Peter Upitis

“If you have a garden and a library, then you lack nothing!” (P. Upītis)

Pēteris Upītis (1896-1976) did a lot in lilac breeding in his time. Horticulturist – breeder, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences Pēteris Upītis was born in Jumurda, Cēsis district. He was educated at the Priekuļi Agricultural School. After graduating from school, he set up a large nursery on his parents' farm "Jaun-Rūsiņi", and began successful research in fruit growing and ornamental gardening.

Until 1913, P. Upītis studied at the Priekuļi Agricultural School, but later he was self-taught. The young Latvian horticulturist traveled to the largest fruit-growing centers in Europe. After several years of education abroad, Upītis returned to “Jaunrūsiņi” and planted his first orchard, which became the most famous model farm in the Vidzeme region. Unfortunately, during the Second World War, Pēteris lost his parents' house and moved to Zemgale. In the autumn of 1945, Pēteris Upītis began working at the Latvian Academy of Agriculture, identifying and studying folk selection varieties of fruit plants. P. Upītis had an indispensable ally - a bicycle, with which he traveled all over Latvia, collecting and describing the most interesting seedlings.

After the war, he was engaged in researching the gene pool of Latvian fruit plants. From 1948, Pēteris Upītis' life was connected with Dobele. From 1956 to 1976, Pēteris Upītis headed the Fruit Tree Breeding Laboratory of the Dobele Fruit Growing Experimental Farm of the Latvian Agricultural and Agricultural Economics Scientific Research Institute.

In total, Pēteris Upītis created 35 lilac varieties and many promising hybrids during his lifetime. The names of the lilac varieties selected by P. Upītis are very special and almost each one has its own story. For example, Upītis has dedicated the almost fifty years spent in Vidzeme to the bluish lilac variety – 'Vidzemes Debesis' ! The flowers of this lilac are medium-sized and at the beginning of flowering – pinkish-violet, but later acquire a bluish hue.

The most popular varieties created by the breeder are 'Dobeles Sapņotājs' , 'Gaiziņkalns' , 'Esības Prieks' , 'Māte Ede Upītis' , 'Pārstigums' , 'Pērļu Zvejnieks' , 'Variety Branch' , 'Liega' , 'Mazais Princis' , 'Maija Viešņa' , 'Imants Ziedonis' and 'Kristīne Baltpurviņa' .

Six of P.Upītis' lilac varieties 'Gaiziņkalns' , 'Liega' , 'Māte Ede Upītis' , 'Mazais Princis' , 'Pearl Fisherman' , 'Maija Viešņa' are included in the State Plant Protection Service (VAAD) register of protected varieties. Nine varieties were included in the International Lilac Varieties Register in Canada in 1995, and some varieties in the International Register of Lilac Names.