CEMETERY R OSE Old City Cemetery Historic Garden Preserving ’s Heritage

Americorps In The by Barbara Oliva Volume 7, Issue 2 We were fortunate to have a December 2007 crew of Americorps youth working in the Garden on November 17. They spent all In this issue: day , digging suckers, clearing overgrown vegetation Americorps 1 and irrigation lines.

Impermanent 1 This is not the first time the Gardens Americorps program sent Editorial 2 workers to the Cemetery, and each time those kids get an Training & Prun- 2 amazing amount of work ing Climbers done. They also seem to en- joy their work! We are grate- Garden Visitors 3 ful to them all. Many thanks to all the happy Americorps crews Rose Garden 4 Maintenance he Pruning Clinics led by Barbara Oliva will be held in the ave t S ! Historic Rose Garden at 10 a.m. HRF Conference 6 Date Saturday December 1 and Saturday December 15 See page 7 for details Pruning Clinics 7

World List of 7 On The Impermanence of Gardens by Judy Eitzen Rose Gardens Pruning Invita- 7 Historically, gardens have been linked to apart to be enjoyed. In the Far East, gardens have been designed to facilitate religious ex- tional art and aesthetics, medicine and religion. Some see gardens as a work of art – a perience.

perfect view or picture – likened to a In all cases, we have come to realize that gar- Cemetery Rose painting. Christopher Lloyd (actor and Garden dens are not permanent compositions and Activities and Dates gardener) said once, “The garden is the are subject to physical change. Flowers grow most impermanent art…changing all the and die, trees shed their leaves, and even Pruning Clinics December 1 time.” within a single day, rain or the hot Sacra- December 15 mento sun can bring about significant 10 a.m. People have cultivated a wide variety of changes. plants for nourishment and their curative Pruning Invitational January 19 functions. In medieval times, gardens were Gardeners make changes too, changing a separated by function; vegetables in the layout or introducing new plants. Even our Open Garden kitchen garden, medicinal plants in the herb (Continued on page 3) April 12 garden and trees, lawns and shrubbery set Page 2 Cemetery Rose Expanded Issue—change of delivery editorial

There was so much to tell you all that this issue runs Spending money on copying and postage means two extra pages. Actually, it probably could have that less money is available for the garden itself; been crammed into the usual six, but it’s more than structures, plants, irrigation, etc. Black and white time that everyone get to see some of what’s going copies aren’t very pretty. on at the garden as well as read about it. No matter For those receiving by U.S. Mail, send me your how poetical we wax about Rose email and I’ll send you each issue Garden goings-on, pictures are when it’s published. We also use worth at least 1,000 words, etc. etc. the email list to notify interested Further, one can see our accom- folks about special garden events plishments in color if one receives and visitors, etc. the issue via email. Photos can It’s delightful to have so much go- even be enlarged online to show ing on in the garden and that so details and convey even more. many volunteers are working hard Finally, you received this issue via to make the garden one of the best. email if (a) you submitted a request It’s gratifying that all our hard work to do so or (b) I know your email makes our garden worthy of being address. If you need a hardcopy, listed as one of the world’s most one can easily be printed, or you important gardens of old roses. In can email me and I’ll send one to fact, that’s amazing! you. The issue is also (like others) available on our Contributions, complaints, greetings: website (www.cemeteryrose.org). [email protected] or call me at 685-6634

Training & Pruning Climbing Roses by Anita Clevenger One of the more intimidating tasks that or up over a fence. Other roses, often called you can encounter in the rose garden is “Large Flowered Climbers,” have stiffer canes, A good resource for training and pruning climbing roses. and usually bloom repeatedly on new wood. selection and care of It's really not so hard, once you get a These roses bloom at the top of their canes, so you need to fan them out or train them hori- climbing roses is Stephen few concepts down. zontally to encourage lateral buds to break and Scanniello's Climbing flower. These roses grow well trained against a First of all, roses don't tend to hold them- Roses , written in fence or wall. It may be possible to wrap them selves up. They need to be supported to collaboration with Tania around a pillar, but the canes may be too stiff. “climb.” If trained into a tree, they may Bayard.(NY, Prentice-Hall, If trained over an arch, most flowers will be at readily clamber up over branches, but in the top. 1994) This book is general they need to be tied to their sup- available in the library, or port. I strongly recommend tying canes on No matter which type of climber, it is best to let one side of a support, and not weaving used copies can be the plant grow for the first few years to establish them through, to make it easier to remove purchased on-line. basal canes, cutting out only dead canes until old or unwanted canes. the plant is mature.

Want to learn more? Join Not all “climbing” roses are the same. Any pruning job starts with evaluating how the in with Rose Garden Some roses, often called “ramblers,” have plant is growing, and the shape and effect that flexible canes. These roses usually bloom volunteers on Wednesday you'd like to achieve. You need to decide just once, on wood that grew last season. or Saturday mornings, and which old canes should be removed, and which They will send out flowering laterals all up strong new canes are “keepers.” Once you've learn by working with us. the length of their canes. These are the sort cut out the old canes, it's much easier to visual- of roses that you can readily train up an ize the rest of the pruning job. arch, coax into a tree, wrap around a pillar, (Continued on page 5) Volume 7, Issue 2 Page 3

Garden Visitors by Anita Clevenger

One of the greatest joys of volunteering Best of all is when we meet up with knowl- in the Historic Rose Garden is sharing edgeable rosarians, some of whom have it with others which is one reason Bar- traveled a long way just to see the garden. bara and I try to greet people we see Barbara recently encountered our friends walking through the garden. Pamela and Michael Temple, who had come down from Mendocino County for a Sometimes, visitors are not familiar with short get-away from their own wonderful the roses. We answer questions and enjoy garden. Barbara also met some people their discovery that a rose is not just a rose from , who were visiting a friend is a rose. We meet painters and photogra- in Elk Grove and asked to come visit the phers who find inspiration at every angle. cemetery while they were in California. Some visitors are focused on history, seek- I've run into people whom I only know ing family members or enjoying how the (Continued on page 4) cemetery evokes another time and place. Impermanent Gardens, cont.

(Continued from page 1) perception of the garden alters as we change – we grow more vigorously than when they spent more time in the older, more experienced, more knowledgeable and suddenly shade. see things differently. The mutability of the garden is one of its attractions. Plants, even roses, can become diseased or damaged as cir- cumstances in the garden change. A new burial, headstone The Historic Rose Garden is no exception as change is con- or plot wall repair may mean that a rose must be moved or tinual. Think about the Rose Garden a few years ago and even removed to accommodate the change. Recently, vol- compare it in your mind to now and you will note signifi- unteers have expanded the use of other plants (iris, poppies cant differences. Most obvious is the removal of several and other perennials) to increase plant diversity in the gar- heritage elm trees from the Cemetery that has changed grow- den. This can have the effect of reducing the incidence of ing conditions for many roses. As more light is now avail- diseases and pests that proliferate in a monoculture. able to these roses (particularly in the southwest area of the Broadway Bed) they require more water and are growing Changes are happening nearly every day; come and see what’s new.

Buff Beauty in the Broadway bed photographed mid-spring in 2006 and 2007, showing the difference more sunlight has made to the overall beauty and vigor of the plant. It is larger, has more blooms and leaves are fuller and more numerous. Other plants in the area show similar improvement. Page 4 Cemetery Rose

Rose Garden Maintenance Report by Anita Clevenger Autumn lived up to its promise with a edges of the paths in many parts of the spectacular, prolonged display. The Teas Broadway bed which were overrun by coloniz- and Chinas were especially glorious. ing Gallicas, Moss Roses and Hybrid Chinas. Some years find the trees and deciduous We had Americorps crews in twice to work roses completely bare by the middle of with us, and they dug out suckers with great November, but the lack of winter storms enthusiasm and diligence. Many of the suck- kept the branches clothed ers ran just inches below the surface, but and the rose blossoms intact. some of the colonized plants had well- established root systems that reached down a We took this mild autumn couple of feet. They dug trenches in a couple weather as a chance to pay some of plots for us to install plastic root barriers, attention to once-blooming roses to see if we can better contain these aggres- that have not been pruned for sive colonizers. We potted up some of the several years. We've cut out the suckers for the Open Garden sale. oldest wood, shaped the roses lightly, and dug out suckers. The spring bloom will undoubt- The best way to prune once-blooming roses edly be reduced, but the health in our climate is still a bit of a mystery to me. of the plants should improve in the long run. Books talk about pruning a month or two We now can clearly see headstones and the (Continued on page 6)

Visitors, cont.

(Continued from page 3) returning when she can stay longer.. through the Internet, such as GardenWeb. It's always surprising to put a face with an on-line Jim and Jane Delahanty of Sherman Oaks What is a sport? name. also visited us. Jim is a specialist in polyan- Sports are naturally occurring thas, but had many keen observations on all genetic mutations that may Some of these rosarians let us know in ad- kinds of roses and their care. I sought Jim's result in a different bloom or vance that they are coming, and we try to ar- advice on our 'Ellen Poulsen,' a polyantha growth habit than the accepted range our schedules to meet them. In Octo- that is supposedly a small shrub, but is a ram- plant. They are usually found ber, Ann Bird, president of 's Royal pant, ridden, stingy bloom- on one cane in a plant, and National Rose Society, came for an afternoon. ing climber in the cemetery. Jim agreed that may retain this variation if the She was particularly interested in the size, it was an unusual form of the rose, probably a cane is propagated. Well- health and beauty of our tea roses, a class that “sport,” but pointed out that some sports are known rose sports include requires tender pampering in Britain but can never registered because they simply aren't many climbers, such as Cl. grow to overwhelming size in our climate. very good roses! We'll let it bloom (and mil- Lady Hillingdon or Cl. Mme. She also expressed appreciation for our dew) for one more spring, but feel we have Caroline Testout, and roses in unique, beautiful setting, commenting on been given permission to shovel-prune it a variety of colors and how wonderfully cared for, and loved, the some day when we can't stand it any longer. combinations, such as the cemetery seemed to be. Betty Vickers, one of many sports of 'Radiance,' the Texas Rose Rustlers, joined us and we All of these encounters, chance or planned, including 'Mrs. Charles Bell,' could have talked for days comparing the help us see the garden through fresh eyes. striped 'Careless Love,' and roses that they find there with the ones in our You never know just whom you are going to 'Red Radiance.' collection. Her first impression was that we meet, or what you will learn from them. If had a number of roses that she had never be- you are in the cemetery and see someone fore seen, and we are looking forward to her wandering through, why not say “hello”? Volume 7, Issue 2 Page 5 Climbing Roses, con’t.

(Continued from page 2) you want to train your climber as you Once-flowering climbers are best deadhead or tie in new growth. pruned a month or two after bloom, Make sure that you don't stub off in mid to late summer. At that strong new canes, but let them grow point, you can recognize new canes so that they can become the new that are growing, and select old canes framework for your rose. Tie up to cut out. Some send out new canes to keep them from being dam- growth along the old cane, which aged by rubbing against other canes, should be removed at the point or snapping off in the wind. where the new cane is growing. If new canes are emerging from the In the cemetery, we like to tie our base of the plant, cut the old canes to climbers with Velcro tape or ties the ground. You may end up remov- made of nylon stocking. Some peo- ing virtually all of the canes that ple use plastic plant tape, but it is bloomed this season, or retaining more visible. Whatever material you some. If you've tied the rose on one use, make sure that it won't cut into side only of its support, you can lay it the canes. down to work on it. If you prune a once-bloomer in the winter or spring, before bloom, you will remove flower- ing wood and reduce or eliminate that year's bloom.

Repeat-blooming climbers are pruned in winter months. Each winter, evaluate the older canes to see if they useful. We have planted a number are less productive or damaged. In of roses along the cemetery's Broad- general, canes will bloom vigorously way wrought iron fence, and simply for only a few years. Choose the tied the canes to the inside of the new canes, if any, that you would like fence. At my house, I have put three to tie into the framework. Once wooden trellises side-by-side to train you've cut away the old canes and 'Handel' horizontally against, with tied in the new, shorten the laterals It's easier to tie up your climbers if the rose stretching about fourteen on the older canes to two or three you work as a team, with one person feet across the garage wall. I've also buds. Cut off the tip of each cane, to to hold, and another to tie. Two strung wires along my fence, and tied promote branching. heads are also better than one in puz- canes against them. zling out what to do. If you're work- During the summer, be aware of how ing on your own, it's hard to tie a Once you learn these basic tech- knot wearing gloves. Stephen Scan- niques, you'll be rewarded with niello advocates cutting off the tips flower-covered climbers that add a of thumb and first finger from an old lot of wonder and delight to your pair of pruning gloves, to make your garden. fingers nimbler while still protecting your hands.

Structures for roses don't have to be expensive or elaborate. The rebar arches that were installed years ago in the cemetery have been lasting and unobtrusive. Tripods made of rebar or wood are also sturdy and Page 6 Cemetery Rose

Maintenance, cont.

(Continued from page 4) which should be tip-pruned. after bloom – or late summer – but writing about East Coast or European climates, where it freezes hard in the winter, peak I'm also not sure about the timing of this year's au- bloom is in June, and summer temperatures rarely hit triple dig- tumn pruning, since the plants were not yet fully dor- its. I'm still pondering what “blooms on old wood” really mant. Would it have been better to wait? Volunteer- means, as well. I think that it means that new canes that ing in the rose garden gives us a chance to try things emerged this year will bloom next year, but I've never observed and to observe what happens. We'll be watching these this closely. Vintage Gardens, in their website, advocates winter roses carefully next year, and adjust our approach ac- pruning for once-blooming roses, when you can see the structure cordingly. of the plant more clearly, making it easier to select dead and spent canes to remove. They say that Damasks can be shortened For now, we’ll continue with the once-bloomers, and by half and still bloom well, and that Gallicas benefit from re- also get started on the repeat blooming roses. We'll moval of spent flowering canes down to new lateral growth, thin out congested interior growth on Teas and Chi- nas, remove old, unproductive canes to rejuvenate a plant, and cut back Hybrid Teas and other roses that bloom on new wood to encourage more blooms and sturdier growth. We are building a priority list for pruning, and will leave a list of roses to be done in the mailbox so that people can know where to begin. With luck, we'll be “done” by mid-February, when the sap starts to rise again and buds start to swell.

Much as we love the flowers, pruning season brings its own special joy. It's great to work as a team, figuring out what each rose needs to bring out its best. Bring your pruners, gloves and loppers, and join in the fun.

Vintage Gardens' pruning advice is at http://www. vintagegardens.com/plantcare.html .

Register now for HRF Conference

Roses and Gardens in the Simeon, California. Fabien Ducher nurseryman of early 20th Century Speakers: , – A Family of A Conference at Hearst Victoria Kastner author and Rose Breeders, from Jean- Castle® is being sponsored historian–Julia Morgan, Wil- Claude Ducher to Joseph by the Heritage Rose Foun- liam Randolph Hearst and Pernet-Ducher

dation the Gardens of San Simeon Étienne Bouret HRF trustee

Burling Leong propagator of and member of the Friends The conference will be Sequoia Nursery–Creating of Rosarie de l’Haÿ-les- held in mid-April (the week Historic Replicas of Stan- Roses–Tree Roses and other after our Open Garden) at dard Roses Rose Topiaries in Early 20th the Hearst Castle in San Century French Gardens.

Register at HRF website: www.heritagerosefoundation.org Volume 7, Issue 2 Page 7

Pruning Clinics in December (Free!) December 1 and 15 are the dates for this and end with an opportunity for hands-on year’s pruning clinics. They will be held at experience under Barbara’s expert guid- 10 a.m. and will be conducted by Rose Gar- ance. den Curator, Barbara Oliva. These useful classes are a great way to learn The classes begin with brief remarks about how to prune these ancestors to modern pruning old garden roses. This is followed roses and a great way to meet others inter- by a demonstration on roses in the garden ested in old garden roses.

Rose Garden Makes World List At the International Heritage Rose Foundation Conference in June, the Heritage Roses Committee of the World federation of Rose Societies convened to form a World Heritage Rose Society. The goal of the group is to unite efforts of heritage rose groups around the world. One of their first acts was to select important heritage rose gar- dens world-wide. Just four gardens from the U.S. made the list and our Historic Rose Garden is one of them. This act recognizes the vision and effort of Barbara Oliva, Fred Boutin and Jean Travis over many years as well as the exemplary work continued by our volunteers. Well done, everyone!

Third Annual Invitational Pruning Party Scheduled

An invitation-only Pruning Party is bloom and these blooms put on a Who will be invited as part of this scheduled for January 19 at 10 a. great show on a gloomy winter exclusive group? Anyone we know m. in the Historic Rose Garden. day. who is familiar with the care (and pruning) of old roses. The Cemetery has a special beauty This is not a time for learning in winter with the bright reds of how to prune; invitees are experi- If you haven’t attended this function hips, dark reds and browns of the enced and accomplish much. Re- in the past, and know about pruning canes and some yellow leaves that wards include a hot lunch pro- antique roses and want to receive an haven’t yet fallen. Not surprising vided by Rose Garden Volunteers invitation, send an email to Anita to experienced rosarians is the fact and lots of rosy talk around the Clevenger at [email protected]. that some hardy roses will be in hot soup or chili. OLD C ITY C EMETERY HISTORIC R OSE GARDEN PRESERVING CALIFORNIA ’S H ERITAGE ROSES

CEMETERY R O S E

Judy Eitzen, editor 8698 Elk Grove Blvd. Suite 3, #271 Elk Grove, CA 95624 Email: [email protected] Website: www.cemeteryrose.org

Perks Garden Tip

Pruning Antique Roses

• VOLUNTEERS spend time work- There are nearly as many different views on the “correct” way to ing on a project that benefits the prune roses as there are garden- Garden quote entire community ers pruning them.

• VOLUNTEERS learn about roses The first requirement for success- A good compost with others interested in antique ful pruning of roses is to learn pile should get about the rose to be pruned. What roses, history and horticulture. type is it? How does it grow? hot enough to • VOLUNTEERS are good com- How old is the plant? How do you poach an egg, want it to look? pany! but not so hot it • VOLUNTEERS are the first to try Look for the new pruning section would cook a growing roses from the Rose Gar- soon to be posted on the Ceme- lobster. tery Rose Website den in home gardens. And lastly, remember roses are Anon... generally forgiving of pruning mis- Join in! takes.