Thanks to Gregg Lowery at Vintage Roses for helping us sort through the immense rose catalog for possible identifications. Check out their world-renowned Rose Collection here.
http://thefriendsofvintageroses.org
American Pillar Rose
Bred in 1902 by Dr. Van Fleet. This American upright rambler has Clusters of nearly fluorescent pink single petaled roses that demand your attention in any setting. Occasional re-blooming, Pleasant fragrance. Beautiful green foliage.
“One of the glories of midsummer along the rural roadsides of Northern California.” -Gregg and Phillip from their book Vintage Gardens Book of Roses. http://thefriendsofvintageroses.org
We’ve found this rose in Grass Valley along the roadside. California has at least 8 native roses but many of these Gold Rush Era Roses were brought from Europe where the Europeans had already been breeding Roses for centuries. The repeat blooming associated with modern roses can be traced to the China Rose.
Captain John Ingram Rose
Most Likely the Captain John Ingram Rose. Bred by Jean Laffay in 1854 France. Not Readily available. Spreading shrubby moss rose with small dark purple flowers. The flowers are about 2″-3″ diameter and have many small petals stacked on each other, sometimes making them 1.5” high in stacked petals. Drought tolerant. susceptible to powered mildew. Moss Roses are a class of roses that have fragrant trichomes of volatile oils that grow all over and around the flower buds that give it a Mossy appearance.
We’ve found 2 Mother Plants, one in North San Juan and Birchville, both in Dryish conditions. The shrubby mother bushes are about 45″ high and 6′-12′ wide. We’ve been loving on this rose for a while now and we are glad to finally put a good name to it.
Cherokee Rose
This beautiful white rose is a climber that showers down lots of vines and many, large, white, single-petaled roses. Adam loves this waterfall of heirloom beauty!
Found in the Auburn area around Marshal Gold Discovery Park.
Dr. Van Fleet Rose
Bred by Dr W. Van Fleet in 1910. This beautiful and healthy Rambling Rose Bush is abundant with large pink blossoms and a pleasant mild fragrance. The leaves are a luscious green and seem disease free. It is Disease and Pest Resistant, Drought Resistant and a Vigorous Grower. It was the mother of ‘Golden Dawn’ the first patented plant. It can ramble an entire block If left unattended with access to water. One of our favorites!
We found this Rose Growing in North San Juan and Grass Valley and does very well in both areas.
Feather’s Fragrant Pink Rose
Another Roadside Rose with great fragrance and beautiful pink petals. Our good friend Feather has a unique collection of Goldrush Plants in Goodyear’s Bar including some tough as nails roses. This one has the best fragrance of them all and seems to be doing just fine in a shady, dry, cold pocket, roadside area.
Found in Goodyear’s Bar.
Fortune’s Double Yellow Rose
Introduced to Robert Fortune in 1845 from a Mandarin Garden. This Beautiful and Prolific Climbing Rose creates a dazzling display of sunset colors in the spring. It will climb on anything and can keep going. Great for climbing up trees, fences, arbors, trellis or walls. Can be kept back through pruning. Fairly drought tolerant and blooms once in spring. Full sun to semi shade.
Can be found off Highway 49 in North San Juan on Private Property. North San Juan has many old homestead remnants still standing today. It sits right on the edge of a large Placer Diggins similar to the large Malakoff Diggins right down the road.
Fun Juan Lo – Odorata Rose
Fun Juan Lo, a very old rose from China that was grown in California in the 1920s-40s as a root stock rose. It’s a very beautiful China rose that blooms once a season. It was know in this country as ‘Odorata’, a reference to Rosa odorata, the wild ancestor of the Tea rose. Mild pleasant fragrance. Hardy and drought tolerant.
Hwy 49 China Rose
This unknown rose grows on a Roadside Homestead along Highway 49 and seems to always have at least one bloom – even in winter. This unkempt survivor stays healthy despite the elements and weather conditions. Gregg Lowry at ‘Friends of Vintage Roses’ says “Its definitely got china Rose!” but there was no conclusion about its name or history.
This rose was found growing on an old homestead with apples, grapes, and flowering quince outside Nevada City.
Leland’s 100-Year-Old Rose
This fragrant pink rose produces many sweet gorgeous blooms in early summer. It grows as an elegant bush with beautiful green foliage. Blooms in the end of June here at 2500′ feet.
This rose still grows on an old homestead in Camptonville, CA on the Late Leland Pauly’s Property. He was a local legend who passed on a few years ago. He loved this rose and said it was at least 100 years old. He was the postmaster for many decades, an avid collector, photographer, historian, gardener, volunteer and wonderful person. His memory was encyclopedic and he could talk your ear off for literally hours. Sometimes it was hard to escape. Still his wisdom and memories were valuable. He is missed and loved.
NSJ Noisette Rose
This unknown variety of Noisette Rose makes a beautiful bouquet by itself! Noisette Roses were bred in South Carolina in 1802 by John Champneys by crossing a Musk Rose with a China Rose. It’s soft pleasant perfume lures noses for a fragrant drink. It grows as a broad and shrubby bush.
This old late 1800s homestead in North San Juan has a few unique varieties of fruit that we will be offering in future seasons including a super large apple, grapes, pear and whatever else that may show itself.
White Pearl Rose
This unidentified Rose is an unusual beauty! A slow growing Climber with a Mild Fragrance that blooms throughout Summer. In its most beautiful form it resembles a satin egg delicately placed on a spreading plate of satin white rose petals. It seems that most of the time the dense ball of petals that makes up the egg shape never opens and falls off, but sometimes it does open up in a dense ruffle of petals. It is possibly the Alba Odorata Rosa (1834) or Maria Leonida (1829). In which case they may open up more in a warmer climate.
The old gnarled climbing trunk grows from a Gold Rush era cemetery near Dobbins, CA. The trunk is about 9″ diameter, draping over a headstone and climbing about 15′ up into the nearest tree. There is another one growing in Downieville, CA.
White Pearl in Red Dragon’s Mouth Rose
Chi Long Han Zhu has Compact Cherry Red blooms with an interesting white streak through the flowers. Mildly Fragrant and blooms throughout the season. Super tough. It is thought to be an old Chinese Rose that was Introduced into the United States around 1792 and still growing!
Found in Birchville on an old homestead with plums, roses, apples and other trees.
William’s Double Yellow Rose
(Hybrid Spinosissima)
Bred in the UK by John Williams, this beautiful yellow rose is a very drought and shade tolerant shrub. It sprawls, growing a patch of 1″-2″ foot high canes that spread 4 feet or wider. We discovered this rose, thriving since the Gold Rush without human care, grow to as large as 400 sq. ft. This plant requires no pruning or spraying. It is drought tolerant but requires irrigation to get established. Prolific, yellow blooms in May and June on thorny canes.
FGI has located this Gold Rush rose in Forest City, Nevada City and Lake City. It has survived a century in full-sun and shady conditions with absolutely no care. Amazing!