History of the 'Petersminde' Greenhouse

The greenhouse 'Peterminde' was located in Åbyhøj, a suburb of Århus which is the second largest town in Denmark. The nursery was started in the year 1900 by Chr. P. Sørensen and remained in the family Kragh Sørensen for more than a hundred years (see brochure for the anniversary, 2000). In 1908 the nursery moved to its current position. Since 1969 the owner was Carl Aksel Kragh Sørensen, the third generation.

During the years different crops have been grown at 'Petersminde'. After the WWII the main crops were different pot plants and cut roses, but during the 1960'es the nursury grew to become one of Denmark's finest suppliers of Orchids. A breeding programme was developed in order to produce new and exciting flowers for the rather exclusive market.

In 1990 a fantastic double Campanula Carpatica Clips was found at 'Petersminde'. Together with Thoruplund A/S and the Trial Station at Aarslev, Denmark, it has now been refined and is sold under the name of Thor-Pedo^N.

After the 1973 oil crisis and the expanding trade relations with the Far East the Orchids became a minor crop at 'Petersminde'. And in 1983, Carl Aksel Kragh Sørensen decided to start out on another adventure: Osteospermum. The crop was taken in and a small scale breeding program was set up to produce healthier plants for the nursery's own production. But soon other issues entered the breeding program, and in 1992 the first major addition to the traditional line of Osteospermum was introduced: The yellow Cape Daisy® Zulu^N and the unique white with a yellow center Cape Daisy® Zimba^N. Since then, many new varieties have been introduced, like Kalanga® Pink, Iringa^N, Orania® Yellow and growers all over the World have found the crop exciting and have started growing Cape Daisy® Osteospermum.

Today, the brand and breeding programme Cape Daisy® are owned by Sakata Ornamental Europe A/S.