka brooms Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Juniperus horizontalis Kopienica Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Juniperus horizontalis Kopienica Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Picea abies Alzbeta Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Picea abies Alzbeta Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Picea abies Ami Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Picea abies Ami Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Picea abies Basa Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Picea abies Bila Strz Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Picea abies Boban Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Picea abies Boban Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Picea abies Bratrouchov Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Picea abies Bratrouchov Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Picea abies Bratrouchov Mesterhazy & Balatka photo

Zsolt

conifertreasury.org