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jerijensunsetz24

"Legacy Of The Richardson Family"

jerijen
9 years ago

This rose, though still smallish, has been large enough this spring to really enjoy. And it has bloomed, and bloomed, and bloomed.

The wonderful foliage has been every bit as clean, and every bit as dark, as it was in the old cemetery where it was collected -- and the BLOOMS! I swear, they've been prettier HERE.

We weren't the first to collect this rose. Ed Wilkinson collected it for the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden -- and study named it "Legacy Of The Richardson Family."

ME, I would have called it "George Washington Richardson" for the closest headstone . . . I still think of it that way.

The good news is that it lives in my garden, and in the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden, and in Kim Rupert's garden.

The bad news is that -- I was told this spring that the mother plant is gone. :-(

Comments (28)

  • mendocino_rose
    9 years ago

    That's often the sad story. It seems like a rose for the Sacramento Cemetery to grow too.

  • boncrow66
    9 years ago

    What a great story, thanks for sharing. I think it's wonderful you and Kim have the opportunity to grow a found cemetery rose. The pictures you posted of the blooms are pretty.

  • jerijen
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Well, the Sacramento Cemetery doesn't have it -- but the good news is -- thanks to Ed Wilkinson, the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden DOES have it.

    We'll check on it on Sept. 27, when we're up there at the Heritage for their annual Open Garden and Rose Sale. :-)

  • ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
    9 years ago

    Unbelievable that anyone could destroy such a rose. I'm wondering, though, how would you classify this rose, Jeri? China, polyantha, other?

    Ingrid

  • Vicissitudezz
    9 years ago

    I don't suppose it could be 'Prosperity' or a relation? The flowers look somewhat alike to me...

    She really is quite beautiful, but how sad that the mother plant is gone.

    Virginia

  • jerijen
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    When I last saw the plant, it was still quite vigorous. The place is, however, heavily-infested with gophers. It may be that gophers killed it.

    Virginia, the blooms are quite large. I don't believe this is a Hybrid Musk -- I rather think it could be an early Hybrid Tea Rose.

    It may have a climbing, or at least arching habit, but we have never seen one growing naturally. It can make 7-leaflet leaves, which I think is interesting. It was disease-free in the old cemetery where it grew, and it is disease-free in my garden.

    When I stick my nose in it, I can smell musk -- and that's even present in hot weather on a less-than-fresh bloom. But then, I am somewhat fragrance-challenged.

    It could be that there are other notes there, which I do not detect.

  • Vicissitudezz
    9 years ago

    It is difficult to gauge size from photographs, but the blooms did seem similar to 'Prosperity' in shape/ coloring. Oh, well.

    There are so many really good roses that we ought to know, but don't. Things go out of fashion, or don't get properly marketed, and they should be well-known garden workhorses, but are now unknown. But now I'm preaching to the choir, eh?

    Do you think it will be possible to get some cuttings into general circulation, or will the CA quarantines make that an unrealistic goal? I have no idea how much it would cost to have plant material inspected for export to an interested nursery, assuming there were an interested nursery...

    I've been wondering about leaves and leaflets, and what can be determined from leaves. Most of my "rescue roses" now have leaves on them (all but 2 of 10, and I haven't given up on them). Of those, most have leaves with 3 leaflets, but 2 of them have leaves with up-to-11 little leaflets. These were the 2 that stayed leafy when the others were either completely or mostly defoliated. You can imagine that I'm pretty curious to see what they'll turn out to be like.

    Maybe I should post some photos of the leaves, prickles, etc. to see what can be ruled out (or in?) in terms of what types of roses they are. I'm pretty sure none are Rugosas!

    I was quite surprised to see that one of the first 2 roses I brought home already has a flower bud. I am used to the slow-but-steady pace of camellia growth, so roses seem pretty speedy in comparison...

    Oh, and I do have to agree with you about the name: GWR is kinda long, but LOTRF is really a mouthful...

    Virginia

  • jerijen
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Actually, I believe that Richardson is growing in Virginia now. From the one plant there, it can be got to a handful of people.

    But the sad fact is that we now have very few nurseries interested in offering "orphan" roses.

    Like many other very good roses, it may be a valued "Passalong".

    As to names . . . Who could resist "George Washington Richardson"???

    I have tried to find out more than names and dates, about that particular Richardson family. I think they were early California settlers, who moved to the Capay Valley after suffering an Indian attack.

    There also seems to be a largely unexplained connection between The Father Of Our Country, and the surname, "Richardson."

  • Vicissitudezz
    9 years ago

    Do you think GWR had a closer connection to our first president than just being named for him? It seems to have been a popular name- I noticed that GW Carver was born the same year as Mr Richardson- during the Civil War era. Perhaps a way to publicly reaffirm faith in the Union?

    I did a bit of Googling, and noticed that there was another George Washington Richardson in Chicago who was a bigwig in the slide rule business, and he was born around 1866...

    I also noticed- and you may have seen this already- that there was a George W Richardson of Aromas, CA who was granted a Post Office pension in 1900. Possibly a relative? I love researching stuff like that...

    Good luck,
    Virginia

    Here is a link that might be useful: Smithsonian link about the slide-rule GWR

  • jerijen
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I do too Virginia. I just wish I could find a descendant.

    No, the curious thing I ran across was the fact that most, if not all, of the freed Washington Slaves (you know Washington's will specified that the slaves were to be freed upon MARTHA's death) took the surname "RICHARDSON."

    No one seems to know WHY they took Richardson as a family name. But that fact made me wonder if this particular Richardson family might be African-American.

    Again -- I can't find a descendant, so I am stalled.

    I HAVE, however, tracked down living descendants of another family from the same cemetery. As soon as I get a Round Tuit, I'm going to contact them (their ancestors also have a rose) -- and if I can make a good contact, I can always ask them if they know anything about the Richardsons.

    (JERI)

  • jerijen
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    srmink -- They have changed things here AGAIN. I cannot see a way to send you a private message, and I don't want to publish my email address here.

    However, if you will use the "contact us" line on the website of the Gold Coast Heritage Roses Group:
    http://www.goldcoastrose.org/

    I will get the message, and will be able to reply to you via email.

    I am most anxious to learn the history connected with this very very lovely rose.

    Jeri

  • roseseek
    7 years ago

    That's marvelous a relative has surfaced! George Washington Richardson is virtually identical to what is in commerce as Mlle. de Sombreuil. And, GWR has been virus tested by Malcolm Manners and found to be free from RMV. Here are parts from the Mlle. de Sombreuil from the Sacramento Cemetery compared with those of GWR. GWR is the rose on the left in each photo and Mlle. de Sombreuil is on the right.

    Mlle. de Sombreuil above. GWR below.



  • comtessedelacouche (10b S.Australia: hotdryMedclimate)
    7 years ago

    Wow, Kim - I would have assumed, looking at your photos, that they were indeed the same rose. So what, if any, are the differences?

  • roseseek
    7 years ago

    None that I can see. When I first posted those to Face Book, the consensus was they certainly do appear to be the same rose. Gregg Lowery agreed he sees nothing to indicate they aren't the same.

  • jerijen
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Moreover, the OTHER found clone of 'Mlle. de Sombreuil' was found in NoCal. The other things we've thought this "might" be were not listed in commerce in the U.S., and have not turned up elsewhere.

    The fact that this plant was not infected with the viruses which crept in later in time allows us to more or less assume that this is a 19th-Century plant.

    Finding a family member is VERY exciting, and I'm anxious to know what THEY know, that we can only guess at.


  • mcnastarana
    7 years ago

    Speaking of 'Round Tuit' has that cute little rose survived? I seem to remember it being a rugosa hybrid, is that right?

  • roseseek
    7 years ago

    Yes, it's a marvelous Rugosa landscape type. It should still be in The Heritage and several other private gardens. There are several of Ralph Moore's Rugosa landscape types which need resurrecting. Yesterday's Garden is another and it's in the Sacramento Cemetery. There was a wonderful yellow version Jim Delahanty and I urged Mr. Moore to propagate and introduce as "Eleventh Hour". Mr. Moore loved the name and he struck cuttings, none of which appear to have survived.

  • jerijen
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    That Yesterday's Garden in the Sacramento Cemetery could be endangered there. I hope it survives elsewhere.

  • roseseek
    7 years ago

    I hope it isn't. It was a spectacularly healthy, productive and beautiful flowering bush in Newhall.

  • jerijen
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Yes. But with the City wanting to remove roses, anything not truly old could be endangered.


  • comtessedelacouche (10b S.Australia: hotdryMedclimate)
    7 years ago

    Do you have any further news, Jeri, about the Sacramento City Cemetery?

  • jerijen
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    I asked recently, and things are still in a holding pattern.

    But they have been propagating many of their very best roses -- which bodes well for a spectacular rose sale at next April's Open Garden.


  • Rosefolly
    7 years ago

    Somehow I just cannot bring myself to click "Like" on that post. Yes, a spectacular sale would be a good thing. But what I really want is for the Sacramento Garden to continue and thrive for many decades to come.


    Rosefolly

  • jerijen
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    No, Folly -- I don't "LIKE" it, either. It's one of several things that weigh on me, these days. :-(


  • Izzy (zone 10)
    7 years ago

    The picture is breathtaking jerijen

  • jerijen
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Izzy, it's easy to take beautiful photos in that place. There is so much beauty, and so much history.


  • Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
    7 years ago

    I just meant like in sympathy for the situation. They do need another symbol.