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Otto Fauser - prince among men

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Maggi Young:
Oron Peri has decided to name this beautiful Iris after the  legendary bulb man who is very close to his - and our - heart. Iris x 'Otto Fauser' - 
Oron writes:  "Very happy about this cross I have made 3 years ago.
Iris stenophylla alisonii x Iris palaestina. Named Iris x 'Otto Fauser'
Leaves and general appearance resembles palaestina but much smaller in size. The flower is definitely more stenophylla.
Out of 19 plants, this seems to be the only one to flower this year."

  Unfortunately  Otto is very ill in hospital right now and we send him much love as well as congratulations on this Iris given his name.  Oron Peri makes a tribute to the very fine plantsman, and most charming of gentlemen, Otto Fauser by naming this Iris.



Otto has been given the honour of other plants too, of course, such as Crocus fauseri  named by Kerndorff and Pasche in 2011.



- these photos from Janis Ruksans

Maggi Young:
Otto was described by  Michael McCoy in  2013 as ..... "Otto Fauser – the great guru of bulbs in Australia.  This is a man in a category all of his own, of vast knowledge, and even vaster generosity."
 So true - and Otto's reputation as a wonderful friend is not restricted to those who received his generosity of spirit with plants.

A post - and photo, from Oron in 2019 - when he visited Otto at home.

Maggi Young:
This sad news from Fermi de Sousa about the great plantsman and good friend of the SRGC and many of us personally:
"Vale Otto
 It is with great sadness that we advise of the passing of our dear friend Otto Fauser.
Otto died at Eastern Health Palliative care unit, following a protracted illness. His last few years were made harder by his inability to get out into his beloved garden due to infirmity. Fortunately, he had many friends who were able to help him in the garden as well as "fetching and carrying" to make it possible to stay at home as long as he did.
When he was admitted to Knox Private Hospital he was buoyed by the visits of many friends and they made his last weeks more bearable as he realised how much he is loved.
Otto was a long-time member of the Alpine Garden Society in the UK and had many friends there who he was able to visit up until his last visit for the Alpines 2011 conference in Nottingham. We especially treasure the photo Ray Condon took of him and Beth Chatto in Beth's garden on the pre-conference tour.
He was one of the earliest members of the AGS Victorian Group and served on the committee for many years offering his wisdom and sharing knowledge and anecdotes of his gardening career and his friends. He was made a Life member of the AGS Vic Group and the Ferny Creek Horticultural Society of which he was very proud. His biggest accolade was to have a crocus named after him, Crocus fauseri, a species recognised as distinct by his friend Eric Pasche with Helmut Kerndorff in 2011; he was of course known as the King of Crocus and was "keeper of the crocus" for Plant Trust.
His dear friend Oron Peri has just named an Iris (Juno) hybrid after him - a beautiful Iris stenophylla alisonii x Iris palestina cross. Maggi Young made a post on the Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum under the Iris Thread https://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=19438.msg343648;topicseen#new  .
Otto was a truly generous gardener and inspired many young or inexperienced gardeners by giving them plants, bulbs and seeds to encourage them to grow them and to share.  His garden was a treasure trove of rare and beautiful plants from species Rhododendrons to the tiniest alpines. His favourites seem to have been bulbs and he had tried very many over the years with many making his garden their home to thrive and prosper. It was the greatest pleasure to visit during snowdrop season when his collection of Galanthus was unrivalled in Australia. It was here that many of us saw some amazing plants for the first time, including Dionysia involucrata, Corydalis popovii, Anemone blanda, Galanthus woronowii, Iris bucharica to name a few.
One of our members has commented that he's now looking after all the treasures that we've sent to Heaven!

The AGS Vic Group and FCHS will hold a joint meeting on Saturday 6th July at 2pm to honour his memory.
It will be held at the Olinda Community House 79-81 Olinda-Monbulk Rd, Olinda

regards,
Fermi de Sousa. "

While this was not unexpected, it is terribly sad, since Otto was truly a great friend and remarkable plantsman.  It is some comfort that his pain and struggles in this life are ended. Rest in peace, Otto.

krisderaeymaeker:
Really sad news 😢😢He was a wonderful and generous man who sent me a beautiful Sternbergia and some crocus corms many years ago. He was an inspiration for many flower bulb growers. I will cherish the beautiful Sternbergia and Crocus even more than I already did. Rest in peace, dear friend.

Maggi Young:
Otto was a longterm Forumist here, as is Lesley Cox - she has made this post on the New Zealand AGS page of Facebook:

"It is so sad that the great Otto Fauser has died in just the last few days. I was let know  yesterday by my good friend in Dunedin she having heard from one of the tight group of keen and talented rock gardeners in Victoria, Australia. Otto was just a few days away from his 86th birthday. He was a quiet, gentle man, generous in every way and always helpful and sharing of his huge knowledge of his beloved alpine plants and bulbs.

I first met Otto in the northern spring of 1981 when we were both attendees at the International Rock Garden Plant Conference at Nottingham University. We had a loose friendship in the following years until 2003 when I first went to Australia and was able to visit and stay with him and was first introduced to his incredible garden and wonderful collection of rare and choice plants.  We exchanged seeds from time to time as our countries permitted, and he even shared with me seed he had received from Michael Kammerlander in Germany of the exquisite but difficult Iris stenophylla var allisonii. Thank goodness I can report  that my 2 seeds germinated and are still alive after 4 years though not flowered yet.

Otto's birthday in March was just two days before my own and we joked that I would visit him about the 9th or 10th of March last year and have a big joint party for his 85th and my 80th with all our Aussie gardening friends. Illness and other considerations got in the way of our plan so it never happened but we certainly thought of each other and sent birthday greetings across that rather wide ditch. So many people around the world who were touched by Otto's kindness over many years will miss him and always think kindly of him, such a great source of knowledge and experience gone now from amongst us."

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