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| Old City Cemetery, Sacramento, CA (http://www.examiner.com/article/more-secret-gardens-of-the-sacramento) |
I suppose I’ve been living under a rock all this time. Even my MOTHER knew about “antique roses” when I asked her if she had ever heard of them. Now, unless you're totally into horticulture, you might never think to put those two words together (unless you're naming a new rock band - "Antique Roses" is at least as good a name as "Stone Roses,” the name of a well-known British band). But Google "Antique Roses" and you will find something surprising, especially if you are a taphophile or coimetromaniac!
For those unaware of the names people use to describe us cemetery travelers, a “taphophile” is one who loves “funerals, cemeteries and the rituals of death” (according to Wiktionary.org) and (according to www.wordinfo) a "coimetromaniac" is someone who exhibits “an abnormal attraction to and desire to visit cemeteries.”
Roses Gone Wild
I would assume that most people don’t realize that some of
the roses growing in our old Victorian-era cemeteries might very well be the
actual roses that were planted there a hundred years ago! If a cemetery is
well-maintained and families trim the bushes around their ancestors’ graves,
there’s no reason to assume that a particular rose bush might be “antique.” But
it is certainly possible.
This was the first time I ever heard those two words together. I
asked him to explain. It seems that people who know a lot about roses and want
to propagate the old varieties, will visit old cemeteries and abandoned houses
to get clippings of the rose bushes! Clippings can be used to start a new
plant. Why bother? In addition to their unusual beauty and historical significance, hundred-year-old-rose
variations are hardy. They may have lasted behind that abandoned house for
fifty years with no need for humans to care for them.
“In addition
to their long and rich history, old roses have many benefits over many of the
modern hybrid varieties found in today’s gardens … these beauties are able to
thrive under difficult conditions – and for good reason. You see, old or
antique roses grow on their own roots, so they can tolerate winter’s freezing
temperatures. In fact, they’re often referred to as “subzero roses.”
Additionally, old roses are drought-hardy and easily stand up to hot summer sun
and drying winds – once established.” - http://www.learn2grow.com/gardeningguides/roses/basics/TheseBudsAreForYou.aspx
Hundreds of
rose varieties from the 16th through 20th centuries have been identified and are
cared for in many cemetery horticulture gardens around the United States. See
links below for websites that describe such gardens in Denver, Lynchburg, and
Sacramento.
This
weekend, in fact – Mothers’ Day Weekend – is the Annual Antique Rose Festival
at the Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg, Virginia!
For an
amazing tour of Sacramento, California’s Old City Cemetery historic antique
Rose Garden (500 roses!), please visit their website:
References,
Further Reading, and Photos Galore!
(Several of
these links were graciously provided by Bryan Thompson-Nowak of the Morris Arboretum)
