Hsieh Kuo-bin: The flower grower who moved because of roses／花農謝國賓為了玫瑰花而搬家
Hsieh Kuo-bin: The flower grower who moved because of roses
◎English translation by Marie-claude Pelchat
◎Photos by Lin Yu-en
The sun shines bright through the plastic greenhouse covers of Liouguei flower-grower Hsieh Kuo-bin's rose plantation. It's cozy inside the greenhouse, with good air circulation. Kaohsiung's winter sun gives the roses a bright, full color. Roses don't necessarily grow well elsewhere in Taiwan. Hsieh regards Liouguei as an idea place for growing roses. In his search for the ideal environment to grow roses, Hsieh moved from Madou in Tainan to Liouguei four years ago. He was drawn to Liouguei by the fact that it is a mountainous area, and the elevation makes it more suitable than the plains for growing roses. Hsieh's attention to detail is such that he even chose to stay in Liouguei during the warmest months of June and July to see if his roses could survive the sweltering summer. The results convinced him to relocate to Liouguei at the age of 50, so he could develop his rose-growing business.
Hsieh grows white roses, "Diana, Princess of Wales" roses and Camilla roses. Not only are these roses beautiful, but they also produce many flowers and are easily cared for. His rose plantation is between 360m and 400m above sea level. Enjoying ample sunlight and average temperatures of 25°C to 28°C, it is neither too cold nor too hot, thus making it an ideal location for cultivating roses. In the summer, daytime temperatures are 11°C higher than nighttime temperatures. Roses which grow in an environment where it constantly rains are exposed to the risk of downy mildew. However, Liouguei's soil is sandy, guaranteeing better drainage, and the sun ensures that any water remaining on the roses evaporates, so avoiding the risk of too much moisture.
As he stands in his three-hectare rose plantation and talks about growing roses, Hsieh looks fulfilled. His job gives him a lot of freedom, the hours are flexible, and the daily workload is not too demanding. He can admire roses while earning money. The care and attention of the landowner, as well as the fact that his son has agreed to join him in the business, bring him joy and comfort.
Hsieh's son, Hsieh Ming-shin, says that he started helping his father back when he was in high school. Hsieh Kuo-bin's roses are usually sold at auction markets in Tainan and Kaohsiung, but during the peak period ahead of Valentine's Day, his roses are also sold in central and northern Taiwan. Father and son even show a rose coloring technique, used during special occasions, which allows them to dye specially-chosen premium roses blue. A full bouquet (20 roses) of blue roses is particularly stunning.
The rose-growing industry is part of what is called in Taiwan "quality agriculture." In the future, such businesses will require many qualified people. However, the population in Liuguei is mostly composed of elderly people, and because regulations limit the working day to eight hours, Hsieh Kuo-bin says manpower issues may hamper the development of the rose-growing industry. He hopes the government can help improve the situation.
花農謝國賓為了玫瑰花而搬家
◎文／侯雅婷
◎攝影／林育恩
陽光透過塑膠棚照耀在六龜花農謝國賓的玫瑰花圃，棚內溫度舒適，通風性極佳，高雄冬季充足的日照，讓玫瑰花瓣的色澤鮮豔飽滿，玫瑰花品質傲視全台，也難怪玫瑰花農謝國賓說「種花來六龜就對了！」，為了尋求理想的玫瑰花種植環境，4年前，他從台南麻豆搬遷到六龜，看中的是位處山區的六龜，高海拔的地理位置遠較平地更適合栽種玫瑰，謝國賓甚至還謹慎地選在最熱的6月和7月住在六龜，以勘察玫瑰能否安然渡過酷夏的季節，考察的結果讓他毫不遲疑地在50歲時，搬遷到六龜發展玫瑰花事業。
謝國賓的玫瑰花圃栽植翡翠白、戴安娜以及卡蜜拉等三種花形漂亮、產量佳、易照顧、管理的玫瑰花，花圃位處海拔360~400間，屬中海拔，日照充足，平均溫度25~28度，冷熱適中，適合玫瑰花生長，夏季時溫差達11度，晚上涼冷，倘若玫瑰花生長的環境經常下雨，玫瑰花將暴露在最害怕的「露菌病」風險中，但六龜土壤屬砂質土壤，排水性佳，而太陽將玫瑰花積水或水氣蒸發，讓玫瑰花不致泡水腐爛。
談起種植玫瑰，謝國賓站在自家佔地3公頃的玫瑰花園中滿足地說，做這行是自由行業，工時很彈性，每天的工作量不一定很多，但是都有錢賺，還有花可賞，更有願意同他一起打拼玫瑰花事業的兒子，讓謝國賓對現狀感到很歡喜也很安慰。
兒子謝明祥表示，他從國中開始幫忙父親花圃的工作，平日謝國賓的玫瑰花銷往高雄和台南拍賣市場，而最忙碌的情人節檔次還會將玫瑰花銷往中、北部，父子倆還秀了一手「染玫」的技術，即在特別的時節挑選花形漂亮的特級玫瑰花，染成藍色，一整把(20支)藍色的玫瑰看起來氣勢非凡。
玫瑰花產業屬於精緻農業的一環，精緻農業向來倚靠龐大的人力需求，六龜當地人口結構以年長者居多，又受限於法定工時8小時。謝國賓強調，倘若未能解決缺乏人手的問題，將阻礙花農擴大經營規模，希冀政府能協助改善。