In this column, I have often compared the growing of prime roses – or any crop for that matter – to elite sports. I would like to elaborate on that, because it really is a high-performance sport. Apart from the fact that it absorbs you 24/7, there are other parallels to be drawn.
What has struck me in recent months are the major similarities between growing roses and Formula 1. Anyone who has even dipped their toes into Formula 1 knows that Max Verstappen is the absolute best. Yet, in the last few races, things have not been easy for him, unlike in previous seasons, when everything fell perfectly into place.
Suddenly, the car is no longer perfect; it is bouncy, bumpy and unbalanced, upgrades turned out to be downgrades, and on goes the list. This is exactly what happens with a crop too sometimes. Just like that, things usually considered ‘normal’ can no longer be taken for granted. When that happens, a crop no longer seems to be perfect, just like the RB20. It's often the little things that count, but it’s exactly those final details that make a champion, so they must be fixed.
