The Friends of Vintage Roses

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The Friends of Vintage Roses

The Friends of Vintage Roses exists to preserve the collection of historic roses developed by Gregg

On this page we will share news and information regarding The Friends of Vintage Roses, including photos and information about the roses in the collection. To support The Friends of Vintage Roses, please visit http://thefriendsofvintageroses.org/donate/

01/25/2025

Today's rose is Car Wash. Car Wash was found at a Car Wash in the California Gold Country. There were two roses growing at this business, one was Rev D'Or, and the other this rose. Fred Boutin thought it was a seedling of Rev D'Or crossed with a Wichurana Rambler. These lovely peachy blooms fade to creamy yellow and are freely borne on a vigorous easily grown climber with decent rebloom. It is available from Rose Petals Nursery.

01/24/2025

Today's rose is F. J. Groontendorst, a Hybrid Rugosa introduced in 1918 by deGoey. Deep cherry-crimson with fringed petals that give it the look of an old-fashioned dianthus or pink. Lacks scent and rarely forms hips, but a robust grower, excellent repeater, and the flower-clusters are delightful mixed into bouquets.

01/23/2025

Today's rose is Belle Amour, an Alba reintroduced in 1940. A very warm pink rose with large-petalled flowers of rich, spicy scent. Not typical for an Alba but showing many affinities to the class, including luxurious foliage. A very special rose and a graceful addition to the garden.

01/22/2025

Our rose for today is Dusky Maiden, a Floribunda introduced in 1947 by LeGrice. Dusky crimson single blooms with golden stamens; another grandparent of Austin roses. Mildly fragrant.

01/21/2025

This is Henri Barruet, a Rambler introduced by Barbier in 1918. Old-fashioned flowers of very unique coloring, changing much the way the colors of Phyllis Bide change; starting with a mauve petal edging, paling to near white with carmine edges and wash. Little fragrance.

01/20/2025

Here is Eugene Furst, a Hybrid Perpetual introduced in 1875 by Souper et Notting. Globular, deep velvety-crimson flowers shading to purple with age. This sport parent of Baron Girod L'Ain makes a spreading plant of 4' by 5'. Fragrant.

01/19/2025

Here is Chamisso, a Hybrid Musk bred by Lambert in 1922. The semi- double to double blooms are light pink, with a paler center and yellow undertones. The plant is bushy and climbing, graceful in the garden.

01/18/2025

This is Iceberg , Climbing, a Climbing Floribunda introduced in1968 by Cant. The sport of Iceberg, with semi-double, pure white flowers in small clusters. Excellent rebloom in large flushes. Little fragrance.

01/17/2025

Today's rose is Captain Thomas, a Large-Flowered-Climber introduced in 1938 by Thomas. Single clear yellow flowers fading to canary, on a tall shrub or a modest pillar rose with lustrous foliage. A unique creation from a very individual breeder.

01/16/2025

Here is Dr. J. H. Nicolas, a Large-Flowered-Climber introduced in 1940 by Nicolas. Like Ards Rover, this rose is heavily stamped with its Hybrid Perpetual ancestry, particularly in the lovely, large, rose-pink blooms with their Damask fragrance. Slow to climb, compared to some others, but patience will reward you.

01/15/2025

Our rose for today is Belle Portugaise, a Hybrid Gigantea Rambler introduced in 1903 by Cayeux. Seen all over California, festooning oak trees and smothering old homesteads, this unique hybrid between Souv. De Mme. Leonie Viennot and Rosa gigantea combines the nodding delicacy of a semi-double Tea rose in a soft shrimp pink with the tree climbing verve of Himalayan Ramblers. Tender, fragrant.

01/13/2025

Here is Buff Beauty, a Hybrid Musk introduced in1939 by Bentall. Fragrant, apricot-buff flowers of many large petals form a luscious whole, the effect in bloom causes love at first sight. Repeats well, even in partial shade; the color is more intense in indirect light, fading quickly to ivory-cream in bright, full sun. Fragrant.

01/12/2025

Today's rose is Camille Pissarro, a Floribunda bred by G. Delbard in 1996. The full blooms of mild fragrance are striped, red, yellow and pink, each bloom varying on a shapely, disease resistant shrub with glossy dark green foliage.

01/11/2025

Here is Brownie, a Floribunda introduced in 1959 by Boerner. This cross between Lavender Pinocchio and Grey Pearl inherited the best of both in coloring; it is a deep walnut-tan, its double blooms often overcast with orange-brown. Mild fragrance.

01/10/2025

This is Olivet, a Hybrid Multiflora Rambler bred by Alcide Vigneron in 1892. Large, soft, very double flat blooms, mildly scented, on a graceful arching shrub.

01/09/2025

Here is British Queen, a Hybrid Tea introduced in 1912 by McGredy II. Globular blooms of rolled back petals and silky substance of white blushed with pink; growth compact and flowers often nodding. Fragrant.

01/08/2025

Our rose for today is Goldfinch, a Rambler introduced in 1907 by Paul. Graham Thomas made much of this unassuming rambler. We love its soft yellow coloring and carefree habit, and think it deserves to be widely grown. Fragrant.

01/07/2025

Here is Angel Bells, a Hybrid Tea introduced in 1964 by Herholdt. Very large cream-colored flowers that are edged cherry pink; fragrant, long lasting as cut flowers and a very prolific bloomer. This plant is quite vigorous and should reach over 6' in height.

Address

3003 Pleasant Hill Rd
Sebastopol, CA
95472

Website

http://thefriendsofvintageroses.org/donate/

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On this page we will share news and information regarding The Friends of Vintage Roses, including photos and information.

Who We Are: TFoVR is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, Tax ID is 45-5624170. All contributions are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

Our Mission: The Friends of Vintage Roses exists to preserve and enhance the unique and extensive collection of historic roses developed by Gregg Lowery and Phillip Robinson, to establish the collection in a garden, and to share the collection with other public rose preservation efforts, all for the purpose of educating the public about the importance of the rose to human history, cultures, technology and science.

Events: Find out about our ongoing work on the collection and how to volunteer on our ‘Dirt Days’ page.

Questions: For additional information, or to volunteer, please contact TFoVR at: General questions: [email protected] About the rose collection: [email protected] About donations: [email protected] About volunteering: [email protected]

~ About The Roses ~

TFoVR owns and maintains the historic roses in the “Lowery-Robinson” collection, currently located in Sebastopol, California, about 50 miles north of San Francisco. Rosarians world-wide consider the collection to be one of the most comprehensive multiple-class collections of old roses ever assembled. Of particular note – the Hybrid Perpetuals, Bourbons, Gallicas, Hybrid Chinas, Teas, Noisettes and Chinas are among the most complete in North America and the old Hybrid Teas include an extensive group of Pernetianas.

In addition to the historic roses in the “Lowery-Robinson” collection, TFoVR also owns approximately 1,000 books, pamphlets and journals on miscellaneous rose subjects.

History: Beginning in the early 1980s, Gregg Lowery and Phillip Robinson, with the assistance of others, developed the collection through gifts of plant material from then still-existent old gardens or small nurseries in the United States, from cuttings propagated from old plants discovered in California and other states at abandoned homesteads, old cemeteries and the like, and by purchasing and importing cultivars no longer available elsewhere from specialized nurseries abroad. This passion for old roses resulted in documented inventories of 5,412 named cultivars. While some of the cultivars cannot be found in the collection at present, TFoVR is working to inventory all existing plants and to obtain replacements for lost specimens deemed worthy of continued representation in the collection.

Public Gardens: Roses in the collection have been the source of propagation material provided to numerous public rose gardens, including: in California, the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden, the Historic Rose Garden in the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery, the University of California Botanical Garden (Berkeley), the Rose Garden at The Huntington Botanical Gardens (San Marino), and Hearst Castle State Park (San Simeon); in Shreveport, Louisiana, the Heritage Rose Foundation Garden at the American Rose Center; in Charleston, South Carolina, the Noisette Garden at Hampton Park; in New York, the Heritage Rose District of New York City; and in Sakura, Japan, the Sakura Heritage Rose Garden. Plant material from the collection also has provided replacements for old roses long missing from the world-recognized rose gardens at Roseraie de l’Hay-les-roses in Paris, the Europa-Rosarium in Sangerhausen, Germany and in the United Kingdom, the National Trust’s historic rose garden at Mottisfont Abbey.

Scientific Research: The collection has provided DNA for important scientific rose studies as well. Notable studies include the research of Professor Maurice Jay at Strausbourg University in France, the pigment research pursued by Dr. Yuki Mikanagi at Kobe University in Japan and the Noisette and Tea studies conducted by Dr. Nancy Morvello at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida.

To support The Friends of Vintage Roses, please visit http://thefriendsofvintageroses.org/donate/