Grassmere historic farm heirloom Gardens The Heirloom Gardens at Grassmere Historic Farm are designed and maintained by the Davidson County Master Gardeners since restoration in 1997. TABLE OF CONTENTS Heirloom Rose Garden..............................................................................3 Kitchen Herb Garden................................................................................6 Medicinal Herb Terrace............................................................................7 Orchard......................................................................................................14 Perennial Terrace.......................................................................................15 Heirloom Vegetables List........................................................................24 Compiled by Master Gardeners of Davidson County for the Heirloom Gardens at Grassmere Historic Farm, Nashville, TN Editor: Cathie Long, Tennessee Master Gardener, Lifetime Volunteer 2017 / Graphics: Patricia VornDick, Master Gardener HEIRLOOM ROSE GARDEN The Grassmere historic garden has a variety of heirloom roses. These roses were known in gardens before 1867 and are also referred to as “antique” or “old garden” roses. The major classes of heirloom Albas, Bourbons, Chinas, Damasks, Gallicas, Hybrid Perpetuals, Noisettes, Rugosa, Teas. roses include: and Many heirloom roses bloom just once per year, but when they do, they put on a real show. Don’t miss it! Rosa alba Rosa chinensis China Alba is Latin for white; flowers are white to light pink. The roses are the original repeat bloomers, going all These roses are represented in paintings of medieval summer and into the fall. They were cultivated in East Alba gardens and growing on castle walls. roses are some Asia for centuries and brought to Europe in the late of the oldest roses grown. They are thought to have been eighteenth century and became the parents to all later China brought to England by the Romans. They are once repeat blooming varieties. Most roses have stems bloomers, and tend to have a sweet fragrance. They are too weak to support the small blooms, which give them a Alba quite hardy. We have one rose in the garden. nodding habit. We have two Chinas in the garden. R. Alba R. China , ‘Small Maiden’s Blush’ (1600) (1) — rambler, white , ‘LeVesuve’ (1825) (5) — with pink edges—’Maiden’s Blush’ was shades of lilac and pink — ‘Le Vesuve’ originally known as ‘Thigh of the is vigorous growing but can be Nymph,’ but that was considered too maintained as a compact bush. A risqué for Victorian gardens, and the fragrant repeat bloomer that has fully name was changed to the more delicate double flowers with swirled centers. ‘Maiden’s Blush’, and became a R. China , ‘Green Rose’ (1845) (7) — green, spicy pepper standard for cottage gardens. It is one fragrance— The unusual blooms of the ‘Green Rose’ may of the best known Albas. It has a graceful habit, lovely soft be hard to detect, but once you know coloring- the petals do seem to blush- from white to light what you are looking for, you’ll find the pink, and is very fragrant. It is known in two forms: ‘Great bush is literally smothered. The ‘Green Maiden’s Blush’ and ‘Maiden’s Blush’. We have the Rose’ is nearly always in bloom and is smaller variety. popular for floral arrangements or Rosa bourbon dried in bouquets. It has a spicy Bourbon Damask roses are thought to be a cross between a fragrance with a hint of pepper. China and a rose. They are a varied class; most are repeat Rosa damascena bloomers that grow between two and fifteen feet tall, have Damask Known for their intense, heavy fragrance, roses an arching habit, and are usually fragrant. They were were brought back by the crusaders from the near and popular from the mid to late 1800’s. We have two middle east between 1250 and 1275. Grassmere has one Bourbons in the garden. Damask rose. R. Bourbon , ‘Madame Isaac Pereire’ R. Damask , ‘Kazanlik’ (1850) (13) —deep (1881) (2) — large bush, deep violet — pink, very fragrant— ‘Kazanlik’ is Named after the wife of a French perhaps the most sought-after of the old banker, ‘Madame Isaac Pereire’ has Damask roses. The flowers are deep large, cabbagey flowers. The fruity- pink with 30 shaggy petals around scented blossoms are possibly the most golden stamens. fragrant of all roses. It produces scattered blooms in the spring and throughout the Rosa gallica summer and peaks in the fall. Gallica roses are one of the oldest of rose classes. They R. Bourbon , ‘Queen of Bourbons’ (1834) bloom once on small bushy plants which are covered in (6) — cupped rose pink flowers with very fine thorns. Bloom time may be as short as three mauve veining — Blooms in both weeks or as long as six weeks. They are known for their spring and fall, and has a good crop of fragrance, but more for their intense colors. Because of this rose hips to follow the flowers. This they were known as ‘Mad Gallicas’. They were very rose was planted in memory of Barbara popular from the early to mid-1800’s. We have two Sullivan, one of the pioneers of the Gallicas at Grassmere. Grassmere historic gardens. 3 R. Gallica , ‘Charles de Mills’ (also called late 19th century alongside the hybrid teas and are not ‘Bizarre Triomphant’) (1846) (12) — considered an heirloom variety. We have one Polyantha magenta pink shrub — ‘Charles de rose in the garden. Mills’ puts on one of the best displays R. Polyantha ‘Orange Triumph’ (1937) every year. The shrub is compact, with (17) is a moderate climber with blooms neat, dark green foliage and nearly that are a striking coral-red in color thornless canes. The flowers are unique, instead of an orange as you might often so perfectly flat across the top that they might have expect. The bright, semi-double flowers been sliced open with a sharp blade to display the neat are borne in clusters throughout the arrangement of petals. Color ranges from maroon to season and are quite a show against the purple in a fat, full and fragrant rose. dark, glossy green leaves. R. Gallica , ‘Cardinal de Richelieu’ (1847) Hybrid Perpetual Roses (14) — purple shrub — ‘Cardinal de A dominant class of roses in Victorian England called Richelieu’ offers the most extraordinary perpetual because they are repeat bloomers. They were coloring; Graham Thomas has been popular because they were more cold tolerant than teas. quoted as saying that it has "the They have exceptional fragrance and a tall growing habit sumptuous bloom of a dark grape.” requiring full sun and good air flow. They are smallish flowers, but the color makes up for the size. There are usually about three ‘Reine des Violettes’ (1860) (11) — a blooms per cluster, sometimes more. The bloom begins as rosy purple bloom that fades to violet, a dark crimson purple bud, then quickly opens to a dustier quartered petals with a button center purple color that “ripens" in the sun, eventually turning — The undersides are more silky than an almost deep grey-purple. It is not to everyone's liking, the velvety upper surfaces. This thornless rose has qualities of the but looks lovely when next to a pale pink. Bourbon Gallica and . It is a compact Rosa rugosa Rugosa bush requiring hard pruning. Native to eastern Asia, roses have thorny branches and attractive, distinctively wrinkled leaves. The species ‘Paul Neyron’ (1869) (15) — warm rose takes its name from the Latin word rugosus, meaning "full flushed with lilac — This rose has large of wrinkles". They grow well in mixed borders, hedges, blooms six to seven inches wide like a and as specimens. They are tolerant of harsh conditions, cabbage rose, probably your including salt spray, wind, and poor soil. They are a repeat grandmother’s cabbage rose. The canes bloomer from June until frost. We have two Rugosas in the grow vertically from four to six feet tall. garden. R. Rugosa ‘Rubra’ Noisette Roses (1796) (16) — violet The Noisette rose was created by John Champneys of pink-red shrub — ‘Rubra’ is the original Charleston, South Carolina in 1811 and is the only class of pink form of the species that founded heirloom roses that originated in the United States. the Rugosa Class. This shrub rose has Noisettes are large, repeat-blooming, rambling plants that wrinkled dark green leaves on densely grow up to 20-feet tall, with pliable canes. The blooms are thorned stems. It is known for its large usually produced in clusters. They were also crossed with red hips and leaves that turn bright tea roses which produced large, single blooms, instead of yellow in the fall. clusters. We have one Noisette in the garden. Rugosa ‘Alba’ R. ‘Memorial Rose’ (1780) R. Noisette , ‘Blush Noisette’ (1818) (3) — (4) — white, rambler — Single, papery blush pink, repeat bloomer — Just after white blossoms that open from light 1800, John Champneys crossed a pink pink buds and have contrasting yellow China Rose with the Musk Rose and stamens. The heavily-scented flowers obtained a large-growing shrub with are followed by reddish-orange hips. clusters of lightly fragrant pink Rosa polyantha blossoms, ‘Champneys' Pink Cluster’. Literally "many-flowered" roses, from the Greek "poly" Champney’s neighbor, Philippe Noisette, planted its seeds (many) and "anthos" (flower). Originally derived from and grew a plant which was similar but smaller, and Rosa chinensis crosses between two East Asian species ( and which had larger clusters of double flowers. ‘Blush Rosa multiflora ), polyanthas first appeared in France in the Noisette’ blooms from early spring, throughout the 4 season, and peaks in the fall. Miscellaneous Shrub Roses ‘Fortuniana’ (1850) (9) — Rambler, Tea Roses white — Young Scottish undergardener Not to be confused with today’s modern “hybrid tea” Robert Fortune discovered this rose in roses, the old fashioned R. tea roses are small to medium newly opened China, in 1850, blooming sized plants known for their large blooms on weak stems. R. China in a Shanghai garden. It is believed to They are believed to be an early cross between the R.